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"Hmm… the Grand Line. I, Buggy… will be the king… very soon…"
Inside the dim main tent, Buggy the Clown lay sprawled on his lavish chair, drooling in his sleep. A sinister grin played on his lips as he dreamt of mountains of gold. Suddenly, his brow furrowed, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. "Treasure map! Where's my treasure map! Shanks! Give me back my treasure map!"
Whoosh!!
He snapped his eyes open, bolted upright, and gasped for air. Seeing the familiar interior of his tent, he wiped the sweat from his brow. "What... it was just a dream." He gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with old resentment. "Damn Shanks. If it weren't for him, I, Buggy, would have the world's biggest treasure by now! But soon, I'll return to the Grand Line and show everyone I'm the true successor to Captain Roger!"
Instinctively, he glanced at the treasure chest beside his chair—the one that held his hard-won navigation charts.
His eyes nearly popped out of his skull. The chest was open. And it was empty.
"…"
The shock left Buggy speechless. Where are my charts?! My tickets to the Grand Line! Who dared—?!
Just then, a voice like a thunderclap erupted from outside, making the tent poles groan and dust rain down from the ceiling.
"HEY—!!! WAKE, UP, NOW!!!"
The sudden roar vibrated through Buggy's very soul. Covered in a fresh layer of dust that turned his bright outfit a dull grey, he stormed out of the tent in a towering rage. "Who is it!! Who's trying to burst my eardrums!!"
He scanned the square and saw a small boy standing there, hands on his hips and a cheeky grin on his face. Buggy froze. A kid? Where did a brat like this come from?
Around him, his crew began to stir. Cabaji, the Chief of Staff, was the first to fully recover. He narrowed his eyes at the intruder. "A kid? Is he an enemy?" He noticed the rest of the crew, including First Mate Mohji, were still out cold. "Get some cold water! Wake them all up!" he barked at the few pirates who were standing.
Cabaji moved to Buggy's side. "Captain Buggy, what's the situation?"
"My charts, Cabaji! They're gone! Stolen!" Buggy snarled, his gaze locking onto Satori. "Hey! Kid! Did you steal the navigation charts of the Great Buggy?!"
Satori hugged the back of his head and grinned. "No, I didn't!" (Technically, Nami did, so Satori wasn't lying.)
Buggy was stunned for a second. It wasn't him? But before he could process that, Satori continued to grin. "Hey! Your red nose looks so funny."
!!!
The square went deathly silent. Pirates holding buckets of water froze in their tracks. Cabaji's body stiffened, and he silently took three large steps away from his Captain.
It's over, Cabaji thought. The biggest taboo has been mentioned... and in such a mocking tone. Captain Buggy is about to go nuclear.
A dark, demonic aura seemed to emanate from Buggy. His face was cast in deep shadow. "What... did... you... just... say?!"
Satori tilted his head, completely oblivious to the danger. "I said your red nose looks very funny. Why do you have such a big red nose?"
Cabaji moved another five meters away. He felt a moment of pity for the boy. Dancing on the Captain's grave like that... you have guts, kid, but you won't be smiling much longer.
Buggy's body shook with fury. He raised his bloodshot eyes, his face contorted into a mask of pure rage. "YOU DARE CALL ME RED-NOSE! YOU DARE!!"
"What's wrong with Red-Nose?" Satori scratched his face. "Aren't you Red-Nose?"
"YOU SAID IT AGAIN!! DIE!!"
Buggy exploded. A sharp throwing knife appeared in his hand, and with a whoosh, it shot toward Satori.
"Huh?!!" Satori flashed to the side. But his eyes widened in shock—not at the knife, but at the fact that the knife was being held by an arm that had detached at the forearm! "How did your arm break?!"
"Satori!! Watch out behind you!!" Nami's voice screamed from the edge of the square.
Whoosh!! Satori felt a chill and instinctively jumped. The detached arm, still clutching the knife, grazed his hair as it zoomed past and flew back to reconnect with Buggy's body.
"That was scary! What's going on?!" Satori patted his chest, baffled.
"Hmph hmph hmph! I am the Great Buggy, a Split-Split Man who ate the Bara Bara no Mi!" Buggy flicked his wrists, and six knives appeared between his fingers. "I'm starting to suspect you two did steal my charts!"
Nami, hiding behind a utility pole, waved her hands frantically. "No, no, no! We didn't steal anything!" She wanted to keep the situation from escalating, but she forgot one thing: Satori's honesty.
Satori turned his head toward her, looking confused. "Huh? Nami, didn't you just say you stole his navigation charts?"
Nami: …
Buggy's grin became predatory. "Aha! I knew it! Minions! Grab that woman! We're getting those charts back!!"
"Yes! Captain Buggy!" The pirates charged, and the battle for Apple Town truly began.