The Pirate Princess Becomes Queen

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Buggy Jiro

Vivi quickly covered her mouth, indicating that she had only blurted out the name "Crocodile" on a whim.

Bucky the Clown's eyes instantly went unfocused; this news was far too important to him.

Buggy the Clown, who doesn't want to be the Pirate King, has no desire to change the world, and doesn't want to do the things of those who are superior to others, is a very unconventional pirate. As an apprentice on Gol D. Roger's ship and a close friend of Shanks, he is a very unique pirate.

In some ways, he's similar to Daddy, who takes care of children. He doesn't care about his reputation or what the world thinks of him. As a pirate, he's incredibly low-key. This guy, who once served on the Pirate King's ship, is now in the weakest East Blue, and his bounty is only 1500 million Berries. This bounty is completely disproportionate to his seniority.

Would a veteran of a Fortune 500 company, who has chatted and drunk with the world's richest man, go to work as a low-level employee in a third-tier city? For 99% of people, no, but for Bucky the Joker, yes!

This guy has no interest in fame, status, or beautiful women. There's only one thing he cares about: gold and silver treasures, especially the treasures of legendary pirates, which he has an extraordinary passion for.

Upon hearing the phrase "Captain John's Treasure," his eyes widened, and he didn't even notice that Vivi called him "Red Nose."

He instinctively retorted, "You, what do you know, you little brat!... You're talking nonsense... How could that be!? Captain John's treasure... Hehehehe—"

His trembling body betrayed his excitement. By the end, he couldn't hold back anymore, covering his mouth and revealing a sly grin.

Vivi then feigned a regretful expression and, as if trying to cover up her mistake, offered a forced explanation: "Yes, I did misunderstand. What I said before was all wrong. This matter..."

Bucky the Clown's aura surged to its peak. For a moment, Vivi even thought he was about to unleash his Conqueror's Haki. Then she saw Bucky's red nose gleaming in the sunlight, and he roared fiercely, "I'll ask, you answer!"

"Huh? Are you kidding me? I'm the one who has the upper hand now..."

“Tell me! Whose crew was Captain John on?”

Vivi feigned panic and instinctively replied, "He was probably a member of the Rocks Pirates. I heard he took most of the loot after the Rocks Pirates were destroyed..."

Bucky the Clown interrupted her sharply: "I'm asking you again! Where is Captain John now?"

"I heard he's been dead for many years..."

"I'll ask you again!..."

Bucky the Clown compared the information he knew with what Vivi had said. He asked questions quickly and swiftly, and Vivi seemed completely overwhelmed by his imposing manner, losing all initiative and answering whatever he asked.

For pirates in this world, Captain John's treasure is a legendary treasure second only to the One Piece treasure of Gol D. Roger. Although Buggy the Clown did not go with Roger to Laugh Tale, he probably knows some of the inside story about the One Piece treasure, and the crew members have no reason to hide it from him.

In Buggy the Clown's mind, what the world considers the second greatest treasure is the greatest treasure in the world to him. The One Piece treasure doesn't hold much appeal for him; whoever wants it can have it, he doesn't care.

Now that he had information about Captain John's treasure, even though Vivi repeatedly emphasized that it was just a clue, he was still so excited that he danced with joy.

Seeing that her "slip of the tongue" had completely exposed her true intentions, Vivi, under Bucky the Joker's persistent questioning, carefully explained the origins of the clues.

Bucky the Joker isn't stupid. He needs more substantial evidence to confront Crocodile based solely on Vivi's words.

Vivi gave her a "you're so slow to understand" look: "Do you know Rainland, the oasis city Crocodile built in Alabasta? Do you know that Crocodile, who has a great reputation and is known as the hero of Alabasta, built Rainland, the largest casino in the first half of the Grand Line? Can you guess where Crocodile, with such a good reputation, found so much money to build a city in the desert and open a huge casino?"

Vivi forcibly pinned a charge of "possessing a huge amount of unexplained wealth" on Crocodile.

Bucky the Clown's eyes were red and teary, as if someone had just stabbed him in the heart. He stammered, "Could it be! This guy actually...!"

Weiwei nodded first, then shook her head: "It should only be a part, otherwise he wouldn't just be opening one casino, but ten or a hundred. I guess..."

She deliberately kept him in suspense, and Bucky the Clown was itching to strangle her, urging her on, "What is it? Just tell me already! I'm dying to know!"

"I guess... the treasure of the Rocks Pirates that Captain John found back then must have been stored in separate locations, and Crocodile has only found one of them..."

Bucky the Clown was still hesitant. He knew his limits and knew he couldn't beat Crocodile.

Vivi gave him a suggestion: "You can find some help, like your good brother, Red Taro, right, Tomoe Jiro."

She smiled, as if she had regained control.

