Chapter 57: Falling Apart
The Oro Jackson sailed on after Garp's departure, her crew restless for something new. They found it in a gaudy pirate ship that tried to block their path—a vessel covered in cheap gems, its crew loud and unprepared.
The fight lasted minutes. Rayleigh's sword sent a wave that swept the enemy captain from his feet. Jabba and the others scattered the rest like leaves. When it was over, the Oro Jackson's deck was piled with the spoils: gold, jewels, crates of rum, smoked meats, and a wooden box sealed with an ornate lock.
Buggy was the first to the pile, his arms full of coins, his face bright. "We're rich! All mine!"
Shanks was already opening the box. Inside, nestled in velvet, lay a single fruit—purple, covered in spiral patterns that seemed to shift when you looked at them. Each segment of its surface was cut cleanly, as if it had been taken apart and put back together.
"What is that?" Buggy leaned over, his nose wrinkling. "Looks poisonous."
Rayleigh picked it up, studying it. "A Devil Fruit. But I don't recognize this one."
The crew gathered. Jabba shrugged. Roger poked it with a finger. "Looks like someone already cut it up."
Kyle stepped forward, his expression calm. He knew what it was, but he had learned to let things unfold naturally. "I've heard of it. The Chop‑Chop Fruit. It lets the user split their body into pieces. And—" he glanced at Buggy, "—it makes them immune to cutting attacks."
The deck went quiet. Immune to cutting attacks. Every swordsman on the ship, Shanks included, looked at the fruit with new interest.
Shanks was the first to speak. "That's a strong power."
Roger laughed. "Kuhahaha! Interesting. But I don't need it. Sending the enemy flying with Haki is more my style."
Jabba shook his head. "An axe is meant to cut. What's the point if the enemy won't break?"
One by one, the crew declined. They had their own strengths, their own ways of fighting. The fruit sat in Rayleigh's hands, unwanted.
Kyle watched Buggy. The boy was staring at the fruit, his expression shifting. Kyle moved to his side, his voice low.
"Think about it, Buggy. Cutting attacks won't touch you. Shanks's sword would be useless. You could walk through any trap, reach any treasure. Your hands could go where your body can't. You could be the one pirate no swordsman can stop."
Buggy's eyes were fixed on the fruit. He remembered the training, the bruises, the way Shanks's blade always seemed to find him. He imagined standing on a mountain of gold, Shanks's sword passing through him harmlessly.
"I'll eat it," Buggy said.
He grabbed the fruit before anyone could stop him. Shanks opened his mouth to warn him, but Buggy had already bitten down.
His face went white, then green, then red. His eyes watered. He gagged, his hands clutching his throat. "What is this?!"
Roger laughed. "That's the taste of power, kid!"
When the fit passed, Buggy stood shaking, the fruit's taste still burning on his tongue. But he felt something new—a looseness in his body, a sense that the parts of him did not need to stay together.
He grinned. "Shanks! Fight me!"
Shanks raised an eyebrow. "Now?"
"Now!"
Shanks drew his sword, curious. Buggy spread his arms, his grin wide. "Watch this! You can't cut me!"
Shanks swung. The blade passed through Buggy's waist, and for a moment, his upper body floated free, his legs still planted on the deck.
The crew stared. Then Roger's laugh broke the silence. "Kuhahaha! He really split!"
Buggy was already moving. His hands flew toward Shanks, his feet danced across the deck, his torso spun in the air. He was everywhere, laughing, shouting. "Chop‑Chop: Flying Fist! Chop‑Chop: Carnival!"
Shanks gave ground, his sword flicking, but every cut passed through Buggy's scattered parts. For a moment, Buggy seemed unbeatable.
Then Shanks stopped retreating.
He watched Buggy's pieces, noted the pattern—the feet always anchored, the hands returning to the body, the head circling back. He did not swing at the flying limbs. He moved past them, closing the distance.
Buggy's eyes went wide. "What—?"
Shanks reached the feet. He hooked one with his own, a simple sweep, and Buggy's base crumbled.
The scattered parts fell. Arms, legs, torso, head—all tumbled to the deck in a heap. Buggy's face emerged from the pile, sputtering.
Shanks set the tip of his sword against Buggy's nose. "You lost."
The deck was silent. Then the laughter came—warm, genuine. Buggy lay in his own pieces, his face red, his fists clenched.
"That's not fair!" he shouted. "You didn't fight fair!"
"Neither will the enemy," Shanks said, sheathing his sword. "Your power is strong, Buggy. But you forgot to protect your foundation."
Kyle watched from the mast, a cup of juice in his hand. He saw the flash of frustration in Buggy's eyes, the way Shanks offered a hand to help him up. He saw the seeds of something that would last a lifetime.
Roger clapped Buggy on the back, hard enough to nearly scatter him again. "Kuhahaha! You fought well! Tomorrow, we train your feet."
"My feet?" Buggy's voice cracked.
"A swordsman who can't be cut is dangerous. But a swordsman who can't be cut and can't be tripped?" Roger grinned. "That's a monster."
Buggy's expression shifted. The embarrassment faded, replaced by something harder, more determined. He looked at Shanks, at the sword still at his hip.
"Next time," Buggy said, "I'll beat you."
Shanks smiled. "Try."
The crew returned to their work. The treasure was sorted, the rum stored, the strange purple fruit now a part of Buggy's story. Kyle stayed at the rail, watching the two boys who would one day shape the world.
Rayleigh joined him. "You knew what that fruit was."
"I'd heard of it."
"You let him eat it."
Kyle was quiet for a moment. "He needed it. Not the power. The choice."
Rayleigh looked at Buggy, already practicing with his separated hands, his face set with purpose. "He'll be something."
"He already is."
The Oro Jackson sailed on, her deck a little noisier, her crew a little stranger. And in the morning light, a boy who had once only wanted treasure began to understand that there were other things worth chasing.
---
End of Chapter 57