The desert was quieter at night. Almost eerily so.
The dunes rolled like frozen waves under the pale light of the moon, and the air was cool for once, carrying the distant hum of the sea.
Out near the shore, a single figure sat cross-legged on a large rock, gazing at the horizon where sand met water.
Buggy the Clown exhaled slowly, tossing a pebble into the surf.
"Could've gone better," he muttered. Then he grinned. "Could've gone worse too! HA!"
He leaned back, resting on his palms, his bright red coat flaring in the sea breeze. The casino still burned faintly in the distance, a soft orange glow staining the sky. He could almost hear Crocodile's scream over the crackle of flames.
"Man, blackjack nights are getting rough these days…"
He wasn't hiding, Buggy never hid, but he wasn't exactly waiting around for a warlord to send a sandstorm after him either.
This was a rendezvous point, one he'd slipped to Robin in that little note. A quiet stretch of coast where the desert touched the sea, far enough from Rainbase that no one sane would come looking.
He hadn't really expected her to show up. But if she did, well, that'd make things interesting.
He smiled faintly. "She's smart. Probably gave that note to the big guy first. Hmph. Typical. But I'll get another shot at her soon enough."
Buggy wasn't in a hurry. The night was young, the stars were bright, and he'd just humiliated one of the Seven Warlords in front of his entire organization.
He couldn't have asked for a better day.
He leaned back, humming off-key, when the sand behind him shifted.
At first it was subtle, just a crunch, like a step. Then another. He didn't turn immediately. His grin widened.
"...You're not the lady I was expecting, I do hope you can dance though~" Buggy said without looking.
A low voice answered, calm, heavy as iron. "No. You'll have to settle for me."
Buggy's eyes flicked sideways. The moonlight gleamed on a pair of metallic arms.
Daz Bonez, Mr. 1, stood there, silent and towering, his expression unreadable. The desert wind tugged at his jacket, revealing the faint dent still pressed into the back of his head from earlier that night.
"Did he seriously just send you?" Buggy chuckled, turning fully to face him. "That's rich. What, Croco-boy too busy gluing his teeth back in?"
Mr. 1 didn't rise to the bait. He started walking forward, each step steady and deliberate, the sand crunching under his boots. "Crocodile has... priorities. You humiliated him in front of the organization. That won't go unanswered."
"Yeah, I figured." Buggy brushed imaginary dust from his shoulder. "So he sends the quiet one with the shiny arms. Cute."
Mr. 1 stopped a few paces away. "Don't mistake this for a message from him. This is also personal. You will be hunted down till the ends of the Grand Line..."
Buggy tilted his head. "Personal? Aw, come on. Don't tell me I dented your pride with that little love tap?"
"You surprised me," Daz admitted. His tone never changed, but there was an edge there, faint as the whisper of a blade. "No one's ever marked me before. But luck only carries a man so far."
Buggy laughed softly. "Oh, I love this. Mister Serious wants to avenge his haircut. Fine then, shiny -let's play."
He stood, stretching his arms overhead with a pop of his joints. The moonlight caught on his grin.
"I'll even give you the first swing. Fair's fair."
Daz didn't waste words. He moved.
One instant he was standing there; the next he was a blur of steel and muscle.
His leg swept forward, a gleam of moonlit metal cutting through the sand. Buggy dodged, barely.
The air where he'd stood screamed from the force.
"Not bad," Buggy said, hopping back. "Bit more power than last time!"
"You talk too much."
Daz's arm shifted into a blade, but he didn't slash this time. Instead, he pivoted on one heel and drove his elbow forward like a hammer. Buggy caught it on his forearm, and immediately winced.
"OW! Damn, you're heavier than you look!" He staggered back, shaking his arm out. "Blunt damage now, huh? Smart boy."
"Cutting you doesn't work," Daz said simply. "So I'll just break you instead."
"Break me? I'm already in pieces!" Buggy spread his arms. "You're behind schedule, pal!"
He lunged forward suddenly, his body snapping apart mid-stride, one arm darting for Daz's head, the other swinging low for his ribs.
The assassin twisted, steel flashing, catching one arm and deflecting the other with his elbow.
Despite him being made of steel, he knew Buggy had enough force to dent him slightly... And the clown was crazy enough to crush his bones on steel till one of them broke.
That was not the type of battle Daz wanted.
Still Buggy's detached hand opened mid-air and flicked Daz's ear.
Flick.
"Annoying bastard," Daz growled.
"That's Captain Annoying Bastard to you!"
Buggy's torso spun like a wheel, slamming both boots into Daz's chest. The impact sent him sliding back a few meters, the sand grinding under his heels. But he didn't fall.
When he stopped, he glanced down at the scuff marks on his chest, minor, but visible. He looked up, and for the first time, he smiled. "That all you've got?"
Buggy grinned back. "Not even close."
He snapped his fingers.
The hand that had been flicked away moments earlier suddenly shot forward again, gripping Daz's shoulder. The other arm zipped in from behind, aiming a fist straight for his temple.
The punch connected—solidly. Daz's head jerked sideways with the impact, a flash of surprise crossing his features. Then he caught Buggy's arm mid-swing and twisted.
Bones crackled.
Buggy hissed, then laughed through the pain. "Heh… okay, okay, you're not just a wall of knives, huh?"
