Buggy's authority among his subordinates was evident—it was absolute.
"Kill them!"
His crew didn't take Leo and the others seriously at all. To them, the great Lord Buggy was the strongest being alive, and anyone he didn't bother to fight must be insignificant. They were confident that these intruders would fall quickly.
"Who the hell are you people?! How dare you invade the territory of the Buggy Pirates!"
As the chief of staff of the Buggy Pirates, Kabaji rode out on a unicycle, twirling his long blade with dramatic flair, pointing it directly at Luffy, who stood at the front of the group.
"Me?"
Luffy blinked, then threw his hands on his hips and burst into laughter.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! I'm the man who's going to become the King of the Pirates!"
The declaration echoed through the square. For a moment, there was silence. Then laughter erupted from Buggy's crew.
"Did you hear that? He says he's going to be King of the Pirates! Hahahahaha! I'm dying!"
"Hahahaha, where did this clown come from? Does he even know what being Pirate King means?"
"Be gentle with him. If you laugh too hard, he might wet his pants!"
"Hahahahaha!!"
The laughter echoed around the square like a storm. But at the back of the crowd, Buggy's expression twisted slightly—something in Luffy's words struck a nerve. His usual playful arrogance faded into a strange seriousness for just a moment. No one else noticed.
"Hey! Don't laugh at someone else's dream like that!" Zoro growled, his voice laced with anger. The mockery reminded him of past wounds. Without hesitation, he drew all three of his swords and placed one in his mouth.
Even Nami, usually cautious, stood her ground beside Luffy, holding a long staff tightly in her hands.
"You ignorant brat!" shouted Mochi, another one of Buggy's men. "Let me teach you a lesson! There are things in this world you just don't say so carelessly!"
"Mister Liki, attack! Bite them to death!"
Dressed in a white bearskin coat, Mochi cracked his long whip. With a roar, his giant lion Liki charged toward Leo.
The beast assumed that Leo—who had yet to move and looked the least threatening in his clean clothes—was an easy target. He reminded Liki of circus performers: flashy, weak, and easy to overpower.
Bang!
But as fast as Liki rushed, he flew back even faster.
The moment he got within striking distance, he was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing into Mochi and rolling into a heap. The impact smashed them both through a nearby building, flattening the structure with a thunderous crash.
Nami's eyes widened.
Zizizi… Why would anyone pick a fight with Leo?
She sighed silently. In her eyes, Leo was easily the strongest among them, especially compared to these laughable pirates.
Leo dusted his sleeves and ignored Mochi and the lion now buried under rubble. He calmly pointed his cane toward Kabaji and looked at Zoro.
"Wanna take that one?"
Zoro's eyes lit up. "Of course. He looks like a decent opponent~"
After all, Zoro didn't set sail to cruise peacefully. His dream was to become the world's greatest swordsman, and each worthy opponent brought him one step closer.
"Then I'll leave the rest of this trash to Nami," Leo said casually, twirling his cane.
If that lion hadn't attacked him, he wouldn't have even bothered to move. This fight was a waste of his time. And besides, Nami should be more than capable of handling the minions.
"Huh? What do you mean, leave them to me?!" Nami protested, glaring at Leo.
"Alright! Let's go!" Luffy grinned and dashed straight toward Buggy.
A captain must take on the enemy captain.
Seeing Luffy charge, Zoro sprinted toward Kabaji, swords glinting in the light.
The minions tried to block Luffy's path but quickly realized they were outmatched. After getting knocked around a few times, they instinctively cleared a path for him.
They couldn't fight Luffy.
They didn't dare face Zoro.
So their only remaining target was the "helpless" Nami.
As for Leo? After seeing how that terrifying lion ended up under a collapsed building, no one had the guts to go near him—even ten times the courage wouldn't be enough.
Nami, now left on her own, ran frantically through the square with a dozen pirates chasing her.
"Leo! Help me!" she cried, on the verge of tears.
Leo leaned on his cane, smiling wickedly. "One hundred thousand Berries."
"WHAT?! Are you serious?! You're charging me right now?!"
"You heard me," he said, voice calm. "One hundred thousand. And if you keep screaming, it'll be two hundred."
"You—!! You thief! I'd rather die!"
She dodged another pirate and waved her staff defensively.
What she didn't know was that Leo had already cast two spells on her when the battle started. One was a support spell that increased her agility. The other was a protective barrier—completely invisible, but highly effective.
The reason she was hopping around like a panicked rabbit was because of fear, not danger. In reality, those pirates wouldn't be able to land a solid hit on her even if they tried.
She just didn't know it.
At first, Nami smacked several pirates with her staff in between her evasive maneuvers, even managing to knock a few unconscious. She looked at Leo proudly, almost like she wanted his approval.
But when Leo casually pointed at her pursuers and smirked, she got scared and started running again.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Sparks flew as Zoro clashed swords with Kabaji. It didn't take long for him to notice that Kabaji's fighting style was unorthodox—dirty tricks, distractions, smoke bombs, anything to get the upper hand.
"Enough of this nonsense."
Zoro crossed his blades in front of him and took a stance.
"Three Sword Style: Demon Slash!"
With a roar, he unleashed a powerful slash. Kabaji had no time to react.
Two deep cuts appeared on his chest, and he let out a groan before collapsing.
Zoro exhaled and casually walked over to Leo, watching Nami still darting around in the distance.
"Should we help her?"
Leo shook his head.
"No need. I already placed some protection spells on her. Those minions can't hurt her."
Zoro nodded without another word and sheathed his swords. Though annoyed by how disgraceful Kabaji had fought, he didn't let it show.
Kabaji wasn't a real swordsman—just another pirate hiding behind theatrics and tricks.
As for Leo, Zoro had gotten to know him well over the past few days. He might be a bit strange, even smug, but there was never a time when Leo said something that turned out to be false.
And most terrifying of all, there didn't seem to be anything Leo couldn't do.
It was almost inhuman.
Nami, still dodging her pursuers, grumbled while knocking out another pirate with her stick.
"Stupid Leo… He could end this in one second..."
But deep down, she knew he was watching, and he'd never let anything truly bad happen to her.
Still, one hundred thousand Berries? The nerve!
Leo chuckled from the sidelines, watching her bounce around like a stage performer, pirates flying behind her one by one. A truly amusing sight.
But he wasn't laughing out of cruelty.
He was preparing them all—for what was to come.
This was just the beginning of war.