Chapter Text
“It’s time to find the One Piece!”
A loud cheer rose from the entrance of the gigantic circus tent with a jolly roger across its front depicting a skull with a large round red nose. Pirates and mercenaries were celebrating and enjoying themselves immensely as they laughed, drank, and performed to their hearts content.
Why? Because this was the island of Empty Bluffs, the home of one of the Four Emperors, Buggy the Genius Jester, and it was all thanks to him that they had managed to get this far! Even now, another drunkard was shouting his praises to his captain with pink cheeks and an unsteady posture. It was a miracle that he had even been able to climb to the top of the pile of tables and find his balance before he began belting out his praises.
“All you bastards listen up and listen good!” The man wearing his prison clothes from Impel Down like a badge of honor yelled at the growing crowd as he swayed precariously, gazing down at everyone beneath him. Once he saw that he had everyone’s attention he downed another shot of his drink and wiped his lips before speaking in what he thought was a hushed tone, but the people in front clearly flinched away from either his raised voice or the smell of alcohol on his breath.
“There ain’t nobody like captain Buggy, and there won’t ever be anyone like captain Buggy! His rise to power and prominence was unheard of before he came along and can only be attributed to his incredible intellect and cunning! After his daring escape from Impel Down, and his incredible feats during the War of the Best at Marineford, did he stop there? NO!”
“NO!” Shouted the surrounding crew as they raised their fists in the air and gazed up at the storyteller.
“He created the most profitable mercenary group in the Grand Line, and even after his title of Warlord was stripped away, through his powers of persuasion and foresight, he has gained command of two of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!”
The room full of mercenaries and pirates roared in exultation as they gazed at the figures of Sir Crocodile and Sir Mihawk who had recently emerged from the room where they often discussed plans with their illustrious captain and were busy chatting to one another while sharing a bottle of wine. It was too far away to see their expressions, but they could only believe that the two of them were also in awe of their incredible captain.
“Not only that, but he has also openly declared war on the Navy with his Cross Guild bounty system! That threat alone was enough to make him an Emperor of the Sea!”
Another cheer rose up from the crowd as they remembered the look of panic and confusion on the marines faces while they were being hunted! Only a genius could have come up with the idea of hunting the marines like they had always hunted them! Nobody noticed the click of Crocodile's tongue or Mihawk’s eye roll.
“He may act humble in front of his adversaries, but his plans are calculated. Even now, he is working towards acquiring the greatest treasure of all, the One Piece!”
It was at this point the man began trembling in awe, and he clasped his hands as if in prayer as he looked back at where their captain always watched over them. Tears streamed down his face as he remembered how his captain had opened the Gates of Justice like a messenger from heaven, and it all became so clear to him when he screamed to the masses below, trying to show them the vision that their captain had for them.
“He must have known the reason before Vegapunks broadcast! He must have known what Gol D. Roger meant! Was he not on the same ship as the late Pirate King?! He will be the one to create a perfect world! His world! No, a world that we will create alongside him! Is he not gracious?! Is he not kind?! IS HE NOT OUR CAPTAIN BUGGY?!”
The unnamed outlaw yelled with all his soul to the heavens, but his shrieks soon became too much as he passed out and collapsed, most likely due to the lack of oxygen reaching his brain. As he completed his sermon the surrounding pirates cheered the name of their captain to unimaginable volumes, hoping he could hear them and know that he had their full support.
“BUGGY! BUGGY! BUGGY! BUGGY! BUGGY!”
---
Buggy sighed as he listened to the festivities going on outside. His men were chanting his name, drinking to their hearts content, and firing off cannons and fireworks in celebration of his bold declaration to go find the One Piece, even though a week had already passed without any orders given.
It would have normally warmed his heart and lifted his spirits to hear these brigands shout his name with such reverence, and he would have loved to be down there among them partying away, but unfortunately, he hasn’t had much free time since Crocodile and Mihawk have been “meeting” with him on what he plans to do now that he’s told everyone his insane dream.
