Chapter 32: The Buggy Pirates Attack
After Ian and the others left, Monka laughed and said to the middle-aged Marine, "Haha, how interesting. That rookie caught a pirate from that circus-like Buggy Pirates crew?"
"Yeah!" the middle-aged Marine nodded.
Their conversation, laced with disdain, casually revealed the truth. At this point, Buggy's true identity hadn't yet been discovered by Marine Headquarters, and the Buggy Pirates were quite deceptive. Look at Buggy's clownish appearance and his subordinate Mochi, who was basically an animal tamer. Even Cabaji rode a unicycle like he was performing acrobatics. This pirate crew didn't look fierce at all; they came off as more comical. Plus, Buggy himself was obsessed with looting treasure and rarely had direct conflicts with the Marines. As a result, the Marines thought this crew was just small-time and posed no real threat. So far, only Buggy, as captain, had a bounty, and it was pathetically low.
Ian didn't know this, so he eagerly brought in Cabaji, only to end up with a big misunderstanding.
After leaving, the more Ian thought about it, the angrier he got. He started punching and kicking the rope-bound Cabaji, who could only cower like a lamb, tearfully enduring Ian's fury as he got beaten black and blue.
If the Marines at the base hadn't given him medicine and bandaged him up, Cabaji feared Ian might have beaten him to death.
After Ian vented for a while, a loud growl came from his stomach. Only then did Ian remember he hadn't eaten in a long time. Smelling the aroma of food wafting from somewhere on the street, Ian felt his eyes turn green with hunger.
Koby also heard the stomach growl. He had been afraid to speak to Ian while he was furious, but now he quickly changed the subject: "Ian, are you hungry? Want me to treat you to a meal?"
"No need!" Ian said, eyeing Cabaji with ill intent. "You don't have to pay. This guy will foot the bill!"
"I... I have no money!" Cabaji said weakly.
"I don't care about that!" Ian said with a grin. "You can ride a unicycle, right? Perform some acrobatics on the street and earn our meal money! If you don't make enough, we'll sell your flesh!"
By now, Ian had completely gone dark. Cabaji trembled in fear after hearing this.
What kind of person could say such terrifying things with a smile?
But even worse was yet to come. Under Koby's guidance, they entered a distinctive-looking restaurant in town. Ian immediately ordered extravagantly, picking the most expensive dishes. When a full table of food arrived, Cabaji nearly fainted!
How long would he have to perform to earn enough to pay for this meal?
Even Koby was stunned. He sat there holding a drink, watching Ian wolf down food like a starving ghost, as if the dishes were his enemies. He couldn't help but glance sympathetically at Cabaji, tied up nearby.
The look was clear: You're in for it now!
Ian didn't care. He ate ravenously, and whenever he found something tasty, he'd shout to the restaurant owner, "This is good! Bring ten more servings!"
Cabaji was devastated: "Can you even eat that much!?"
Ian glared at him: "Can't I pack it to go if I don't finish? You'd better start thinking about how to earn the money! Since I can't get the bounty, you're responsible for making it up!"
Cabaji cried—for real this time. He looked up and silently screamed from the depths of his heart: "Great Captain Buggy! Where are you? Come save me!"
…………………………
Maybe Cabaji's plea was answered. While Ian was gorging himself at the restaurant, on a coastal cliff outside Shells Town, a pirate ship with a long-nosed elephant figurehead was anchored.
This was the Big Top, the Buggy Pirates' ship. The coast here was all cliffs, so no one would pass by and spot them.
A small boat quickly rowed up to the Big Top. Several agile pirates climbed aboard and, panting, shouted to Buggy, who was sitting on the deck: "Captain Buggy, we've got the info!"
Buggy straightened up: "What's the situation?"
"That kid really took Chief of Staff Cabaji to Marine Branch 153!" the pirates said. "We didn't dare get close to the base, but we asked around town. Everyone said they saw the kid! We figure Cabaji is locked up inside!"
"Excellent!" Buggy laughed heartily. "Let's move, boys! Attack Shells Town, rescue Cabaji, and catch that damn kid!"
