At this moment, a lively celebration was taking place aboard the Red Force, and the guest of honor was none other than Buggy the Clown.
Holding a bottle of liquor in one hand, Shanks draped his arm over Buggy's shoulder and laughed loudly.
"That's exactly what I'd expect from you, Buggy! I heard from my big brother that you almost escaped from Impel Down!"
Buggy folded his arms and turned his head away with a look of annoyance.
"What do you mean almost? This great Captain Buggy was about to pull it off! If it weren't for you, those idiots in Impel Down would've never noticed me!"
The truth was that after Buggy's capture, events had unfolded much like they once had.
During intake, he managed to slip through inspection and was imprisoned on Level 1 of Impel Down without being fitted with Seastone handcuffs.
Taking advantage of that oversight, he secretly used the powers of the Bara Bara no Mi to escape from his cell.
Unfortunately for him, fate had other plans.
Just as Buggy was making his move, Warden Magellan received a direct order from the World Government.
A prisoner was to be granted immediate amnesty.
That prisoner's name was Buggy.
When Magellan first saw the order, he was completely dumbfounded.
"Buggy? Who the hell is Buggy?"
He had never even heard of the name before.
Compared to Shanks' legendary rise, Buggy's life had been so insignificant that even the warden of Impel Down knew nothing about him.
Yet the order had come directly from the World Government itself.
No matter how confused he was, Magellan couldn't ignore it.
The moment he received the command, he hurriedly finished his business in the restroom, pulled up his pants, and immediately ordered a prison-wide search for Buggy.
Not long afterward, the reports arrived.
The information nearly made his eyes pop out.
Buggy was merely a Level 1 prisoner.
Before Magellan could figure out why such a person warranted a special pardon, another report arrived.
Buggy's cell was empty.
The prisoner had escaped.
Cold sweat instantly covered Magellan's forehead.
If someone personally pardoned by the World Government disappeared under his watch, the consequences would be disastrous.
Without hesitation, he mobilized the prison staff and personally joined the search.
As a result, Buggy received treatment normally reserved for the world's most dangerous criminals.
Only a short while after escaping, he was personally captured and escorted back by Warden Magellan himself.
At that moment, Buggy believed his life was over.
Then something even stranger happened.
Rather than throwing him into a deeper level of the prison, Magellan treated him like a walking disaster.
The warden practically rushed to get rid of him.
Before Buggy understood what was happening, he had been loaded onto a small boat and sent out of Impel Down.
Completely bewildered, he passed through the Gates of Justice and drifted away across the sea.
Not long afterward, another small boat appeared before him.
A lone figure sat upon it.
The man wore a black cloak that concealed most of his face.
Before Buggy could even identify who it was, the stranger struck him with the hilt of a sword.
Everything went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself aboard the Red Force.
...
A loud burp suddenly exploded beside his ear.
Buggy jumped in shock and immediately exploded in rage.
"You bastard!"
"You're still as annoying as ever, Shanks!"
Shanks merely laughed and took another huge swig from his drink.
"Come on, Buggy."
"We've known each other for decades."
"There's no need to keep bringing up Impel Down."
Buggy's face flushed red with frustration.
After glaring for several seconds, however, his anger slowly deflated.
He grabbed a barrel beside him and took a long drink.
Deep down, he understood the truth.
Without Shanks' intervention, his chances of escaping Impel Down had been nearly nonexistent.
He might not have survived at all.
But understanding that fact and thanking Shanks were two completely different things.
For Buggy, expressing gratitude toward Shanks was more difficult than dying.
So he simply drank in silence.
Shanks smiled knowingly and sat down beside him.
Neither spoke.
Around them, the celebration continued at full volume.
The contrast between the noisy banquet and their quiet corner was striking.
At that moment, Lucky Roux approached while carrying an enormous slab of grilled meat.
"Boss!"
"It's boring over here."
"Want to come compete with us?"
"That Katakuri guy is ridiculous. Even I can't beat him in a donut-eating contest!"
Shanks chuckled and shook his head.
"No thanks."
Seeing his response, Lucky Roux shrugged.
He took another massive bite of meat before turning around and charging back into the competition with Charlotte Katakuri.
Watching the chaotic crowd behind them, Buggy snorted.
Trying to sound indifferent, he said,
"The crew you've gathered suits you perfectly."
"They all look completely unreliable."
Shanks laughed.
"Of course."
"Life at sea needs companions like that."
"If everyone were serious all the time, things would be far too boring."
Buggy rolled his eyes.
"That's just your way of thinking."
"I still think searching for treasure is what being a pirate is all about."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"You've spent all these years sailing around. Don't tell me you haven't secretly become rich."
"Of course I've found treasure."
Shanks smiled.
"But why do you suddenly care about that?"
Buggy stared at him for a moment before letting out a frustrated snort.
"Because now I finally understand why you never cared much about treasure."
"Hmm?"
"You're seriously asking?"
Buggy pointed directly at him.
"You're a Celestial Dragon!"
"Besides the One Piece itself, what treasure in the world could compare to the Heavenly Tribute?"
"And that Celestial Dragon, Lloyd, is actually your older brother!"
"I knew there was something unusual about your relationship back then!"
Hearing that, Shanks scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"But I genuinely didn't know about my origins back then."
"And to be fair, Buggy..."
"My brother protected you more than once."
"This pardon was also arranged through him."
Buggy's expression stiffened.
After a moment, he looked away.
"Hmph."
"I have no intention of getting involved with monsters like that."
Then he smirked.
"Still, my instincts were right."
"Sticking close to you really does save lives."
Shanks could only smile helplessly.
Unfortunately, in Buggy's eyes, that smile looked incredibly smug.
With a loud bang, Buggy slammed his barrel onto the table.
"Enough."
"Find somewhere to drop me off."
"I don't want to stay on your ship."
Shanks remained completely relaxed.
"Don't rush off so quickly."
"Since you're already here, why not stay awhile?"
His smile widened.
"Let's go find the One Piece together."
The words struck Buggy like lightning.
His eyes widened dramatically.
"What?!"
"The One Piece?!"
He pointed at Shanks in disbelief.
"Weren't you the one who said you weren't interested?!"
Shanks shrugged.
"When did I say I wasn't interested?"
"I only said I wasn't pursuing it at the time."
"At the time."
Buggy nearly exploded.
"Bastard!"
"And now you're changing your story again?!"
"What do you think this great Captain Buggy is?"
His voice gradually lowered.
"You know..."
"Back then, I truly believed that you would..."
The rest of the sentence never came out.
Buggy lowered his head.
A complicated expression appeared on his face.
Back then, he had genuinely believed that Shanks would become the next Pirate King.
Not Roger's son.
Not Whitebeard.
Not anyone else.
Shanks.
The deck became unusually quiet.
After watching his old friend for several moments, Shanks finally spoke.
His voice was softer than before.
"I'm sorry, Buggy."
"I disappointed you."
===
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