....
"Ugh… damn, that hurts."
Lucas groaned as he pushed himself up from the ground, rubbing his throbbing neck. It felt like he'd been hit by a battering ram.
"Since when does Nami hit that hard?!"
His Soft Body Technique had absorbed some of the impact, but it wasn't nearly as flexible as Orochimaru's infamous contortions. His neck still ached, and his vision had blurred for a moment.
"Did I black out?"
He glanced around. The unconscious pirate still lay where Nami had knocked him out, but the treasure was gone—and so was Nami.
"Wait… did they just LEAVE me here?!"
Panic flickered for a second before he shook it off. "No way. Luffy wouldn't do that."
Still, he hurried toward the stairs, rubbing his sore neck.
"System, was the mission completed?"
He vaguely remembered a notification right before everything went dark.
[Mission Complete.]
"Good. Pump all the experience into the character card."
[Operation Successful.]
[Character Card: Orochimaru (Gold)]
[Current EXP: 20/100]
"20 EXP… Not bad. With my current emotional energy, I can hit Level 2 soon."
As he stepped outside, he spotted Nami near the battlefield, clutching a bulging sack of treasure and watching the fight unfold.
Lucas crept up behind her and tapped her shoulder.
"GAH!"
Nami shrieked and—out of pure reflex—kicked him square in the ribs.
"WHAM!"
"IT'S ME, NAMI!" Lucas wheezed as he skidded backward, barely keeping his footing.
The commotion drew every eye on the battlefield.
Luffy and Buggy paused mid-clash. Even Zoro, slumped against a wall, cracked an eye open.
"Tch. Took him long enough to find his way back," Zoro muttered.
Thanks to his Soft Body Technique, the kick hadn't done real damage, but Lucas still winced.
"You—!" Nami blinked in shock, guilt flickering across her face. She had knocked him out, after all.
But then confusion took over. "How is he even standing? And why isn't he bleeding?"
"TREASURE!"
Buggy's shriek cut through the air. His eyes locked onto the sack behind Nami, nostrils flaring like a bloodhound catching a scent.
"THAT'S MY TREASURE, YOU THIEVING BRAT!"
Buggy's entire demeanor shifted. Money was his lifeblood—more precious than pride, more vital than vengeance. The sight of his stolen hoard made him forget Luffy entirely.
"TREASURE!"
His upper body lunged, dagger flashing.
Nami's face drained of color. In a move that shocked even Lucas, she shoved the treasure sack into his hands and ducked behind Zoro.
"Wait… Nami just GAVE UP treasure?!" Lucas's brain short-circuited. "This is against the laws of nature!"
Then Buggy's snarling face filled his vision.
"Oh crap."
The floating torso, the manic grin, the murderous aura—Lucas's legs turned to jelly.
"Since when is BUGGY this terrifying?!"
"GIVE IT BACK!" Buggy screeched, closing in fast.
Lucas did the only sensible thing.
"LUFFY! HELP!"
Luffy's head snapped toward the cry. He saw Buggy's disembodied upper half soaring toward Lucas—then glanced at Buggy's legs, still standing idle beside him.
A lightbulb went off.
"THWACK!"
Luffy's sandal met Buggy's groin with brutal precision.
"GYAAAAH! DAMN YOU, STRAW HAT!"
Buggy writhed in midair, tears springing to his eyes—but his gaze never left the treasure sack.
"Lucas! Protect my treasure with your LIFE!" Nami bellowed from behind Zoro.
"WHO'S GONNA PROTECT MY LIFE?!" Lucas yelled back, clutching the sack like a live grenade.
"That treasure's MINE, girl! Hand it over and I'll spare you!" Buggy hissed, floating closer despite Luffy's interference.
"I'M A GUY, YOU ONE-TRACK-MINDED CLOWN!"
With no other options, Lucas summoned the kusanagi Sword and—WHAM!—slammed the flat of the blade into Buggy's face.
The impact sent Buggy spinning through the air like a deranged top.
"Huh. I'm stronger than I thought."
"RRRGH! Doesn't matter if you're a boy or girl—GIVE ME MY TREASURE!"
Buggy's eyes darted between Lucas and Luffy, who was now menacing his lower half. A wicked grin split his face.
"Fine. You want to play? Let's PLAY!"
"CHOP-CHOP CARNIVAL!"
"POP! POP! POP!"
Buggy's body exploded into a dozen pieces—hands, arms, torso, even his nose—all shooting toward Lucas like homing missiles.
"HOLY—!" Lucas barely had time to gawk. "No blood?! This Devil Fruit is insane!"
In seconds, Buggy's disassembled limbs surrounded him.
"HATE THIS!"
Lucas made an executive decision. He chucked the treasure sack at Buggy's approaching face and bolted, diving behind Zoro to join Nami.
"THUD!"
Nami's fist met his skull with zero mercy.
"OW! What was that for?!"
"YOU IDIOT!" Nami seethed, shaking him by the collar. "You just handed my treasure to that clown!"
Lucas gestured wildly at the swarm of flying Buggy parts. "You fight him, then!"
Nami's retort died as Buggy cackled, finally reclaiming his treasure. But then—
"RRIIIP!"
The overstuffed sack burst midair, showering coins and jewels everywhere.
"NOOOO! MY TREASURE!" Buggy wailed.
Nami's grin turned vicious.
While Luffy kept Buggy's limbs distracted by tickling his feet
"HAHA—STOP—DAMN YOU—HAHAHA!"
Nami pounced, ropes appeared in her hands like magic.
"Split apart all you want," she purred, "but you can't dodge when you're in pieces!"
One by one, she hog-tied Buggy's rogue limbs.
"NO! REASSEMBLE! RE—"
Buggy's voice cracked as he realized—most of his body wasn't responding.
What remained was…
"Little Buggy."
A single floating head, one arm, and a pair of legs—all that was left of the feared Buggy the Clown.
Lucas lost it.
"PFFFT—HAHAHAHA!" He collapsed, slapping the ground. "LOOK AT HIM! HE'S LIKE A TINY ANGRY PUPPET!"
"SHUT UP!" Buggy raged, flailing impotently.
Luffy, grinning, wound up his arms.
"BUGGY BALLOON… BAZOOKA!"
"BOOOOM!"
The rubbery double-fisted smash sent "Little Buggy" rocketing into the sky, his screams fading into the distance.
"CURSE YOU, STRAW HAAAAAAT—!"
Silence.
Then "We won." Lucas exhaled, flopping onto his back.
'East Blue pirates are one thing… but if this is just the start, the Grand Line's gonna eat us alive.'
A chill ran down his spine.
' I need to get stronger. FAST.'
As the dust settled, Zoro stood, stretching his sore muscles. Luffy picked up his straw hat, examining the three neat slashes from Buggy's daggers.
Nami sighed. "I can fix that, you know."
Luffy's gloom vanished instantly. "REALLY?!"
"Tch. Yeah, yeah. Consider it payback for helping me grab the treasure." She crossed her arms. "Temporarily."
Lucas approached, eyeing the iconic hat.
"Mind if I take a look?"
Luffy beamed and plopped it onto Lucas's head without hesitation.
"Huh. Just a normal straw hat." He turned it over, inspecting the damage.
Then—
[Ding! Emotional energy surge detected!]
[+10 Emotional Value!]
Lucas blinked. "Wait… just wearing it gives me energy?!"
He shot Luffy a suspicious look. "What the hell is this hat made of?"
But Luffy just grinned, oblivious.
"Some mysteries can wait," Lucas decided, handing it back.
After all—they had a Grand Line to conquer.
...