“What am I supposed to do? It’s not my fault!” Buggy whimpered as he wrenched his hands from the hooks that impaled them and began the process of putting his pieces back together. He wiped the blood from his red nose and began to grumble to himself as he slowly recovered his parts.
“How am I supposed to remember where the captain went after I got sick? I’m the one they left behind to watch the ship! Not to mention I was dying of a fever! You try remembering something when your body’s trying to roast itself! I can’t remember a marking on a map that I barely glanced at almost 25 years ago! It’s ridiculous!”
His muttering gradually increased in volume until he was screaming at the top of his lungs, growing bolder when it became clear that no one was going to stop him.
“It’s absurd! Ludicrous! Unfair! BULLSHIT! Damnit why is this happening to me?!”
His ranting continued in the empty torture-ahem-meeting room for about 10 minutes before he staggered out and collapsed on the couch outside in the main living space. Everyone else was busy having fun so he had the entire upper portion of the tent to himself. He screamed into the cushions for a few seconds in frustration before rolling over and staring at the canvas roof of the circus tent.
“Forget about getting the One Piece,” Buggy muttered to the vacant room. “How am I supposed to find it? What do they expect me to do, pull out the Road Poneglyphs out of my ass?! I’ve been wracking my brain trying to remember anything about them but it’s hopeless! Beyond hopeless!”
Thanks to his time on the Pirate King’s crew, he knew where some of the Poneglyphs were located, but that still posed the issue of traveling to very dangerous territory to try and make off with the rubbings. It was a good way of getting everyone, including himself, killed.
Grumbling about his terrible luck, Buggy raised a hand and counted the Poneglyphs he knew about on his fingers.
“I don’t have any idea on how to get to Zou since it’s always moving, Big Mom’s territory is way too dangerous to even think about even if the old bag kicked the bucket, I have no idea who the ‘man with the burn scar’ even is, and Wano’s too hard to get into anyway! It’s hopeless! Impossible! Not gonna happen!”
He released a sigh after his outburst and sank back on the couch before crossing his arms and beginning to sulk.
“Damnit, how did this happen? I just wanted an easy pirate life! How did it turn out like this?”
He drummed his fingers against his arm as he thought about his life before he got to this point and continued to wallow in self-pity as he had been doing all week. Revisiting the memories of his time on Roger’s crew, his eyes started to mist over, and he started to crave a drink.
He looked up and the passing thought of Wano brought Oden to mind, and he began to choke up. His mind went back to the shores of Wano where he and the rest of the crew saw Oden off without a single tear being shed, regardless of what anyone else says.
“Momo should be all grown up by now.” Buggy muttered to the empty room, thinking of the little boy that would run around the ship with his father at his heels. “Oden always said he would open the country, and I guess all his hopes are on the kids shoulders. I sure hope he’s handling it OK, if he’s even alive. Doubt he would recognize old ‘Buggyjiro’ anyway.”
He remembered when he learned the first time that Kaido had become one of the Four Emperors and was stationed in Wano. He had never met him in person, but the rumors alone made him concerned about what had happened to Oden, and how only his death would have given Kaido the freedom to make his base there.
After reading the newspaper about Kaido’s defeat at the hands of Straw Hat, he began to hope that maybe Oden hadn’t died and that his dream would finally be realized. However, no further news from the Land of Wano was given and he had to be content with Momo hopefully taking his father’s position.
Buggy let out a snort as he thought about Straw Hat. “Him and Oden would have gotten along like a house on fire. Both are a pain in the ass to wrangle but when they have a goal in mind, they’ll get it done no matter the cost. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful he took down Kaido, but he’ll never hear me say it. Not in a million years!”
Buggy got comfortable relaxing on the couch as his mind wandered to the faces he hadn’t seen in decades. He really wanted to see the old timers and ask how they had been and what they had been up to. Rayleigh, Gaban, Crocus, Shanks…
He grumbled under his breath before pushing the red-haired bastard out of his mind and rolled over to attempt to get some sleep.
Right as he was starting to drift off, he was startled awake by the sounds of panicked screaming coming from outside. He grumbled and tried to ignore it thinking that somebody had been messing with Richie’s food again, only to jolt awake when he felt the presence of incredible Conqueror’s Haki.
