Chapter 10: The Sabaody Archipelago Wind
The Sabaody Archipelago wind is always particularly charming.
After blowing through the neon bubbles, it seems as if the wind itself carries a dreamy aroma. Of course, it could also be the seductive scent left behind by the sweet, white-smiling angel who had just left.
Buggy lay on his familiar hospital bed, sipping the sweet and fragrant coffee. Although compared to most of the Marines on the escort ship, the wound on his cheek seemed insignificant.
Then he opened the fresh newspaper in his hand. Well, it had been almost twenty days since he left the escort ship. During this time, he had, unusually, remained relatively quiet.
If the Gotham City police found out, they would probably give him a good citizen award. That was quite rare.
Most of the time, Buggy considered himself quite rational. He acted just as he did during the subsequent Marine investigation. The advantage of this rationality was that he was soon granted a month of paid vacation and a private hospital room. It was as if they knew his identity.
The first wanted poster stuck in the newspaper was for him. A red-nosed clown, in a black and white striped prison uniform and a disheveled beard, held up a sign. His expression was one of forced composure. It was taken when he was first captured.
The bounty was... 200 million Belly.
Quite a lot. Our protagonist, the Straw Hat Boy, only had a 100 million Belly bounty at that time, and he had just seen a report about the Enies Lobby incident in the newspapers.
So, was he still at Water Seven or heading to the Sabaody Archipelago? Buggy made a rough guess, but didn't take it too seriously. He wasn't interested in the main cast. Passionate bonds were no fun.
Aside from his own little celebrity, the rest of the coverage focused on the eleven supernovas who had risen to fame in the last year. The exploits of Eustass Kid, the flamboyant native of the South Seas; Law, known as the "Surgeon of Death"; and Hawkins, captain of the Hawkins Pirates, were featured prominently in newspapers across the country.
Even the bounty, supposedly a noose, has become an indicator for pirates to compete with each other. The Marines and the World Government, seemingly the personification of justice, are more like an iceberg floating on the surface, concealing their bottomless darkness beneath the waters, revealing only a pure and radiant whiteness. Even the word "justice" is printed on it with solemnity.
The entire blue world is like an expanded version of Gotham City. But it is precisely this kind of world that makes Buggy even more excited. Chaos is also a form of beauty.
An inexplicably meaningful smile appeared on his face, making the nurse pushing a cart blush.
Sergeant Jacques's gaze drifted into the distance, following the nurse's footsteps. He wanted to be more reserved, but on the warship he faced a sea of thugs all day long. A single trip to sea often meant months without seeing the opposite sex. But if he could cling to Yaro-sama's influence, things would probably get better, right?
"Yaro-sama, the person you requested has been transferred to the port area," Jacques announced.
"Well done, Sergeant Jacques," Buggy replied with a smile, putting the newspaper away.
Yaro-sama did not interact with many people in the Navy before, but Buggy was in no hurry to interact with them. On the contrary, it was Sergeant Jacques, who was originally under Brownie's orders. He also held an intermediate position on the original team and was not given much importance, but he was eager to change, or rather, to improve. When Buggy, a major with a good track record, appeared in front of him, Jacques naturally approached. For Buggy, at that stage, he was a useful tool.
Another point is that Jacques recognized reality.
The Sabaody Archipelago, nestled at the roots of towering mangroves, is divided into 79 zones. Zone 66 is where the Navy is stationed. It has a medium-sized port with capacity for several ships. It also houses a warehouse for temporary storage.
The warehouse is damp, with messy and scattered wooden boxes, either remnants of previous shipments or just decorative. In a corner, several cigarette butts have been stepped on. It's the kind of place a construction site safety officer would run away from overnight.
There is also a characteristic smell, a mixture of feces and fish. Clearly, the cargo piled here includes live creatures.
Buggy almost wanted to cut off his nose and throw it away. But with Sergeant Jacques nearby, who thought he had an advantage, he decided it was better to maintain a sane facade. Of course, there's nothing he can do if he loses it. After all, the only sane way to live in this world is without rules. If he were to see the head doctor of Arkham Asylum, he would probably have to re-evaluate the Joker's state. At the very least, they could move from the restricted single room to a shared ward with little time to move.
His clean leather boots lightly clattered on the dry straw. Soon, they stopped in front of a rusty iron cage.
Inside, Arne barely opened his eyes to see precisely those boots.
"Ahem..." Arne breathed cautiously. The pungent smell of the warehouse made him shiver. So cold, so cold, that he thought becoming a noble's slave wouldn't be so bad. The dampness and cold made his forehead feel like a hot iron. His barely treated abdomen throbbed with every breath. Dignity became insignificant in the face of survival.
"My dear Mr. Candidate Navigator. Why don't you welcome your captain?" Buggy asked in a slightly mocking tone, crouching down. "You should know that I have always been a man of my word."
"Mr. Candidate?"
Arne tried to look up, but a cloud of despair enveloped him. Upon seeing the young naval officer in front of him, he looked like a crazy clown. Even the joking tone was the same.
"Captain!"
"Captain...?" Sergeant Jacques's voice trembled.
Why, why would this pirate prisoner call Yaro-sama captain? Why did Yaro-sama specifically buy this prisoner? Why...?
He suddenly remembered the major he saw when the warship exploded. The pieces of flesh that came off his face. A terrible suspicion arose in his heart.
His legs trembled uncontrollably. Jacques did his best to lift them and run. Yes, the base is very close to the warehouse, and the base commander is Major General Sicily. He has to report there. He has to report there!
But no matter how much he insisted, his legs did not move at all. It was as if two hands were holding them tightly.
Jacques lowered his head and saw that two hands were holding his feet.
- - - - -
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