"Stop playing."
"Never."
Buggy's detached leg spun from above, heel-first. Daz caught it, barely, but that gave Buggy's other leg just enough time to sweep his knees.
They both hit the sand, rolling. The moonlight glinted off steel and blood and fragments of clown makeup.
For a moment, they were a blur of motion—Buggy's limbs scattering, whirling, darting from all angles; Daz moving like a machine, cutting, blocking, hammering, unrelenting. Each impact sent sand exploding into the air like tiny fireworks.
Buggy reformed mid-roll, panting, blood trickling from his nose. He wiped it away with the back of his hand and grinned.
"Man… you hit like a cannon. You sure you're not part cyborg?"
"You're slowing down."
"Eh, just pacing myself." He cracked his neck. "Wouldn't want this to end too soon."
The fight shifted toward the surf.
Daz pressed forward, feet grinding through wet sand. Buggy gave ground easily, ducking, spinning, separating his arms whenever Daz swung. Steel carved through air again and again, each miss hissing like the wind.
Then Daz feinted, a shoulder dip, quick as lightning, and his boot smashed into Buggy's chest. The clown flew backward, crashing into the shallow water with a splash.
He sat up, gasping, clutching his ribs. "Okay, that one hurt."
Daz walked toward him, the moon casting long shadows behind him. "You should've run when you had the chance."
Buggy looked up, grin still wide but eyes narrowing slightly. "Run? And miss the show?"
He snapped both fingers. The water around them rippled, and a half dozen of his detached apendiges shot upward, spinning like buzz saws. They crashed into Daz from all directions, fists and boots pounding in a dizzying rhythm.
Daz blocked most, but one kick caught him in the side of the face, sending him stumbling. Another slammed into his gut. Then one more, straight to the jaw.
Slight dents kept appearing on his metallic body.
Buggy pulled his parts back together, landing lightly on his feet again. "Heh! Still standing, huh? You're a tough cookie."
Daz straightened, wiping blood from his lip. "You're not the only one who can take a hit."
"Good! I'd hate to break my new toy too fast."
He darted forward again, knife suddenly flashing from his belt. The blade gleamed as he swung, not to cut, but to faint. Daz raised an arm to block, and Buggy's knee slammed into his metallic stomach instead.
The assassin doubled slightly, and Buggy's other leg snapped up, heel to chin.
The sound echoed across the empty dunes.
Daz hit the sand hard. Buggy landed beside him, one hand braced on his knee, breathing heavy. His grin didn't fade.
"You know… this ain't half bad. Been a while since someone made me work for it."
Daz rose slowly, the metal in his body shimmering faintly under the moonlight. "You fight like a lunatic... It's been a while since I had to fight someone with no regard for themselves..."
Buggy chuckled. "Compliment accepted."
"You rely on chaos. Tricks. Distractions. Ultimatley you are not stronger than me..."
"Yeah. That's the fun part. Strength is only a small deciding factor for a battle... The strong tend to forget that."
Daz shook his head, cracking his neck. "Hmph... But without strength you'd still be nothing more than an ant..."
He surged forward again, faster than before, both arms turning to spinning blades.
Buggy ducked, jumped, twisted, each move a gamble. The blades missed by inches, leaving hair-thin lines across his coat.
Then one hit home. A flat strike to the chest.
Buggy felt the air leave his lungs as he flew backward again, crashing into a dune. The world spun for a second, stars wheeling overhead.
He lay there, coughing, then laughed hoarsely. "O-Okay… that's one for you."
Daz advanced, steps slow, deliberate. "You can't win. You said it yourself -you're already in pieces."
Buggy's grin turned sharp. "Yeah, but pieces can still bite."
His torso twisted, sending both hands flying again, one snatching Daz's collar, the other his arm. Daz sliced one hand apart instantly, but the other yanked him forward, right into a headbutt.
CRACK.
Daz stumbled back, stunned. Buggy staggered too, rubbing his forehead. "Ow! Damn! You're made of metal! What'd I expect?!"
They circled each other again. The surf hissed nearby, rhythmic, almost calm against the violence.
Buggy flexed his bruised arm, watching the faint tremor in his fingers. His whole body ached, he could feel cracked ribs, a swollen shoulder. His devil fruit made him hard to kill, not immune to pain.
Crocodile and Mr 1 were also both a lot stronger than they had been showcased in the show. Buggy already knew that though, he knew that the Straw Hats had gotten lucky to win.
Zoro was lucky his willpower was strong enough to manifest taking Mr 1 by surprise and cutting him.
Luffy was lucky enough to not die the two or three times that Crocodile 'killed' him.
But Buggy didn't have to rely on such luck.
He chuckled softly. "I could always escape… vanish into confetti, drift off on the wind…"
The sea breeze lifted his hair, carrying the scent of salt and blood.
Then he looked at Daz, still standing firm, blades glinting like silver fangs in the dark.
"But where's the fun in that?"
He cracked his neck once more, crouched low, and grinned.
"This guy's fate was always to get cut during this time…" His eyes gleamed with mischief. "Let's see if I can make that happen~"
The moonlight stretched across the sand, framing the two figures, one steel, one scarlet, as they lunged toward each other again, laughter and steel colliding under the desert stars.