One Piece: Buggy the Clown Who Fell From Grace

Only when they occasionally whisper to each other do they seem to truly live in this world.

"Perhaps that was Captain Bucky's true strength, and we've been holding him back all along."

"After all, the captain is a member of the Pirate King's crew."

Just as Kabaji was blaming himself, he suddenly saw that figure again with a smile on his face, one hand holding his lower abdomen and the other patting the boat wood vigorously.

"Pfft hahaha-"

"Interesting, so interesting!"

"Please don't let me down, Smoker."

Bucky's perspective has been erased on one side, and the world has returned to its whole form.

His laughter was directed at the conflicted look on Smoker's face.

He's a stubborn guy with his own opinions.

So, what kind of intense reaction would such a guy have after learning the truth that he has been deceived?

Don't get too calm!

"call--"

The laughter seemed to have startled the huge dark shadow outside the membrane.

Suddenly, a round eyeball pressed against the ship's membrane, and the dim yellow light illuminated the true form of the shadowy figure.

A gigantic human face, with an iron-gray complexion.

Sausage-shaped lips and sparse teeth.

Their eyes were full of curiosity.

"Fishman?"

"Watatsumi?"

Bucky tilted his head back, muttered a few words, and his smile didn't fade; in fact, it grew even wider.

His large face and blank expression are quite distinctive.

A long-lived fish-man under Vander Decken IX, originally belonging to Vander Decken I's Flying Pirates.

Now they are obeying the orders of Vander Deiken IX.

Upon hearing Buggy's voice, Watatsumi leaned even closer.

The coating on the ship was visibly crushed.

Compared to the enormous size of Watatsumi, the Tea Beard Pirate Ship was merely a slightly larger pimple on his face.

From Bucky's perspective, looking up, they saw a gigantic object pressing down on their ships.

The trio continued to tremble with fear.

"Watatsumi, have you forgotten Captain Roger's words?"

Bucky shouted.

"...Red nose! It's you!"

"I know we can't attack the ships."

A clear smile appeared on Watatsumi's face. He tried to open his eyes wide, wanting to see clearly the source of that familiar laughter.

That's the advantage of starting from a high point.

I know a lot of people.

"It seems our voyage can be completed sooner."

Bucky said that without Smoker's entertainment, the endless darkness had made him somewhat weary.

"...Red nose...play!"

Watatsumi's voice sounded like a child's.

Whether it's the price of immortality or not, this guy's IQ has never been high.

He was absolutely certain that this was an acquaintance he had played with before, only that the other person had grown up a lot, and the boat was different now.

"Of course, of course we'll play."

Bucky licked his lips, his smile a stark contrast to the innocent smile of Watatsumi.

One is the devil's smirk, the other is a carefree smile.

He quickly went through the plot of the original story in his mind, including the people and things Bucky used to know.

According to Hawkins' intelligence, Fishman Island is still in the midst of a three-way struggle between the three powerful factions, or more precisely, between the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates.

Shanks was only forced to stay here to prevent the intensity of their battle from affecting the residents of Fishman Island.

However, according to Sasaki, they might have done it on purpose.

This is in retaliation for Shanks blocking Kaido's path back then.

Now it seems things are finally settling down.

If that's the case...

That's a bit boring.

Bucky's eyes were lowered, like a devil brewing a new conspiracy, with the shadow of a demon hovering behind him, as if eager to join the plan.

Chaos and joy.

I look forward to seeing those eyes filled with fear and twisted emotions amidst the blood and fire.

This is a demon born from people's aversion to order and the dull, uninteresting reality.

It has now found the best host.

He is the agent of chaos, and his wish is to ensure fairness for everyone.

Well, a noble criminal.

"But since I've run into Watatsumi, let's start with Vander Deiken."

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 94 Awakening

The devil never hides his admiration for the clown.

A dark red shadow climbed up Bucky's back, without facial features or limbs, like a swirling flame.

Yet it also makes one feel that this should be the form of a demon.

"Is the key to awakening a Devil Fruit's power the Devil rather than the Fruit itself?"

Hawkins, standing to the side, felt the demon's power even more acutely.

Just like the Conqueror's Haki that symbolizes a king, the demonic aura also has the power to intimidate the mind.

However, one is a commanding view from above, while the other is a deep-seated fear and dread.

It was like a fear drawn from the depths of one's heart, without any reason.

At least that's how the three of them, including Kabaji, behaved.

At this moment, Bucky was more terrifying to them than the enormous fish-man face above the ship.

If it weren't for my familiarity with Bucky, and the sense of security that comes from having someone to stick with, I wouldn't have felt this way.

The three of them would probably faint just like if they encountered Conqueror's Haki.

However, Hawkins was more concerned with the meaning behind the word "awakening." When it comes to the awakening of Devil Fruit abilities, is the focus on the ability or the Devil?

Is awakening something simply a matter of developing one's abilities to a certain level, or are certain conditions required?

Awakened Devil Fruit users are extremely rare on the high seas; Hawkins has only seen one so far: Buggy.

"Some people have said that the key to awakening a Devil Fruit ability lies in the matching of mind and body with the ability."

Bucky turned his head and relayed Mr. Kay's teachings.

"However, I think this ability can also be considered as demonic."

"Think about it, what is the devil that the scarecrow symbolizes expecting? What would constitute a match?"

At least based on Bucky's own experience.

The word "awakening" refers more to the awakening of demons.

From the confinement cells in the Sabaody Archipelago, the devil began to emerge in small ways.

When the Celestial Dragons died at his hands, the demons truly began to awaken, marked by the fact that Bucky's splitting ability could extend beyond himself.

This can be interpreted as the demon residing in the fruit having truly awakened.

It awoke spontaneously because of the kind of pleasure and chaos that resembled the prayers symbolized by demons.

Every game Bucky plays to please himself also pleases the devil.

This positive feedback can be seen from the several transformations of the demon form.

When they were in the Sabaody Archipelago, the demons were merely awakened; apart from their abilities, they themselves remained unchanged.

At the time, Pakistan was greatly disappointed.

It wasn't until he returned to the Holy Land game that Bucky began to sense the demons' almost living nature.

Most recently, during the Battle of the Fog Sea when they encountered Doflamingo, the pressure of Conqueror's Haki caused the demon to truly reveal a power akin to Conqueror's Haki.

Some resemble a chaotic and evil god.

Bucky never thought of doing what the "evil god" wanted; he always did what he wanted.

Ironically, this sentiment was exactly what the "evil god" wanted.

This, in turn, caused the "evil god" to also strive to awaken its own power.