"Whooah!!!" All the Buggy Pirates members on the ship let out a collective roar, then eagerly steered the ship toward Shells Town.
Buggy directed the rest to haul the cannons to the ship's side and bring out a crate of shells painted with the Buggy Pirates' emblem.
These were special Buggy shells. Cabaji was a high-ranking officer in his crew. Though Buggy usually kept a low profile, for Cabaji's sake and to get revenge on Ian, he had to make a splash.
Buggy had returned from the Grand Line after all. He usually avoided provoking the Marines, not because he couldn't, but because he didn't want to.
Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, so why not Buggy?
Mochi hesitated and asked Buggy: "Captain Buggy, that's a Marine branch base. Are we sure about this?"
"What's there to worry about?" Buggy glared at him. "It's just a branch, not a direct HQ affiliate. There's no way a strong fighter is stationed there! The highest rank at Branch 153 is a Captain, and he's just an old geezer waiting to retire!"
Buggy wasn't worried. The Marines' real elite forces were concentrated on the Grand Line, where branches were directly under HQ, marked with a "G" prefix like G-2 or G-5. The Marines in the East Blue couldn't compare to those direct branches. Even with the same rank of Captain, the difference in strength was huge.
If it were a direct-branch Captain, Buggy would have to think twice about attacking Shells Town. But that soon-to-retire Captain at Branch 153? Buggy didn't take him seriously at all.
Mochi nodded, feeling a bit more at ease, but still reminded him: "Oh, Captain Buggy, I heard there's a Marine named Monka in Shells Town who recently wiped out the Black Cat Pirates and captured Captain Kuro. We should watch out for him."
"Really?" Buggy paused, then stroked his chin with a cold smirk. "Fine, I'll handle him. You guys just charge into the base and rescue Cabaji!"
The Big Top left the cliff and headed for the Shells Town docks. Soon, it appeared on the coastline.
At Marine Branch 153, the lookout on the tower spotted Buggy's pirate ship immediately. The pirate flag was hard to miss, so he sounded the alarm.
"Woo—Woo—!!!"
The alarm for a pirate attack rang through Shells Town. The townspeople froze for a moment, then realized what was happening. They panicked, pouring out of their homes and shops, dragging their families toward the Marine base.
Marines from the base also ran out, weapons in hand. They organized people to let the fleeing townsfolk into the base for shelter while reporting the Buggy Pirates' attack to their superiors.
Captain Rod of Branch 153 was an elderly Marine who had been in the East Blue for twenty or thirty years. His rank was earned through time served. In the peaceful East Blue, a pirate attack on a Marine base was unheard of, so even he was momentarily at a loss.
Fortunately, Monka, the newly promoted Ensign, though arrogant, had some courage. He reported to Captain Rod and volunteered to lead a squad to intercept the pirates.
Captain Rod agreed without a second thought.
Honestly, when Monka captured Captain Kuro, he didn't even know how he did it, but it earned him a promotion. This promotion had ignited his ambition. He had secretly set his sights on Captain Rod's position, planning to replace him when he retired and become the head of Branch 153.
This attack by the Buggy Pirates was the perfect opportunity. If he could lead the Marines to repel the pirates, his achievements would be undeniable. With that merit, becoming a Captain should be no problem.
So, Monka confidently led the Marines to the docks...
Meanwhile, Ian was still eating at the restaurant, utterly confused. He looked up and found the place empty! Not just the customers—even the owner was gone.
Where was everyone?
Ian had been so hungry that he hadn't even heard the alarm!
Then Koby ran in from outside, panicked: "I-It's bad, Ian! The Buggy Pirates are attacking!"
Ian heard this and turned to look at Cabaji with a sly grin.
Cabaji felt a chill run down his spine the moment he saw Ian's expression. Sure enough, Ian picked his teeth with a toothpick and said, "Good news and bad news. Which one do you want first?"
"W-What do you mean?" Cabaji stammered.
"The good news is, you might not have to perform to earn our meal money! The bad news is... you might end up in prison—and maybe with your captain!"