As he majestically rolled off the couch and broke his fall with his nose, Buggy flailed on the floor before scrambling to his feet and muttering curses that would have made Rayleigh tan his hide back in the day.
He could hear a cacophony of voices calling for his name in increasingly shrill shrieks, and Buggy was never one to disappoint his fans, so he quickly brushed himself off and stomped towards the balcony. While he continued to grumble and curse, a thought he had when he felt the pulse of Haki came back to him, and it was so surreal that he stopped right before the curtains that opened to his private balcony.
Why did that Haki feel familiar?
Buggy shook his head and flung open the flaps to look down on the inside of his tent and took a massive inhale before shouting loud enough to drown out the panicked shrieking below him.
“SHUT UP!!! WHAT’S GOING ON OUT HERE?! CAN’T YOU BASTARDS LET YOUR CAPTAIN NAP IN PEACE?!”
Silence followed his statement as he looked down at the gathering crowd, and he saw that all of them were stunned speechless. Looking up at him with wide eyes he wondered how he ever managed to get this group of dolts to do anything. He entertained the idea that one of them had unlocked Conqueror’s and freaked out but immediately squashed it due to the idea being too ridiculous.
“Well?! Are you all gonna gawk at me like a bunch of newborns or am I going to have to ask a second time?! What the hell’s going on?!”
“C-C-C-Captain Buggy!”
One pirate raised a trembling hand and pointed near the entrance to the tent. Buggy swung his head to take a look and noticed that a large circle of people lay on the ground unconscious. He assumed they were just hungover, but then he saw someone standing amidst the group with a bottle of sake in one hand with his hair flowing in the breeze from the outside.
Buggy went to yell at the stranger, but his breath soon caught in his throat as he recognized him. There was no mistaking those three scars over his left eye, the sword at his waist, or his bright red hair, but what Buggy instantly recognized was the grin that he wore.
That carefree grin that he always had on the Oro Jackson.
It was one of the Four Emperors of the Sea.
It was Red Haired Shanks.
It was Shanks.
Buggy blinked and rubbed his eyes before looking down at Shanks again in shock and disbelief.
I must be dreaming. There’s no way he’s here. The last time we met was at Marineford! He’s an Emperor for crying out loud! Why would he bother-
“Buggy!” Shanks yelled up, interrupting Buggy’s thought process and giving him a big smile. “Congrats on becoming an Emperor! I almost couldn’t believe it when I read it in the paper, so I had to come and see for myself! Care to grab a drink to celebrate?”
Buggy blinked and tried to form a coherent sentence, but he ended up stuttering sounds that might have been words. Before he could pull himself together and yell at his old rival, Mihawk and Crocodile pushed their way out of the surrounding crowd to stand in front of Shanks. The glares they levelled at him would have made Buggy shit his pants if he was the one on the receiving end, but Shanks barely batted an eye.
“What’s your business Red Hair?” Crocodile growled as he raised his golden hook. “Why are you here?”
Mihawk crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Shanks. “And is it so pressing that you have to wave your Haki around?”
Shanks gave a relaxed shrug, not intimidated in the slightest by the two powerhouses. “Well, I can see that you two haven’t changed a bit. Mihawk, I must say I’m surprised and yet not that you teamed up with Crocodile. Enjoying life as an underling?”
Crocodile clenched his teeth around his cigar and brandished his hook menacingly while Mihawk didn’t acknowledge Shanks’ words and simply waited for him to answer his question.
Shanks chuckled and said, “As for pressing matters, yes, you could say that. I have a proposition for your captain.”
He looked up at his fellow Emperor and pinned him with a stare from his red eyes. Buggy glared right back and was about to speak but was shocked into silence by Shanks’ next words.
“Buggy.” Shanks said, grinning up at him and extending the bottle of sake. “Let’s form an alliance.”
The crowd went so quiet that you could have heard a fly fart. Buggy’s jaw dropped and everyone was staring at Shanks like he had just regrown his missing arm. Even Mihawk’s eyes widened and Crocodile slowly lowered his hook. Mr. 3 fainted in disbelief and the sound of his collapse snapped everyone out of their stupor. The scream that followed echoed across the entire island.
“EEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH?!?!?!?!?!”
Shanks tilted his head, as though what he just said wasn’t the most batshit insane thing anybody has ever heard, and chuckled.
This has to be a dream. Buggy thought as he pinched himself underneath his robes desperately trying to return to reality.
Shanks looked around the tent at the surrounding crowd before shrugging his shoulders and grinning up at Buggy.
“Well, we can hash out the details later.” Shanks raised the bottle and grinned at Buggy. “I figured we could start by talking about the good old days and catching up! I hoped you’d have some time to chat, but don’t think I just dropped by on a whim.”
Shanks chuckled and gave Buggy a cheeky wink. “After all, I still owe you a treasure map!”
Shanks laughed while everything around him turned into chaos. The grunts began falling to their knees in prayer for some reason, his old crew was panicking, Crocodile and Mihawk grew silent, but their faces said that they were weighing the benefits of having another Emperor’s crew in their pocket, and Buggy-
Buggy hadn’t looked away from Shanks and was starting to realize that this was real. He hadn’t fallen asleep, he wasn’t dreaming, and he hadn’t died and gone to another universe.
Buggy swallowed the questions that almost flew to his tongue and clenched the edge of the balcony so hard his hands started to turn white. Not that anyone would be able to notice under his gloves. The promise of treasure ironically steadied Buggy’s mind against Shanks’ presence and reminded him of what happened back in Marineford.
He’ll offer a deal too good to be true, then he’ll leave you high and dry. Don’t fall for this one too! Don’t just let him walk all over you!
He paused, took a deep breath, and stared at Shanks with a blank face. He doubted that anyone could read his expression, and it had been so long since they’ve talked that he didn’t think Shanks could either. He still had that innocent smile on his face as if there had always been only one answer and he had just asked to be formal.
As if Buggy joining him was never a question.
As if he had never stomped on Buggy’s dreams.
As if he hadn’t just decided to join in the race for the One Piece after all these years.
As if Buggy wasn’t an Emperor!
As if there was no reason for Buggy to still be mad at him.
Every thought made Buggy shake, and he didn’t know when he started but he soon realized that he was chuckling. The realization causes him to laugh, and the laugh spills over until he’s guffawing in the silent tent.
Laughs loud enough to drown out the tears he wants to shed, to support the scream that wants to leave his throat raw, and to give him the strength to harness the fury that he had been building in his chest for 24 years.
The crowd beneath him begins to laugh alongside him, and Mihawk and Crocodile dismiss his antics, but his original crew? The ones who had always stayed by his side, even after he had lost to Straw Hat?
They knew something the rest of them didn’t. Something that made them very concerned. He laughed when he won, he laughed when he lost, he laughed at his enemies, and even at himself.
He had never laughed like this.
Eventually the laugh died down into hysterical giggles, and Buggy wiped his eyes free of tears to see that everyone was staring at him with bated breath.
Shanks hadn’t looked away from Buggy, but he could see that the smile had fallen from Shanks’ face. His own smile widened and he grinned at Shanks who began to hesitate.
“You want to form an alliance, Shanks?” Buggy asks calmly.
Mihawk and Crocodile are nodding at him, waiting for him to accept, but his old crew freeze. Cabaji and Mohji begin to frantically shake their heads, but Buggy doesn’t even spare them a glance.
“That’s right Buggy.” Shanks says, holding out the bottle once more, which Buggy assumed was from his hometown in the West Blue.
He’s never even told me where he’s from. Just another thing you’ve kept from me.
Buggy smiles and holds out a hand. Before another word is spoken, Buggy casually flicks a knife from under his robe and sends it rocketing towards Shanks. In the blink of an eye, it shatters the bottle and impales itself on the ground past him.
It may have been petty, but Buggy still feels vindicated when he sees a spark of surprise in Shanks’ eyes before his expression freezes over. It’s with a smile on his face and rage in his heart that Buggy gives Shanks the only answer he could have possibly given.
“I refuse.”