When the topic turned to anything other than the treasure, Bucky's arrogance vanished. He looked at Vivi as if she were a ghost: "You...you...how do you know that name? Who are you?"

Vivi deliberately kept it a secret and never revealed where she got the nicknames "Red Taro" and "Baki Jiro." Buggy wasn't really interested in anything other than treasure, and seeing that she wouldn't say, he didn't bother to ask.

Buggy the Clown's pirate ship is used to salvage treasure. The ship is quite large, and the building on the deck that looks like a circus tent is Buggy's captain's cabin.

With his mind filled with thoughts of gold and silver treasures, the man excitedly ran back to his captain's cabin and began rummaging through boxes and cabinets, searching for information related to Captain John's treasure.

Weiwei didn't treat herself as an outsider at all; she sheathed her sword and followed along leisurely.

Bucky's captain's cabin was filled with nothing but treasure maps. This guy often went to those remote and obscure places, so his navigation skills must be very high. Anyway, Vivi was completely confused by many of the nautical charts. She turned them over and over, but still couldn't figure them out.

"Hey! How did you get here!" Bucky turned around and realized there was someone else in his captain's cabin, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets in shock.

With a familiar tone, Vivi pointed to a sea chart and said, "Is this the treasure map for Golden Island?"

Bucky used both hands and feet to hold all the sea charts in his arms, just like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

Vivi continued, "The legend of Golden Island comes from the legendary pirate, the Gold Thief Unan. I heard he plundered more than a third of the world's gold? Am I right?"

Bucky held the chart tightly, his eyes gleaming, waiting for her to continue.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Being a Hero Isn't So Easy

Vivi said with a regretful tone, "However, I heard that Wu Nan had a great awakening in his later years and returned all the gold to its rightful owner. Now there is nothing on Golden Island. Bakijiro, your picture... tsk tsk... I personally suggest you give up, because it's a waste of time."

"I don't believe it! I will definitely find Golden Island!" Bucky was a little worried, but he was still quite stubborn. He planned to study it further in private.

......

The process was a bit tortuous, but Vivi finally reached an agreement with Buggy the Clown. Buggy obtained clues about Captain John's treasure and promised to lead his pirate crew out of Orange Town.

Vivi called her pet duck Karu and dog Xiuxiu back. The battle level was low and the fight was a bit sudden. She completely forgot about the auto-play feature. At this moment, based on the principle of not wasting resources, she still let the duck pick up the attributes. As a result, all the attributes it picked up were "Acrobatics".

While having many skills is never a bad thing, these "acrobatics" just didn't seem to fit her usual style. Looking at the bunch of sparks that resembled "acrobatics," her eyes were filled with disdain...

The pirates, townspeople, and the two bounty hunters Johnny and Joseph, who had been stunned by Conqueror's Haki, gradually woke up.

Seeing Vivi standing with their captain, the Buggy Pirates' special skills trio and the three strong brothers charged forward with a roar.

The animal trainer, Mochi, pointed at Vivi and ordered the lion to charge upwards, while he himself ran out of town without looking back. Even faster than him was Kabaji, who was riding a unicycle.

Bucky was very embarrassed by his henchmen's sudden turn and run, and he chased after them while yelling.

After waking up, Leigh the lion was still a little out of it. This silly lion, whose mind was full of food, roared loudly after receiving the trainer's command and charged at Vivi again with great momentum.

"Huh? You dare to come again? Have you lost your mind?!" Vivi is currently far from being able to freely control Conqueror's Haki, but she doesn't need to use any materialized Haki. Just a cold look from her is enough to make the charging lion fearful as if it had seen its natural enemy.

As if a scene from before were repeating itself, Leigh slid to his knees and knelt before her once more, trembling...

"You're smart enough to back down!" The lion Liki's timely surrender saved it from becoming meat. Vivi pointed to the dining table next to it, and it happily went to eat.

On the other side, Buggy the Clown caught up with his right-hand men. The pirates shouted loudly, but none of them dared to lay a hand on Vivi.

The misunderstanding was cleared up, and both parties were happy.

"I'm really happy today! Let's have a party to celebrate!" Buggy the Clown said with a beaming smile. The pirates didn't know where their boss's excitement came from, but without exception, they all began to excitedly make arrangements for the party.

There were unicycle performances, lion jumping through fire hoops, and sword swallowing performances. The banquet was much more lively than the bounty hunters' event at Whiskey Hill. Professionals are truly extraordinary. Vivi was infected by the atmosphere and couldn't help but eat an extra bowl of squid fried rice. Her pet duck, Karu, clapped for the lion jumping through the fire hoop. The little white dog, Xiuxiu, was completely oblivious to everything and ate whatever was given to it, without any concern for its safety.

"Bakijiro, you like to throw parties to celebrate all the time. Is that a tradition on Roger's ship? It seems you respect Captain Roger a lot."

