After handling Snow Woman's body, the crew left the snowy mountain and made their way toward the settlement where the island's residents lived. They remembered her dying request—to protect the villagers from Gott's revenge—and they needed to see for themselves.
The closer they came, the more they heard it: the sound of fighting, screams of agony, and wails of despair. Their expressions hardened. Things had already begun moving in the worst possible direction—Gott must have started retaliating.
They rushed forward and soon arrived at the village. The scene before their eyes was a nightmare: blood stained the ground in streams, houses were splattered red, and the smell of iron hung thick in the air. Wooden huts and stone dwellings had become the backdrop for carnage. It was as though hell itself had descended upon the village.
But the most shocking part was who was fighting. The crew had expected Gott's men to be butchering innocent villagers. Instead, what they saw was villagers slaughtering each other.
Ordinary men and women—dressed in their everyday clothes—were wielding kitchen knives, hoes, farming tools… hacking at their friends and neighbors like mortal enemies, their eyes filled with madness.
Buggy immediately recalled Snow Woman's warning about Gott's Devil Fruit ability. Memory manipulation. This massacre wasn't the villagers' fault—they were being controlled.
"That must be it," Buggy muttered grimly. "Gott has rewritten their memories, turned them against each other."
He gave his crew swift orders:
"Knock them out—don't kill anyone! Split up and move!"
The villagers weren't strong fighters. A few older ones who had once been pirates still had some combat ability, but against Buggy's crew, none of them could hold out for long. One by one, they were subdued and tied up until silence fell over the bloody streets.
Yet, even bound, the problem remained unsolved. None of them knew how to undo Gott's memory-altering power. The only hope they had was that by defeating Gott himself, his victims would be freed.
Leaving the restrained villagers behind, Buggy led the crew toward the island's central stronghold—Gott's base of operations, according to Snow Woman.
When they arrived, the place was eerily silent. No guards, no movement—just an empty husk. Inside, it looked as though the base had been looted. Food, supplies, clothes—everything useful was gone.
Buggy's expression darkened. "He's already on the move…"
Without wasting another second, he and the others rushed to the shore.
There, his fears were confirmed. Most of the ships that had once been docked were gone. Even the corpses from earlier battles had vanished. Only the bloody foam on the waves bore witness to what had happened.
"He took his men… and the bodies," Buggy realized aloud. "They're headed straight for the escape route."
The corpses were bait for the Sea Kings that blocked the way out. Gott had slaughtered his own men to use their remains as sacrifices, just as Snow Woman had described.
"Captain… they've already left, haven't they?" asked Kuro, reading his expression.
"Yeah," Buggy answered coldly. "With those bodies, he has more than enough bait for the Sea Kings. He won't be coming back. He intends to leave for good."
"Then let's chase them down!" Kuro urged. "With the Glory's speed, we'll catch up in no time!"
Buggy gave a sharp nod. The Glory was far faster than Gott's ragged fleet of old pirate ships. If they set out now, they could intercept them before they reached the Sea Kings' waters.
"Set sail. Full speed ahead."
It wasn't the most strategic choice. If the villagers had been safe, Buggy would have preferred to wait, resupply, gather strength, then follow Gott days later. By then, Gott's forces would have been exhausted from fighting the Sea Kings, and Buggy's crew could simply sweep in and finish the job.
But with the villagers' lives in jeopardy, they couldn't wait. Leaving them bound without food or water for days would only lead to death.
There was no other option. They had to deal with Gott now.
The crew hurried to the hidden cove where the Glory was anchored. Fortunately, Gott's men had overlooked it in their haste. They boarded and unleashed the ship's full power, the sails billowing as the vessel surged across the waves toward the southwest.
Within half a day, shapes began to appear on the horizon: a ragtag cluster of old, battered pirate ships.
Buggy's eyes narrowed. "Found you."
Onboard one of those ships, Gott received word from his men.
"Boss! A ship's coming up fast behind us!"
Gott's brow furrowed. He had deliberately left the outsiders alone, even spared their ship, hoping they'd be smart enough to stay out of his way. He hadn't expected them to chase him down.
So… they want death, Gott growled, his face twisting with irritation.