On one side of the ruined street, Zoro drew all three of his blades and slid into his stance, eyes fixed on the unicyclist before him.
Cabaji mirrored him, circling warily, sweat already gathering beneath the clown paint.
He'd heard the name Pirate Hunter Zoro before. Every East Blue pirate had. But hearing stories and facing the man himself were two very different things.
One glance at that flawless draw-slash from earlier—cutting a bomb in mid-air—and Cabaji's confidence had already cracked.
And now… three swords? His stomach turned to lead.
Meanwhile, the beast tamer Mohji and his massive lion Richie had surrounded Bai Ye from front and back.
Truth be told, both of them were more terrified than Cabaji.
If Zoro's swordsmanship had shaken them, Bai Ye's and Luffy's inhuman abilities had shattered their sense of reality.
Luffy they could excuse—an obvious Devil Fruit user.
But this long-haired Taoist in flowing robes? He'd moved like smoke, conjured wind and light, and never once looked out of breath.
He's not human, Mohji thought grimly. He's another Devil Fruit monster!
Bai Ye: …Rude.
The rest of Buggy's crew crowded in a circle, cheering loudly to mask their nerves.
"Go, Vice-Captain Mohji! Teach that long-haired punk a lesson!"
"Richie, dessert's ready—bite his leg off!"
"Chief Cabaji, show that green-haired freak your dazzling swordsmanship!"
"With the three officers fighting, this'll be over in ten minutes!"
"Ten? You underestimate them! Three minutes, tops!"
Cabaji / Mohji (inwardly): We're so dead.
Still, when your underlings hype you up that much, backing down isn't an option. You'd never live it down.
Mohji gritted his teeth. "Richie, get him! Tear him apart!"
If Richie attacks, that counts as me attacking. Perfectly reasonable.
The lion roared and lunged.
And then—Bai Ye vanished.
One instant he was there; the next, gone.
Mohji's eyes darted wildly, until a calm voice spoke from behind him.
"Not bad," Bai Ye said, perched comfortably on Richie's back. "Riding this kitty's actually quite pleasant."
Richie: I'm a lion, damn it!
The beast snarled and rolled to crush him—
—but Bai Ye had already vanished again. He reappeared beside Mohji and even patted him lightly on the shoulder.
SLAP.
Mohji flinched and swung his whip on instinct. It cracked through empty air.
By the time he turned, Bai Ye was back at his original spot, smiling faintly.
That speed… terrifying. Mohji swallowed hard. He knew that if the man had wanted, he could have snapped his neck in a blink.
[Wudang Art — Treading on Clouds]
The Tiyun Zong, pinnacle of Wudang footwork. Since attaining his Innate Qi, Bai Ye's mastery had reached another level.
He guessed that even the Marines' famed Soru or Geppo wouldn't outpace him now.
But he hadn't come to kill—he wanted to test something new.
[Maoshan Secret Art — Talismans]
The paper soldiers he'd used before were one type. Beyond them, there were three main classes of talisman:
Support type: buffs and debuffs—speed charms, immobilizing charms, and the like.
Defensive type: shields and barriers.
Offensive type: pure destruction.
The two slips now between Bai Ye's fingers belonged to the last group.
[Lightning Charm — Activate!]
[Flame Charm — Ignite!]
With two crisp shouts, arcs of lightning burst from Richie's fur, while an explosion of fire engulfed Mohji.
The lion smoked like roast meat; nearby pirates salivated despite themselves.
Mohji went tumbling through the air, singing and screaming, barely conscious.
Bai Ye studied his handiwork and nodded, satisfied. "Not bad for entry-level charms."
On the sidelines, Nami watched, eyes wide.
Two sheets of yellow paper—and he'd summoned thunder and fire. Her mind raced with possibilities… and profits.
But before she could think further, the other fights had already ended.
Zoro, still uninjured, sheathed his swords in a single clean motion.
Cabaji lay sprawled out cold, his unicycle split neatly in half.
As for Luffy and Buggy—their brawl had ended with one of Luffy's punches sending Buggy's head flying, his body collapsing in defeat.
Only then did Nami truly grasp what she was seeing.
The three "idiots" she'd once dismissed had just wiped out a crew with a 16 million-berry bounty—and their notorious captain—without losing a drop of blood.
Around them, Buggy's surviving pirates stared at the wreckage:
Richie is still twitching and smoking, Mohji is smoldering, Cabaji bleeding, and Buggy's body lying headless and limp.
The realization hit all at once.
"We… we lost?!"
Denial gave way to panic.
And then, as Bai Ye walked slowly toward them, the surviving pirates made the only logical choice.
They all dropped to their knees, foreheads pressed to the ground.
"Boss! We surrender! Please spare us!!!"
Bai Ye exhaled, half-amused, half-exasperated. "Truly fitting for Buggy's men. Even their change of attitude is theatrical."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now then… Can anyone answer me? Buggy should still have some of his treasure hidden, shouldn't he? Where is it?"
He'd already counted what Nami looted—around four million Berries. For a pirate like Buggy, that was pocket change. And knowing Buggy's greed, there had to be more.
Bai Ye remembered: in the original story, Luffy had donated half of Buggy's hoard—five million Berries—to rebuild Orange Town. Which meant there should be at least six million still unaccounted for.
Unless the timeline had diverged, the stash had to be nearby.
A trembling voice rose from the kneeling crowd.
"B-boss, I… I know where it is!"
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