About a quarter of an hour after the Marines left, the captain finally returned, stepping his way back with an ability similar to the Marines' Moonwalk.
"How was it?" As soon as the captain landed on the ship, Rayleigh tossed him a bottle of alcohol and asked.
"He seems to have gotten a bit stronger again." Roger took a huge swig, wiped the liquor dripping from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, then only after catching his breath did he speak.
"Hahaha, that's normal. That guy Garp sails the seas every day just to chase you. He's bound to run into plenty of fights. It'd be strange if he didn't get stronger. Besides, haven't you gotten a lot stronger too?"
"Of course. If I don't work hard, then one day he might really catch me."
To celebrate the captain's safe return, the whole pirate crew threw another grand banquet.
"Shanks, did we forget something?" While everyone was having the time of their lives, Bai Chuan had a nagging feeling he had forgotten something, so he asked Shanks.
"What? No, I don't think so?" Shanks was drunk too. He did not even think before answering.
"Mm, then we didn't."
Just like that, the pitiful Buggy was forgotten in a corner by the two of them.
...
"Hahaha, Buggy, I'm really sorry. We forgot you."
In the blink of an eye, it was noon the next day. Buggy stood in front of Shanks and Bai Chuan with a furious face, while Shanks spoke awkwardly.
"Forgot? You not only knocked me out, you even forgot about me! Ah! Are you two even human?"
Faced with Buggy's accusations, Bai Chuan and Shanks could only respond with stiff, embarrassed smiles, because they really were in the wrong.
As for how Buggy got found, that started from this morning.
When morning came, Buggy slowly woke up. He tried to stretch, only to realize he could not move. His mouth was taped shut too. Then he remembered what had happened yesterday.
So Buggy wriggled across the floor like a caterpillar, inching his way up to the deck until someone finally spotted him.
"Buggy, what are you doing? Did you come up with some new game again?" Just as Buggy was exhausted to the point of collapse, an extremely gentle voice sounded by his ear. In that moment, it was like an angel.
"Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm! (Hurry up and untie me!)" Buggy frantically hummed, then used his eyes to signal the rope binding him.
"What are you trying to say? You want everyone to come watch you? No, let's not. Your game is creative, but it looks way too embarrassing."
That pirate shook his head and rejected Buggy's "request."
"Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm, mmm mmm, mmm mmm mmm mmm! (What are you talking about? Stop the nonsense and untie me!)"
"Alright. Since you're sincerely begging me, I'll help you out."
"Mmm mmm mmm!" Buggy nodded as hard as he could, thinking, Finally, he understands.
"Wait here. I'll go call some people. Not many are awake yet, but there'll be enough to be your audience."
"Mmm mmm mmm mmm, mmm, mmm mmm, mmm mmm mmm! (What audience? Hey, wait, don't go!)"
Watching that person's back, Buggy's heart sank little by little.
Just then, Buggy, still sprawled on the deck, suddenly heard a mess of footsteps. The hope that had just gone out in his chest flared back to life.
"Look, Buggy's over there. He's probably going to show us how to save himself."
It was that same pirate, dragging over a group of baffled companions while he spoke.
"Oh, so that's what it is. Buggy, hurry up and perform."
"Mmm mmm, mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm! (Perform? Perform your grandma's...!)"
The moment he finished humming that, Buggy got so angry he fainted on the spot.
"Uh, Buggy, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Aiya, he passed out."
And that was how Buggy finally got rescued. You could say the whole morning was a complete farce.
And the culprits behind that farce still had not sobered up this morning.
After a round of scolding, guarantees, and promises, Buggy's anger finally eased.
"You two really went too far this time."
"Sorry, Captain. We know we were wrong."
The one who had just criticized them was Roger. He could allow his crew to mess around on his ship, but there had to be limits. If Buggy were not tough, he might have been angered to death by them.
"Don't worry, Captain. We won't do it again."
Shanks and Bai Chuan promised in unison.
"Verbal criticism is done, but since the circumstances were pretty serious, I'm punishing you two with one month of cleaning. Any objections?"
"Reporting to Captain, no objections."
"Good."
"Whew, we finally escaped a disaster." After Roger left, the two of them let out a sigh of relief at the same time.
"Bai Chuan, it's all your fault. If you'd remembered, we wouldn't have gotten punished like this."
Shanks immediately turned around and complained at Bai Chuan.
"My fault? Why is it my fault? If you hadn't come up with the idea, we wouldn't have done it. And besides, you didn't remember either."
"I'm not listening. I don't care. It's your fault. Your fault."
"Are you really Shanks?"
Seeing Shanks rolling around and throwing a tantrum, Bai Chuan froze. He squatted down and pinched Shanks' cheek.
Shanks was usually childish, sure, but that was just his personality, carefree and straightforward. What he looked like just now was basically a little kid.
"Don't touch me. Let me tell you, I'm only thirteen this year. If you bully me, I'll tell the captain."
Shanks slapped Bai Chuan's hand away.
"Thirteen? You're only thirteen?" Bai Chuan said in shock.
"Of course. Speaking of which, we still don't know how old you are."
"I'm thirteen too," Bai Chuan said without blushing or panting, except his eyes were slightly off to the side, not daring to look Shanks in the face.
"Heh. If you're going to lie, at least pick a believable reason."
Bai Chuan was more than a whole head taller than Shanks. How could he possibly still be thirteen?
Bai Chuan just felt too embarrassed to say his real age. He was that much older than Shanks, yet his strength was not even that much higher.
And so, Shanks and Bai Chuan cleaned the ship for a full month. Honestly, it was even more exhausting than Bai Chuan's training.
It was like the ship had never been cleaned before. Aside from the parts on the surface that seawater could wash over, and aside from the places people slept, there was thick dust almost everywhere else.
On top of that, they had to endure Buggy's mocking from time to time. That made Buggy's "debt" in Bai Chuan's heart far more than just a single entry. Bai Chuan was already waiting to make him pay it back slowly in the future.
"By the way, Shanks, who used to do the cleaning? I seriously want to file a complaint."
"Before? Nobody, I guess."
"Thought so."
/-\
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