One Piece: Buggy the Clown Who Fell From Grace

He can be naive but not stupid; that's his bottom line.

He admired Kozuki Oden's strength, but held Oden's foolishness in contempt.

Yamato, on the other hand, looked completely taken aback.

In her original impression, her father was the Great Demon King, while Oden was a noble warrior who sacrificed himself to protect the people after failing to challenge the Great Demon King.

However, this filter is now slightly off.

It turns out that the warrior is not just a warrior, but the demon king is the one who is afraid.

This shattered Oden's noble sentiment of self-sacrifice.

It's like... after you leave home to join the army and come back, you find that your house has been occupied. At this time, the people occupying the house are carrying a pistol, just a few of them, while you are carrying an AK, and you can call a whole company of your comrades with one phone call.

Faced with this situation, a normal person would probably either take it out with a single burst of fire or call in a company of comrades to flatten it.

But Oden was different; he chose to go into the house himself and then commit suicide in front of the invaders.

He added, "If I die here, this place will become a haunted house, so you will definitely die here in twenty years."

That's so stupid!

Even Kaido admitted that it was his two strokes of luck.

"This is their misfortune."

"This is also my opportunity."

"So I won't make any promises with you."

Having drunk his fill and filled with high spirits, Kaido stood up again, his eyes filled with the ferocity of a beast, and his Conqueror's Haki was unleashed to its fullest extent.

The clouds in the night sky were swept up, the king's aura pressed down on everyone, black lightning flickered faintly in the sky, and the earth trembled.

This momentum is all concentrated on one person.

Bucky the Clown.

"I will not compromise in the slightest, even if you blow everything up."

"Kill me, or I'll kill you!"

Kaido didn't become hysterical; his deep voice, however, revealed the full demeanor of a true king.

He would never compromise on the Joker's terms just because the Joker had kidnapped something he cared about.

Piracy is a life-or-death profession; being a pirate means killing or being killed!

Kaido realized this on his very first day aboard the Rocks Pirates.

"Hmm, that's really troublesome."

Buggy tilted his head, picked up the gourd Kaido had just dropped with one hand, and smiled broadly.

The demonic aura was also unleashed at the same time, even stronger than before. The pitch-black lines and black lightning confronted each other head-on, and the two auras almost solidified in the collision.

The dust and sand on the ground were shaking, and the swirling clouds were split in two, with even deeper vibrations propagating up from underground.

On Buggy's side, even the air itself seemed to shatter like a mirror after it had been dropped, as the user of the Chop-Chop Fruit extended wildly in all directions along the air.

This ability, originally reserved for the Joker, is now wielded with ease by Bucky.

"To be honest, I'm still a little reluctant to kill you."

This is an interesting person.

The humor doesn't lie in the hypocritical justice, but in the naked tyranny.

The definition of good and evil cannot constrain people like them.

"Let's play a game then."

"Well, I usually just flush the gambler's head down the toilet, so let's play a game instead."

Bucky squinted, seemingly making a slight concession after realizing he wasn't confident he could kill the strongest creature.

He felt that Kaido could accomplish more.

"Let's use this island as the grand prize for the game."

"Want to play a round?"

Leaving an opening when besieging an enemy is also a kind of fun.

Although Bucky's so-called encirclement was just a bluff, he couldn't help but exude an imposing aura, even making Jhin wonder if Bucky had been holding back before.

And it can also be made into a knife...

Before the black lightning, cracks were constantly approaching, clashing with the Conqueror's Haki along with the jet-black lines, and the evenly matched situation seemed to be beginning to change.

Kaido gripped the Eight Blessings tightly, his stern face revealing no emotion.

After a long while, he finally uttered a sentence.

How do you want to play?

“That’s a good question, I’ve been thinking about it!” Bucky suddenly grinned, and the cracks and demonic aura vanished simultaneously, as if they had never existed.

"Let me think... Momonosuke Kozuki seems to still be on the island, right?"

"Guess whether he's dead or alive?"

Kaido believes that the clown still cares about Oden.

"No, no, no, that's too boring!"

Let's guess how he died!

Bucky lowered his head, his smile exceptionally bright.

Kaido was somewhat surprised by this suggestion.

"Wait, why are we betting on how he dies? That's Lord Oden's son, you damned old man!"

Yamato was furious. Although his deep-seated beliefs had been slightly shaken, it was not yet time to change them completely.

"interesting!"

Seeing his "son" in a fit of rage, Kaido actually smiled slightly.

"How about I let you guess one first?"

The first to guess gives them the upper hand, and guessing the way to die doesn't prevent them from making a move.

“He should die by boiling in a cauldron, just like his father.”

"You bastard dad! How could you do this!"

"Repeating the same way of dying is getting a bit cliché, why don't we go a little bolder and guess..."

Bucky tapped his finger a few times, as if he were thinking about something, and after a while, he spoke:

"I think... he will be killed by his own retainers."

"This is impossible."

"I've seen those guys; they are indeed extremely blindly loyal." Upon hearing this answer, Kaido immediately denied it.

"Wouldn't that be more advantageous for you?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 198 New Ghost Island Project

This condition is too good to be true.

Even Kaido was somewhat suspicious. Contrary to his rough and reckless persona, he has always been a shrewd person with many hidden agendas; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to outmaneuver Kozuki Oden to his death.

But upon closer examination, I couldn't find any flaws.

"I need a guarantee." After a moment of contemplation, Kaido stood abruptly on the ground.

They are pirates, and pirates have no credibility. Kaido himself does the same thing, so of course he would suspect the Joker.

“Um… do you think I could lie to you about anything?” Bucky sat up and shrugged.

"Should I rescue that brat and leave? Or should I suddenly blow up the entire Wano Country afterward? What good would that do me... hmm?"

His series of questions silenced Kaido as well.

Then, in a suggestive tone, he said:

"No, this is of no benefit to me at all. As I said before, it's just a game, or I could be more sincere."

Buggy handed the switch, whose direction was unknown, directly to Kaido.

If this thing were in Buggy's hands, Kaido might have to test it a few more times, but if it were in Kaido's own hands, it would be more credible.

As long as they don't try to take the little iron ball apart.

Well, then you'll find out it was all just a little trick by the Joker and his gang.

After several conversations with the clown, Kaido's murderous intent lessened considerably. He was someone who valued talent; even that spiky-haired supernova, after failing to provoke him, was only punished by being sent to work in the quarry, and was not killed.

Even though Jhin's eyes still held a hint of ferocity.

Even Yamato looked at him strangely.

At first, they thought they were friends, but after learning about Buggy's connection to Oden, they thought they could become partners. Then, this partner started playing games about how Oden's son died...

This has left Yamato a bit confused, unable to tell whether the clown is friend or foe.

"Isn't life fulfilling to play a harmless game, accept the punishment or reward without resistance, and then move on to the next game?"

“Look, I’m not you, and you’re not that idiot Oden. We’re both meticulous and reliable in our work.”

"Why don't you give this game a try?"

Kaido suddenly remembered that there seemed to be another description of the clown in a newspaper from a long time ago—a clown who is good at bewitching people.

He had to admit, he was somewhat tempted.

The safety of Wano Country is one part, but the clear yet foolish look in Yamato's eyes is an even more important part.

It seems there's an opportunity that will allow Yamato to seriously examine the true nature of this world...