[Cover Story Serial: The Legend Arc – "You've already taken two leaves this year, and you want another one? Aren't you ashamed, Garp?!"]
At Marineford, in the top office, Fleet Admiral Kong slams his hand on the desk and roars furiously. Across from him, Garp, munching on a donut, scratched his head unconcernedly and burst into laughter…
...
Sofia, the "Bubble Queen," who had a bounty of almost 400 million Berries and was known as the strongest Warlord of the Sea, died in the New World.
Along with her was her massive force of over 5,000 men, which was also completely annihilated.
And the one who killed her was an unknown nobody—
"Buggy the Clown."
When people saw the name, and the cheerful, radiant young face on the front page, they were baffled, wondering if there had been some mistake.
But the very next day, the newspaper published detailed information about Buggy, and people discovered that this guy had an extraordinary background. He was once a member of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger's crew!
In an instant, all doubts vanished.
Captain Buggy's name spread like wildfire across the seas, making him one of the hottest new superstars in the world!
…
Sabaody Archipelago – Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
"Well, well…"
Shakky held a slim lady's cigarette in one hand and the latest newspaper in the other, her brow lifting slightly.
"Hey, Rayleigh, looks like that apprentice from your ship just pulled off something big again…"
"Hm?"
The drunken Rayleigh looked up in surprise.
"Didn't Shanks just get locked up? What, did he already break out?"
"Not him."
Shakky rolled her eyes.
"Here, take a look yourself."
Rayleigh took the paper, glanced at it, and froze. Then he chuckled silently, tossed it aside, poured himself another drink, and muttered two words:
"Utter nonsense."
…
Impel Down, Level 6 – Eternal Hell.
Two days had passed since he was imprisoned in this pitch-black abyss. Shanks lay on the floor with his legs crossed, staring at the mossy ceiling, sighing deeply.
"What, already restless?"
From the neighboring cell came a mocking laugh.
"You're just getting started, brat. Anyone locked up here, well… they might as well forget ever leaving. Thirty years, fifty years—the only thing waiting for you is endless torment in the dark."
So noisy.
Shanks ignored him, stuffing his ears with his fingers and turning over, trying to nap.
But he couldn't sleep. His mind replayed the newspaper he had glimpsed before entering Impel Down, stolen from Vice Warden Magellan's desk.
Buggy… that guy actually defeated the Warlord Sofia?
They had only been apart a few years, and he had already gotten that strong? Shanks scratched his head. Something about it felt… fishy.
But that wasn't the point.
What mattered most was—Buggy actually made the front page of every major paper?
I'm so jealous, wahhh...
I've also been sailing the Grand Line for a few years, but I've never had this treatment before!
However, there's still a long way to go.
"When I get out of here, my day will come…"
Adjusting his straw hat, Shanks muttered to himself:
"Just wait. One day, I'll personally defeat you—Kuzan, Natsuya Nao…"
"Fool."
The old prisoner in the next cell scoffed. This brat actually thought he could get out? Ridiculous.
He's even thinking about defeating that Nao Natsuya?
The last one to escape was the infamous Golden Lion—and what happened? That monster personally dragged him back here. Within months, the man was dead.
Shanks heard the prisoner's sneer and just smiled faintly, his deep gaze fixed on the corner, as though trying to pierce through walls of iron toward the distant Holy Land, Mariejois…
…
East Blue.
The night wind was bleak. Buggy kicked an empty can, wandering the streets alone.
His face was lined with despair, every wrinkle carved with misery.
His clothes were tattered, his captain's hat barely half intact…
"Damn it…"
Every time Buggy thought about the past few days, he ground his teeth in fury, clenching his fists.
"That little thief who stole from me, he'd better hope I don't find out who he is. Otherwise, I'll chop him into pieces and throw him into the sea to feed the fish…
He had already thought his luck was bad enough when Laboon rammed his ship to pieces at Reverse Mountain not long ago.
But when he finally made it back to the East Blue, he discovered that the last stash of treasure he had buried on some little island had been completely dug up by some shameless bastard. Not a single coin left behind.
He was so enraged that his vision went black, and he fainted for an entire day.
When he woke the next day, his stomach was growling. By chance, a small Marine patrol boat was passing by, so he set his sights on it, paddled over on a raft, and planned to rob it.
And then…
Before he even got close, an old man in a dog-head cap came out of the cabin, stretching and yawning. Just as he started his morning exercises, he spotted Buggy.
For a second, the two locked eyes across the distance.
Before Buggy even saw clearly who the man was, a single punch sent him flying like a shooting star across the sky.
Somehow, he survived, drifting until he washed ashore on this island. But now he was utterly penniless—not even enough money to buy food, let alone a newspaper.
How was he supposed to rebuild his pirate crew and chase after treasure now?
Staring at the bustling food street ahead, Buggy rubbed his sunken stomach. After some hesitation, he decided to at least fill himself up with a "free meal" first—dine and dash, no matter what.
But just then—
Maybe it was his imagination, but he couldn't help noticing that the townsfolk around him kept sneaking glances his way, whispering to each other:
"Hey, hey, hey, I didn't see wrong, did I? That guy who just passed by..."
"It really looks like him, my God..."
What?
Have I become that famous?
Buggy was confused, but then a dreadful thought hit him, his face darkening—
Damn it! Please don't tell me that the story about a whale sinking my crew has spread. If that's the case, won't I, the great Buggy, become the laughingstock of the entire East Blue? How am I supposed to survive now?
Brooding heavily, he turned the corner into an alley.
Suddenly, everything went dark ahead.
Looking up, he saw fifty or sixty towering, burly men blocking his path.
"!"
Buggy jolted in shock, instinctively stepping back. His face hardened as his right hand reached for the dagger hidden at his waist—ready to teach these guys a lesson.
