The Circus began in full, right in the middle of the now deserted streets of Water 7.
Lucci blurred forward. Soru, faster than thought. Buggy's torso split apart instantly, the punch whistling through where his ribs had been a second earlier.
"Too slow, kitty~!" Buggy taunted, his detached arms whirling like spinning blades. Knives flicked out of his sleeves, slashing across the narrow street. Lucci weaved through them, each step a flash of speed, each counter precise.
Sparks danced off the walls with each strike. Brick cracked, and the sound of laughter mixed with the thunder of fists, echoing down the alleys.
Further down the street, Urouge and Kaku's battle erupted. The monk's haki-coated fists collided with razor-sharp Rankyaku waves, carving grooves into cobblestone and sending debris flying into the canals. Buildings shuddered, shipwrights fled, hammers clanging as scaffolding swayed.
"HEY, WATCH THE PROPERTY DAMAGE!" a distant foreman screamed before being blown into the canal.
Buggy's detached head floated upside-down above Lucci's shoulder, grinning. "Y'know, for a government lapdog, you've got style! I like the pigeon, adds class!"
Lucci didn't respond. He vanished again, Shigan striking like a flurry of bullets.
Buggy's parts split mid-air, the rapid thrusts piercing only afterimages. His laughter echoed from impossible angles. "Sorry, but you'll have to be faster than that to hit a clown, pal!"
Robin, still chained, watched as the two monsters clashed, one a weapon of the government, the other a madman who refused to stay in one piece. And despite herself, she felt something unsettling.
Relief.
Buggy had known she was planning to leave; despite his mad facade, he had always been perceptive. Yet there he was, risking himself and his crew to prove something she hadn't even asked for: that she was protected.
She didn't know whether to be angry or… touched.
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Down the alley, Kaku's blades sparked against Urouge's arm as the monk's laughter echoed through the rising smoke. "Faith and strength, my long-nosed brethren! Let's see which runs out first!"
Some of Kaku's slashes still got through, leaving thin lines of blood on the monk's thick skin. But the pain only seemed to rile him more.
Kaku, meanwhile, was sweating. His agility advantage was clear. By the time Urouge swung once, he could cut twice, but he also felt it: the shockwaves of Urouge's blows, growing stronger with each hit.
'If I'm careless, one of these punches will end me…'
Down the street, a woman in sunglasses and heels adjusted her gloves.
Kalifa, Den Den Mushi in hand, finished her report. "…Emergency situation. Blueno is down. Kaku is engaging with the Mad Monk. Lucci is in direct combat with Buggy the Clown. Surrounding damage escalating." She snapped the Den Den Mushi shut. "Undercover status compromised. Proceeding with capture protocol."
She stepped forward, only to hear:
"Oi~ Blondie! The circus handbook clearly states 'no unsolicited kidnappings!'"
Cabaji dropped from above, landing his unicycle with a spinning skid, swords drawn.
Mohji followed with Richie beside him, the lion growling low, mane bristling.
Kalifa blinked. "…You two?"
Cabaji bowed dramatically. "Presenting: The Elegant Executioner of the Big Top!"
Mohji puffed his chest. "And the Beast Tamer Extraordinaire!"
Kalifa stared flatly. "…I don't know who either of you are."
Then Richie lunged, fangs bared. Kalifa kicked the lion across the street, heel snapping.
Mohji shrieked.
Cabaji sighed. "Guess it's a two-on-one then."
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Back at center stage, Buggy's laughter echoed through the chaos.
Buggy pointed dramatically at Lucci, cape fluttering. "Ladies and gentlemen of Water 7! The show's begun!"
Lucci straightened, expression icy. "Stop the charade, clown!"
They vanished into motion, the entire area exploding in light, smoke, and laughter.
Lucci flashed forward again. The ground cracked beneath him.
"Rokugan!"
The pointed shockwaves blasted through Buggy's body, cracking stone and scattering debris like a cannon burst. His limbs flew apart like broken dolls, torso spinning.
For a moment, it looked as though Buggy had been destroyed.
Robin watched, breath caught, until she heard it:
He was still laughing.
"BWAHAHAHA! Ooooh~ that one rattled the paint off my skull!"
Buggy's pieces rotated back into position like a puppet rewinding itself, grin wide, eyes shining with wild delight.
"You're fun, cat-boy! Almost makes me wanna mount your head on a spike and use it for the finale!"
Lucci landed silently. No amusement, no irritation. Just the slow realization that this… was not a fight he could end quickly.
"You're not taking this seriously," Lucci stated.
Buggy blinked. "Oh? Was I supposed to? I've fought Vice Admirals. Warlords. Hell, HANGOVERS that would've killed lesser men!"
His hands detached, spinning knives. "You're strong, but you're just a trained mutt. I've dogged bigger threats and turned them into balloon animals."
That moment, Lucci's expression changed. Not much, but enough.
"You talk too much."
His body rippled. Muscles expanded, bones elongated. Yellow fur tore through skin. Dark spots bloomed.
Rob Lucci shifted into Hybrid Leopard Form.
The pressure hit like a storm. The ground cracked beneath his feet.
Robin's eyes widened. Urouge paused mid-swing. Even Kaku glanced over.
Buggy's grin vanished. "…Ah. So the kitten has claws."
Lucci blurred. He struck before Buggy could separate, kicks like cannon shells, strikes sending limbs flying like broken dolls.
Buggy smashed through a wall, embedding in stone, coughing dust.
"That," Lucci said, voice animalistic, "was serious."
He launched again, "Shigan Madara!" Dozens of finger bullets pierce Buggy's separated limbs faster than they can reform.
Blood spattered. Buggy bled for the first time.
Robin's breath caught. He's losing…
Lucci stomped down, aiming to crush Buggy's skull.
HOOONK!
A horn sounded.
Lucci's leg froze, not because he missed, but because Buggy's detached hand gripped it, black mist crackling across his fingers.
Armament Haki. Still unrefined, still not a proper coating, but now a lot thicker than before.
Buggy's voice echoed low and dangerous. "Now I'm annoyed."
His torso whipped back together. His head snapped into place. His grin returned, but now it was sharp. Focused. Deadly. "You government types always make the same mistake…"
Lucci's eyes narrowed before he felt something lightly tap his right arm.
Looking back, it was none other than one of Buggy's bloodied and pierced palms.
CHOP~
In one instant.
It felt like the flash of a blade, but there was no blade; there was no build-up.
And Rob Lucci's right arm hit the ground.
The leopard-man's eyes widened, but there was no scream. Just silence. Then blood.
Buggy flicked the blood off his hand before rearranging himself back together. His grin in that moment felt unhinged.
"You think because I look ridiculous… my performance won't get brutal? Time to remind the world why I earned my epithet~"
Lucci staggered, eyes wide, expression finally broken.
"You'll want to sit down for this next act," Buggy purred, ignoring the many holes littering his body. He leaned in, eyes glowing like a demon behind clown paint.
"The dismemberment part gets messy."