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In this world, pirates generally fall into two categories.
The first type consists of those who set sail in pursuit of a dream or for a specific purpose.
They embrace the joy of adventure, celebrate the freedom of the seas, and often lend a helping hand when encountering injustice.
Rather than calling them pirates, they're more like powerful, action-driven adventurers.
They don't go out of their way to commit crimes, but their free-spirited nature means they frequently act on impulse, often disregarding the consequences of their actions.
The Straw Hat Pirates clearly belong to this category.
They prevented a catastrophic war in Alabasta, saving countless lives… yet they also broke into Impel Down, freeing a horde of the world's most dangerous criminals—all to rescue Ace.
They don't act for good or evil.
They act purely on their own will.
The second type of pirate is far more predictable.
They seek only wealth and power, delighting in subjugating the weak through sheer brute force.
And without a doubt—
The Buggy Pirates fall into this category.
They seized Orange Town, drove out its people, and pillaged the land for their own amusement.
Their actions weren't much different from how ruthless warlords and tycoons had built their empires in Red's previous life.
It would not be an exaggeration to call them evil.
Under normal circumstances, such a crew would never be able to sit at the same table as the Straw Hats to discuss an alliance.
But today—
Thanks to the intervention of a certain transmigrator, such an impossible meeting had become reality.
On the Straw Hat side, the core four were all present.
Buggy, meanwhile, arrived with his right-hand men, Mohji and Cabaji.
Seven people sat around a round table, their seats arranged according to status.
At the head sat Luffy and Red.
One of them didn't care about a thing, stuffing his face with food.
The other sat upright, his lips curved in amusement as he observed the room.
Flanking them were Zoro and Nami, who, despite not fully understanding the situation, remained composed—because Red was the one calling the shots.
Then—
Red suddenly spoke.
"Alright, now that we've shared the ceremonial sake, we're family from now on."
His tone was casual, but his words carried weight.
Then, he turned to Buggy and his crew, his eyes sharp.
"First things first—I want to make something very clear."
"Our real target is the World Government—a force so massive that even the strongest pirates hesitate to challenge them."
"So from now on, we cannot afford to think of ourselves as just pirates."
He leaned forward slightly.
"It doesn't matter what you've done up until now."
"But from this moment forward—I don't want to hear any more news about the Buggy Pirates oppressing civilians!"
"You need to understand something."
"Anyone can be our ally."
"Anyone can be our enemy."
"And what we need—"
"Are more friends, not more enemies."
His eyes locked onto Buggy.
"Do you understand what I'm saying, Buggy-senpai?"
The room fell silent.
Then—
Buggy nodded.
"Yeah, I got it."
His tone was unusually serious.
Buggy the Clown might have been a coward, but he was not an idiot.
He instantly grasped Red's point.
Sure, his dream was to become the kind of pirate who raided and looted freely, just like the legends of old.
But compared to that—
The goal of overthrowing the World Government was far greater.
Being a good person was hard.
But pretending to be one?
That was easy.
And honestly—
Buggy didn't even question Red's sincerity anymore.
Why?
Because the moment they had shared the sworn sake—
Something changed in him.
Before, Buggy might have doubted Red's words, suspecting some scheme or hidden trap behind this alliance.
But now—
All of those doubts were gone.
Because of the two new moves that had appeared in his mind:
[Headbutt] and [Pay Day].
And it had all started just minutes ago…
Shortly after drinking the sworn sake, Red had put something to the test.
He had called Buggy and Mohji into a private room—
And revealed to them his identity as a trainer.
At first, they didn't fully understand.
But when they finally accepted the truth—
Red opened the machine interface and checked the list of Pokémon.
And to his shock—
Two new names had been added.
One was Nami, who had not been there yesterday.
The other—
Was Buggy the Clown, who had just joined their ranks.
Mohji, as expected, did not appear on the list.
Red wasn't surprised by Nami's presence.
After all, she had already learned about his identity as a trainer, and this morning, she had completely opened her heart to the Straw Hats—officially becoming part of the crew.
With the trust conditions met, it was natural for her name to appear.
But Mohji?
He wasn't Buggy.
Red mentioning Roger and Shanks wasn't enough to make someone like Mohji trust him outright.
Buggy's presence, however, was something Red had anticipated—though it still came as a pleasant surprise.
"It seems that even without a deep partner bond, as long as I establish enough trust or intimacy, I can bring others into the game world."
"This makes things much more flexible~"
Red smiled as he reached this conclusion.
Of course, just because Buggy could enter the game didn't mean Red was going to waste valuable time on him.
After seeing Buggy's typing—Normal + Fairy, the same as Luffy's—Red only brought him into the game once to teach him a few basic Normal-type moves.
The entire process took less than a minute.
But to Buggy—
It was nothing short of a miracle.
By the time they left the game, Buggy's entire worldview had shifted.
Which was exactly what Red wanted.
Seeing Buggy's current eager-to-please expression, Red smirked in satisfaction.
Then, he spoke.
"Tonight, we set sail."
"And before we leave, I have a few tasks for you and your crew."
"Lord Red, please give your orders!"
Buggy grinned flatteringly, rubbing his hands together in a comically submissive pose.
Red chuckled at how quickly the clown had adjusted to his new role.
"The first task—"
"It's about the Buggy Bombs."
"I want the full recipe and some technical support from you."
"…No problem!"
Buggy, eager to show his loyalty, didn't hesitate for even a second.
"The Buggy Bomb was developed by me—the formula is all in my head! I can write it down right now!"
He immediately reached for a pen and paper, ready to start writing.
But—
Red stopped him with a raised hand.
"No rush."
"Just give me the recipe before we leave."
"Oh, and you should have some Buggy Bombs left in storage, right?"
"Hand them all over to me as well."
"Understood, Lord Red."
Buggy nodded without hesitation.
Buggy Bombs weren't particularly expensive to make—what truly mattered was the crafting process.
Giving up a few finished bombs was nothing compared to the grander scheme Red was hinting at.
Buggy's eager cooperation made Red smile with satisfaction.
Teaching Buggy two moves had paid off.
Even Luffy and Zoro hadn't received such treatment yet—though that was simply because they didn't need it.
In the entire East Blue, if there was anything truly worth Red's attention…
It was the Buggy Bombs.
Despite the Clown Pirates being nothing more than a comedy troupe masquerading as a pirate crew—
Despite Buggy himself often being seen as nothing more than a joke—
There was one undeniable fact:
The Buggy Bombs were terrifying.
A single compressed bomb was powerful enough to wipe out an entire group of Impel Down guards—warriors trained to face Admiral-level threats.
And even now, an unmodified Buggy Bomb possessed destructive power comparable to Luffy's Gear Third.
Far beyond the standard cannonballs used by the Marines.
Even in the Grand Line, this kind of weapon would be invaluable.
If the right conditions were met, Red was even considering—
Building an ammunition factory.
Mass-producing Buggy Bombs.
Equipping the entire Straw Hat fleet with them.
And when that day came…
It wouldn't be the World Government launching a Buster Call against the Straw Hats.
It would be the Straw Hat Fleet launching the first-ever—
GOD-SLAYING ORDER.
'God-Slaying Order'
'Damn, that sounds badass.'
Of course—
That was a long-term plan.
For now, it was nothing more than a fantasy in Red's head.
After settling the Buggy Bombs, Red moved on.
"Next—the second task."
He turned to Buggy.
"I need you to stay hidden near Loguetown."
Buggy raised an eyebrow.
"Loguetown?"
Red nodded.
"Once news spreads that the Straw Hats are heading for the Grand Line, I need you to find someone for me..."