But then, to his astonishment, all fifty or sixty pirates exchanged glances… and dropped to one knee in perfect unison.
"Captain Buggy!"
"Lord Buggy!"
The pirates' faces were lit with excitement, like crazed fans finally meeting their idol. The bald giant at the front was so overwhelmed he could barely get the words out:
"Someone said you appeared around here. At first, we thought it was just a joke… but it's really you in the flesh. What fortune, what blessing this is…"
He took a deep breath, then dropped from one knee to both knees, slamming his forehead against the ground as he roared at the top of his lungs:
"Please, Captain Buggy! Accept us! Let us be your crew! That would be the greatest honor of our lives!"
The pirates around him immediately followed suit, their deafening voices echoing through the alley:
"Please, Lord Buggy!"
"We're willing to follow you, to sail the seas and spread the name of the great Buggy the Clown to every corner of the world!"
Wait a minute, where did this bunch of idiots come from?
Buggy just stood there, dumbfounded, his brain struggling to process it.
"You guys… sure you didn't mistake me for someone else?"
"Mistake?"
The bald man looked up abruptly and said excitedly:
"How could that be possible, Lord Buggy! That face of yours, it's unmistakab—wait!"
Suddenly, realization struck him. He smacked his fist into his palm, eyes wide with awe:
"I get it! You don't want us drawing attention to you here, right? You'd prefer somewhere more discreet… Just like the newspaper said—you're such a modest, low-key man, despite your strength…"
It's true that I'm low-key, but that's because my strength doesn't allow it for now, okay…
The corner of his mouth twitched. But then he picked up on something in the man's words. Forcing himself to act calm, he gave a cold snort and said:
"Stop with the nonsense. The newspaper? What newspaper? Do you have one? Let me see."
"You haven't seen it yourself yet?"
The bald man was stunned. But under Buggy's dignified glare, he shivered and didn't dare to say anything more. He quickly had his subordinate get the newspaper that they all treasured.
Buggy snatched the newspaper and impatiently unfolded it. A huge photo of himself filled the front page. He froze for a moment, then his eyes dropped down.
The instant he saw the bounty amount written beneath his picture—
BOOM!
It was as if he had been hit hard with a club. His mind instantly went blank.
Staring in disbelief at the number and the shocking headline, his hands trembled, clutching the newspaper. Two long streams of snot ran uncontrollably down his face.
"Th-this has to be a joke…"
"M-my bounty is now—"
…
"Four hundred and fifty million berries?"
Gion put down the newspaper in her hand. She looked up at Nao across the table with a bit of a speechless look:
"Seriously? Did the World Government lose its mind? They really believe some no-name weakling like that killed Sofia—and then raised his bounty by over forty times?"
"Honestly, when I saw the bounty, I was surprised too."
Nao was munching on freshly sliced watermelon. At her words, he shrugged indifferently:
"But hey, this works out, doesn't it? Everyone's attention is on that guy now. Headquarters won't keep digging into me."
"True enough."
Gion smiled. For other Vice Admirals, defeating a Warlord-level pirate would be a lifelong badge of honor.
But for her husband—a monster like Nao—it wasn't anything special. It didn't even boost his reputation anymore.
On the contrary, shifting the blame onto someone else avoided the World Government's suspicion. Much more convenient.
Nao got the substance; that Buggy kid got the fame.
Win-win. Not bad.
"Phew…"
Nao finished another wedge of watermelon, then took the chilled fruit wine Shia handed him with a smile. Downing it in one gulp, he felt every cell in his body loosen with comfort. He leaned back, crossing his legs, and let out a long sigh.
Nothing beat the feeling of being home.
The only pity—
The watermelon his mother had cut for him always seemed to have a faint garlic taste. Honestly, it had been bothering him for over ten years now.
"Well, I've had enough rest. Time to go report to Fleet Admiral Kong."
Nao clapped his hands, stood up, and smirked:
"Just look at me—first thing I do when I return to Headquarters is stop by home. Where else can you find such a devoted family man?"
"What's the rush? It's practically dark already."
Gion rolled her eyes.
"You've been away for over a month. Tonight should be about family reunion and celebration. You can report tomorrow morning."
"Good point."
Nao scratched his head, sat back down, and grabbed another slice of watermelon.
"Then later I'll swing by Vice Admiral Chisio place and bring Nami and Nojiko home. Tonight we'll all have a proper family dinner—"
"Mother's already gone to pick them up. Stop worrying."
Gion finally ran out of patience. She jerked her chin toward the stairs.
"Come with me. Upstairs."
"For what?"
Nao blinked, confused. Before he could react, Shia and Bellemere had already grabbed him from both sides, hauling him away from the table.
"Eh? Hey! I haven't even finished my watermelon! Can't we just wait—"
Bang!
The bedroom door slammed shut. Nao's voice grew faint.
Moments later… it grew louder again.
…
The next morning.
Nao rose bright and early, refreshed and brimming with energy. He headed straight to the Fleet Admiral's office at the top of the fortress, where Kong personally awarded him his commendation.
Without question, this was the greatest military merit Nao had achieved since joining the Marine.
He had fought Kaido to a draw, reclaimed a Poneglyph, and dealt heavy blows to three Emperors of the Sea.
Even throughout Marine history, no one his age had ever achieved something so dazzling.
Not even Garp, the Marine's legendary hero, nor Zephyr, the youngest Admiral in history, had matched this.
The rewards were naturally immense: the highest-grade medal, a massive bonus, and even an extra month of vacation.
But that wasn't the most important thing.
To Nao's surprise, Kong smiled broadly as he handed over a sealed World Government appointment document.
Unfolding it, the bold title leapt out at him:
"Final Resolution on the Promotion of Natsuya Nao to Admiral Candidate of Marine Headquarters."