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Over here, Zoro pulled out his three swords and got into stance, staring down the unicycle-riding guy in front of him.
Cabaji kept trying to feel him out, but inside, he was starting to panic a little.
As a known pirate in the East Blue, he'd definitely heard of the Pirate Hunter and his infamous reputation—but honestly, he'd never taken the guy seriously.
That was before he saw Zoro slice a cannonball in half with one sword.
Now?
Cabaji looked at the man in front of him, completely focused and battle-ready.
This guy wasn't just tough—he used Three Sword Style!
Meanwhile, on the other side, Mohji and Richie had surrounded Bai Ye from front and back.
And honestly, they were even more nervous than Cabaji.
If Zoro's swordsmanship had just barely stayed within their understanding…
Then Bai Ye and Luffy's abilities had blown way past it.
Even though Luffy had denied it, Mohji was convinced this guy in front of him—just like his captain—had…
One of those powers cursed by the sea.
At this point, he was pretty sure this guy wasn't even human anymore!
Bai Ye: "Bro… rude."
Even though Cabaji and the others weren't all that confident, the rest of the Buggy Pirates had total faith in them.
To them, these three were top-ranking officers—guaranteed victory, no question.
So, by now, a crowd had already formed a circle around the battlefield, cheering loudly.
"Go, Vice Captain Mohji! Teach that long-haired brat a lesson!!"
"Richie! Dessert time! Bite that kid's leg clean off!!"
"Chief of Staff Cabaji, show off that flashy swordplay of yours! Let that green-haired punk see what you're made of!"
"Against two little brats, the three of you only need ten minutes to finish them off!!!"
"Ten?! Are you looking down on them?! Three minutes, tops!!!"
Mohji and Cabaji (in their heads): What the hell? That's not true! We never said that!
But sometimes, being in a leadership position means you've got no way to back down.
With the crew hyping them up like this, if they chickened out now, how were they supposed to lead the team? How would anyone respect them?
So even when Mohji caught that smug, teasing look from Bai Ye, he clenched his teeth and stepped forward anyway.
"Go, Richie! Bite that brat to death!!!"
Richie was his partner, so sending him out was pretty much the same as going himself, right? Nothing wrong with that.
Being an animal, Richie clearly wasn't as mentally tangled as Mohji.
The moment he heard the order, he lunged straight at Bai Ye.
But then—next thing anyone knew—Richie, Mohji, and even all the pirates watching... couldn't see Bai Ye anymore.
It was like he'd just vanished.
Then suddenly, Bai Ye's voice came from right behind Richie:
"Not gonna lie, riding this big kitty is kinda comfy."
Richie (internally): Who's a kitty?!
Feeling the weight on his back, Richie immediately tried to roll over and crush Bai Ye underneath.
But Bai Ye vanished again in a flash, reappearing right next to Mohji—and even gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
SMACK!
Mohji jumped like he'd been electrocuted, then quickly snapped out of it and lashed out with his whip.
But all he hit was thin air.
The next second, Bai Ye was already back where he started, standing there like nothing had happened.
Mohji's mouth twitched. Bai Ye hadn't even used that terrifying strength from earlier…
And yet, just with pure speed alone, he'd already made a joke out of both him and Richie. That was even scarier.
Mohji had a gut feeling—if Bai Ye wanted to, he could've snapped his neck in an instant.
That kind of movement… was freaky.
[Wudang Style: Cloud-Stepping Technique]
It was Wudang's top-tier light-step martial art, and ever since Bai Ye had cultivated Innate Qi, it had reached a whole new level.
He hadn't tested it directly against the Navy's Rokushiki—specifically Soru and Geppo—but Bai Ye felt like his version didn't lose out at all.
As for why he hadn't just finished off the two of them straight away—
Well, he was trying something new.
[Maoshan Mystic Arts: Talismans]
That paper puppet teleportation trick he'd used earlier? That was one type of talisman technique. But talismans weren't just about paper soldiers.
They generally came in three types: Support, Defense, and Attack.
Support talismans were kinda like buffs in old-school RPGs—boost yourself, mess with your enemies.
Stuff like a Speed Boost Talisman for faster movement, or a Binding Talisman to freeze enemies in place.
Defense talismans were self-explanatory—more defense.
And attack ones? You get the idea.
Like the ones Bai Ye had just slapped on Mohji and Richie—
[Lightning Talisman—Activate!][Fireburst Talisman—Activate!]
With those two quick chants, Richie suddenly exploded in crackling lightning.
The poor lion got fried crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—he smelled so good that the nearby pirates were practically drooling.
Then Mohji got lit up by a burst of flames that blew him off his feet. If he wasn't dead, he was definitely halfway there.
"Not bad… not bad at all," Bai Ye muttered, nodding in satisfaction. The two starter talismans had pulled their weight.
Off to the side, Nami had a thoughtful look in her eyes as she watched Bai Ye summon thunder and fire with just two slips of paper.
But she quickly snapped out of it, because the fights on the other two sides were also wrapping up.
In the original story, even when Zoro was badly injured, he still beat Cabaji solo.
Now that he was in top form, he had no trouble taking care of things.
As for Luffy vs. Buggy—after trading a few blows, it ended with Luffy smacking Buggy's head clean off and knocking him out cold.
It was only then that Nami finally realized:
The pirate trio she used to look down on… had already come this far.
Even Buggy the Clown, with a bounty of 16 million berries and an entire crew backing him, got completely wrecked.
The lackey pirates who were just watching for fun were now staring at the scene—Richie sizzling, Mohji scorched, Cabaji bleeding, and Buggy lying there in pieces…
They all gasped in horror.
"We… we actually lost???"
No matter how hard they tried to deny it, the reality was right in front of them.
And as Bai Ye slowly walked toward them, they instantly made the wisest decision possible.
THUD.
All the pirates dropped to their knees in perfect unison, foreheads pressed to the ground.
"Boss, we're yours!!!"
Seeing this scene, Bai Ye couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache. Should he say, "As expected of Buggy's crew"?
That ability to switch faces so fast—nobody does it better.
"I've got a question," Bai Ye said, rubbing his chin. "Buggy should've kept some treasure on him, right? Anyone here want to tell me where it is?"
Earlier, Bai Ye had counted the money Nami had looted from the ship. It was about 4 million Berries, which sounded like a lot, but honestly, for a pirate crew like Buggy's, that felt way too little.
Given how obsessed Buggy is with treasure, Bai Ye didn't believe for a second that Buggy would store all his wealth on just the ship.
More importantly, Bai Ye remembered something from the original manga—Luffy had used half of Buggy's treasure to help rebuild Orange Town.
That half alone was 5 million Berries.
So there had to be at least 6 million more Berries still hidden somewhere that no one had found yet.
After thinking it through, and assuming nothing had changed drastically, there could only be one answer.
"Boss, I know~"
One of the pirates finally spoke up.
"....."