Bucky the Clown looked around frantically, and realizing that none of his men had heard him, he angrily shouted, "Don't you dare say that name! You, you, you!—"

After all that talk, he didn't come up with any real threats.

He was increasingly unable to understand this woman who knew so much.

The townspeople of Orange Town remained terrified, so Vivi urged Bucky the Clown to keep his promise, leave the town, and never come back.

"Hey! Woman, are you sure Crocodile has clues about Captain John's treasure?" Bucky the Clown asked in a low voice just before boarding the ship.

"Of course, I am a king with Conqueror's Haki, would I lie to you?"

Someone boasted about himself, and Bucky the Clown nodded through gritted teeth.

In short, Bucky the Joker's personality can be summed up as greedy and cowardly.

Unlike Vivi's partner, the hot-blooded young man Mr. 9, Buggy the Clown has definitely seen a lot in his life. Because he has enough experience, he knows how terrifying the Seven Warlords of the Sea are. He doesn't want to provoke such a powerful enemy at all, but he can't let go of the huge amount of treasure in his heart.

He stood on the deck of his own pirate ship, pondering like a donkey pulling a millstone.

To verify Vivi's words, he planned to go to the Golden Island to check. If there was indeed no gold on the Golden Island, he would be able to believe Vivi's words 90%, and at that point, he would have to consider returning to the Grand Line!

After making a ruckus for most of the day, the pirate crew finally set sail amidst the expectant gazes of the townspeople and officially left the town.

Vivi doesn't know if other pirate crews will come to Orange Town in the future.

She completed her mission, and the little white dog Xiuxiu naturally had to keep its promise. This loyal dog, which had been guarding the door since its owner's death, barked twice reluctantly at its owner's door before following in the footsteps of the pet duck Karu, walking slowly but firmly toward the dock.

With the matter in Orange Town resolved smoothly, Vivi wanted to go back as soon as possible.

Johnny and Joseph, the local bounty hunters, boarded the ship first, followed by their pet duck Karu and little white dog Xiuxiu, and finally Vivi.

Standing at the bow of the boat, Vivi happily bid farewell to the townspeople of Orange. Unlike Smoker and Bucky the Clown, the townspeople didn't know how they had fainted, but they knew that Vivi had saved them. Now that their benefactor was leaving, they naturally gave her a warm send-off.

The sailboat sailed further and further away, and the cheers of the townspeople almost faded away. The little dog, Xiuxiu, remained quietly perched at the stern, gazing into the distance at the small island where he had lived half his life...

Vivi stroked the puppy's head: "The past was sweet, but the future will be warm too. I know you like to stay in one place, don't worry, you can have fun on the island then..."

After leaving Orange, she quickly put Bucky the Clown out of her mind.

How could a weakling like Buggy the Clown possibly deal with Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? That was simply not within her considerations; her job was only to dig the pit!

She just wants to find someone to annoy Crocodile! How did Shen Gongbao annoy Jiang Ziya back then? She's just copying him, doing it all over again! Bucky the Clown is the first, but definitely not the last. Crocodile wants to boost his reputation, wants to be a hero? Vivi will show him that being a hero isn't so easy!

Chapter Forty: Purchasing a Nautical Chart

Given Bucky the Clown's persistent and annoying personality, even if he fails, he'll keep pestering Crocodile for a long time. Would he just kill Bucky the Clown? You're kidding. Crocodile is also a well-traveled and knowledgeable person. He also has to give Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, some "face".

Vivi didn't know exactly how much "face" Shanks had, or how many times he could save Bucky the Joker. She was just a casual pawn; whether he succeeded or failed, she didn't care about the outcome at all...

Eager to return home, her ship sailed fully towards Loguetown. Remembering her promise, Vivi took her duck, dog, and two bounty hunters to the famous floating restaurant for a meal. Unfortunately, the lecherous cook Sanji was out shopping and she didn't see him, which left her somewhat disappointed.

Vivi also let the duck wander around the restaurant, and while the group of chefs were cooking, it picked up a lot of culinary-related light spots.

She estimated that if she entrusted her pet to this place for two or three years and collected attributes every day, she would definitely become a world-renowned chef. Unfortunately, her ambitions lay elsewhere, and Karu did not trigger any exploration-related achievements.

A few days later, Vivi returned to Loguetown. At the dock, Johnny and Joseph struck the same cool pose they had when they first met—cheeks propped up, chest out, head held high—to formally say goodbye to her.

"Thank you for taking care of me during this time, boss."

"We are keenly aware of our own inadequacy and are prepared to continue our training and self-improvement."

The two's departure was expected, and Vivi didn't plan to let them go to the Grand Line anyway, as it was indeed a bit dangerous for them.

"Yes, thank you for your help during this time. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, please feel free to come to me."