"You damn bastard! Get ready to taste the power of my magnificent Baki Bomb!"
"Hurry up and be blasted away by my spectacular explosion!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Buggy struck a match and lit the fuse, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
In his mind, he had already begun imagining the sight of his opponent being blown to smithereens by the Baki Bomb.
Shave!
But before he could even let out a triumphant laugh, Will had already flashed forward, suddenly appearing right in front of the cannon's muzzle, looking down at him with an expressionless gaze.
"Uh…."
Buggy's grin stiffened, and an ominous feeling surged in his heart.
His eyes darted slightly, shifting toward the scene behind Will.
What he saw made his stomach drop—just moments ago, his lively and energetic crew was now sprawled all over the ground.
Some were already sleeping soundly.
Others were still groaning softly in pain.
Will glanced at the fuse, which was burning dangerously close to the base. Instead of dodging, he simply lifted his hand and slammed the bottom of the cannon.
In an instant, the entire cannon flipped a full one hundred and eighty degrees.
The muzzle now pointed directly at Buggy, who had just been standing behind it.
Staring at the pitch-black barrel now aimed right at his face, Buggy couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye. His lips trembled as he muttered:
"This is bad."
The next second, the fuse burned out.
Boom—!!
The Baki Bomb fired at high speed!
It struck Buggy dead-on, triggering a violent explosion. Fire and smoke erupted in all directions.
A moment later, a charred black figure was flung out of the billowing smoke, trailing a thin wisp of black fumes as it soared into the distant sky.
"I'm flying… I'm flying so high…"
Before losing consciousness, Buggy's last thought surfaced in his mind.
His eyes rolled back, his head lolled to the side, and his body continued to sail further and further into the horizon.
"Huh?!"
Nami and Karina watched in shock, their expressions filled with disbelief. It seemed neither of them had expected the cannonball's explosion to be this powerful.
But Will, watching Buggy being blasted away, noticed something.
The clown was still intact—not missing an arm or a leg, completely unharmed aside from the burns and bruises.
He couldn't help but shake his head.
"This bomb's power is pretty underwhelming… but at least it sends people flying."
"As expected, we haven't reached the version where bombs reign supreme yet. Right now, explosives are basically non-lethal."
When all was said and done, the Baki Bomb was all bark and no bite.
The fire and explosion made for a dramatic spectacle.
But in reality? Buggy had taken a direct hit head-on and was still in one piece, let alone seriously injured or blown apart.
Perhaps his Devil Fruit ability had strengthened his body to some extent.
But this also proved one thing—these kinds of bombs were nearly useless against Devil Fruit users.
"Damn you! How dare you blast our Captain Buggy away?!"
Just as Will was lost in thought, a furious voice suddenly rang out!
It was Cabaji, who had been lurking to the side.
Spiked Death Strike!
With a shout, he brandished his sword, leaped onto a nearby railing, and sprang into the air, launching a fierce downward stab toward Will!
Clang—!!
But what he thought was a powerful attack was effortlessly stopped.
Will raised his hand and caught the blade between just two fingers.
"W-What?! How is this possible?!"
Cabaji's once ferocious expression twisted into one of sheer disbelief.
Not only had his attack been casually blocked—
He suddenly realized that he couldn't pull his sword away!
In fact, he himself was now being lifted into the air by the sword held between Will's two fingers!
Will glanced at Cabaji's face and noticed sweat beginning to drip down.
Without hesitation, he swung his arm in a broad arc—
And flung Cabaji away like a ragdoll.
"Aaaaahhhh—!!"
With a miserable scream, Cabaji was sent hurtling through the sky, getting smaller and smaller in the distance.
He streaked across the town—
And crashed headfirst into the ocean.
A few bubbles rose to the surface before he disappeared without a trace.
Will didn't bother checking whether he was dead or alive.
Nor did he pay any attention to the rest of the pirate grunts, who had wisely dropped to the ground, playing dead the moment they sensed danger.
Having dealt with Cabaji, Will slowly turned around.
His gaze landed on a certain duo desperately trying to find something to hide behind.
The beast trainer, Mohji, and his oversized lion, Richie—
They had been stealthily tiptoeing away.
But the moment they felt a piercing gaze lock onto them, their bodies froze in place.
Richie slowly turned his head toward Will, meeting his calm yet indifferent gaze—the kind of gaze one might give to an insignificant ant.
At that moment, Richie's survival instincts kicked into overdrive.
The lion's "brilliant" brain went into high gear.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up—he had found the only way out of this!
Without hesitation, he raised his massive paws—
And began viciously slapping Mohji!
Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!
He alternated left and right, striking Mohji over and over, making his master tremble like a rag doll.
Mohji's face swelled up rapidly, his dazed and bewildered expression showing that he had no idea what was happening.
Meanwhile, Richie kept slapping away while throwing a fawning look toward Will, as if begging for mercy.
"Huh?"
Will watched the bizarre spectacle unfold, a bit taken aback.
The fact that a lion understood how to betray its master for survival was quite… surprising.
Compared to the wild beasts he had encountered in the past, this one was far smarter.
Will leisurely walked up to Richie and patted the lion's mane.
Richie stiffened, then quickly lowered his head in submission, making himself more accessible for petting.
Meanwhile, Mohji lay flat on the ground, eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth—completely unconscious.
Will stroked the lion's mane a few times.
A smile played at the corner of his lips.
Bang!
Without warning, he swung a powerful punch at Richie's head!
The lion was instantly sent sprawling on the ground, a huge lump forming on his forehead. His eyes rolled back, his tongue lolled out—he was now peacefully asleep.
"Don't think sucking up will get you off the hook. That would make me seem too easy to please."
Will withdrew his fist and muttered to himself, eyeing the knocked-out lion.
Just because Richie had been intimidated didn't mean Will saw him as harmless.
But considering the lion's "cleverness," he had decided to grant a quick, painless end.
Having finished dealing with Richie—
Will surveyed his surroundings.
Not a single enemy was still standing.
He slipped his hands into his pockets.
"Not a single worthy opponent."
Will frowned slightly, disappointment flashing in his eyes.
He hadn't expected the Buggy Pirates to be this weak—
Weaker than even Torrega's crew, who had at least managed to put up a fight.
At least Torrega and his men had struggled for a while—
Giving him a rare, fleeting moment of enjoyment.
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