Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: Gains

💰 First, in terms of wealth:

Through bounty hunting alone, he had earned nearly 500 million Berries.

In the East Blue—where the highest bounties rarely exceeded 30 million—that amount was absurd. But Buggy compensated with sheer volume.

He wiped out every pirate crew in the East Blue whose captain had a bounty of over 8 million.

As for those under 8 million, Buggy wasn't interested. There were too many low-level pirates popping up constantly, and they weren't worth his time or effort.

Thanks to this, the pirates in the East Blue became more cautious and subdued.

Unlike the chaos in the other seas, the East Blue remained relatively stable—a direct result of Buggy's pressure on the underground.

🗡️ Next, his strength improved rapidly:

His swordsmanship was on the verge of breaking into the Swordmaster realm. The breakthrough felt imminent.

His mastery of Rokushiki (the Six Powers) had reached an advanced level—he could now freely use any technique in any situation, even under harsh or unexpected conditions. He'd even developed some original moves of his own.

He had also begun to brush against the threshold of "Life Return"—a rare and advanced physical technique.

His physical stamina had also increased steadily due to continuous training during missions.

💥 On Haki:

His Armament Haki could now coat his entire body.

His Observation Haki had expanded to detect anything within a ten-meter radius.

🍉 Devil Fruit Mastery:

Buggy's Chop-Chop Fruit had advanced to the point where he could freely detach and control any part of his body, much like he could at the beginning of the original One Piece timeline.

He also had a clear vision for how to evolve his powers further in the future.

All in all, this year of real combat experience had resulted in exponential growth.

His strength had skyrocketed.

Buggy had already made up his mind.

After handing in his current bounty mission, he would recruit one more crew member—and then finally set out to sea.

The mission handoff went smoothly.

The marines, now well-acquainted with Buggy, greeted him with exaggerated friendliness.

After he turned in the heads of the Giant Blade Pirates, they immediately handed over the 30 million Berry bounty.

Leaving the Marine Base in Loguetown, Buggy headed to a tavern to meet someone—the future sniper of his pirate crew.

This man had once appeared in the One Piece anime and had even been a rival of Yasopp, the sniper of the Red-Haired Pirates.

His name: Daddy Masterson (a.k.a. "Daddy the Father").

Back in the day, Daddy had dueled Yasopp. Though he lost, he still managed to injure Yasopp, who was already a Red-Haired Pirate at the time. That kind of feat was no joke.

He had once been a prodigy sniper in the Marines, nurtured as an elite, until a series of incidents led him to fade into obscurity.

Although he never achieved greatness later in the canon timeline, his talent was undeniable. With proper training, he could rival Yasopp himself.

As for why Buggy didn't just go after Yasopp, well, Buggy had his pride.

He and Shanks were brothers in arms. There was no way he'd poach a crewmate from a brother.

Currently, Daddy was only around 15 or 16 years old and hadn't joined the Marines.

He was still working solo as a bounty hunter, and over the past year, Buggy had built a solid relationship with him.

Upon entering the bar, Buggy's eyes immediately locked onto a young man sitting in the corner.

He wasn't particularly eye-catching—his face was average.

But his outfit stood out: he wore a cowboy hat and was draped in a cloak, with the outlines of numerous guns visible underneath. A sharpshooter.

Buggy ordered two drinks at the counter and walked straight over, sitting down across from him.

Daddy didn't seem surprised—he already knew why Buggy was here.

They'd talked about this before.

"Daddy," Buggy began, "Have you made up your mind? Come join my crew. Only the open sea can carry dreams like ours.

The East Blue is too small—it'll bury your talent.

Don't you want to become the world's greatest sniper? Don't you want to see a world bigger than anything you've imagined?

Follow me. I'll help you realize that dream. I'll take you to see a world that stretches beyond the horizon."

Buggy stared straight into Daddy's eyes, filled with blazing conviction.

Daddy averted his gaze—Buggy had won.

But in that glance, Buggy caught all he needed to know: yearning, struggle, hope.

"What's holding you back, Daddy? Just tell me. Whatever it is, I'll help you handle it."

After a long pause, Daddy finally spoke.

"It's my parents… They're still in Loguetown.

If something happens to them while I'm away, I won't be there to help them."

Buggy understood immediately. Family—that was the burden weighing Daddy down.

After thinking for a moment, Buggy replied:

"That's an easy fix. We'll hire a few reliable people to take care of them.

I'll buy a Den Den Mushi so you can communicate with them anytime.

If something happens, you can head back immediately. Even if nothing happens, you can visit them whenever you like.

I'll cover all the costs."

Daddy's eyes lit up.

That solution cleared away the biggest obstacle in his mind.

After a long silence, he finally made his decision.

"Then I'll be in your care, Captain. Just let me know when we're setting sail—I'll need some time to prepare."

"Whenever you're ready, we set off."

With that, Buggy handed over a bag of 30 million Berries—everything he had left.

He had spent over 400 million to commission a custom ship from a shipwright earlier that year.

It had been built using Adam Wood, the finest material in the One Piece world.

The ship had top-tier performance and size.

It had been completed and delivered a month ago, and is currently docked in a shipyard in Loguetown, awaiting departure.

After handing Daddy the bag, Buggy watched him open it and gape in shock.

For someone like Daddy, a solo bounty hunter focused on sniping low-level pirates, 30 million Berries was a fortune.

"Captain, this is too much. I won't even need a fraction of this."

"Don't worry about it," Buggy replied. "Your parents have worked hard their whole lives—they deserve to live comfortably.

And honestly, for me, this is just one average pirate crew's bounty."

He then added seriously:

"Just make sure your parents stay low-profile.

In a world like this, money like that attracts attention. Some people will kill for it, without hesitation.

If word gets out, they could lose their money, or worse, their lives.

And that could drag you down too."

"Understood, Captain. I'll warn them to keep things quiet."

Daddy shared Buggy's concern.

In this world, 30 million Berries could spark a bloodbath. He'd make sure his parents knew to be careful.

After finalizing their plans, Daddy left the tavern, bag in hand.

Buggy downed the rest of his drink and left as well.