Chapter 72 Buggy D Clown (Patreon)

Although Buggy emerged victorious this time, managing to kidnap two Seraphs from the World Government, he's fully aware that the World Government and the Marines won't take this defeat lying down. Sooner or later, they'll seek an opportunity to reclaim what they've lost. Buggy understands that in the near future, it could be Akainu, Kizaru, Fujitora, and Green Bull at the helm, though he's uncertain whether Aokiji will remain with them.

However, with Garp, a pinnacle figure in the Marines, there's no need to worry about lacking combat power.

As for Kaido,

The foundation has been set; his victory isn't enough to let him proclaim himself the strongest of the Four Emperors and expect smooth sailing.

After all, regardless of the circumstances, he's bound to face Kaido. Why not seize Wano Country at the earliest opportunity and reshape the course of events to secure greater power?

But before that, dealing with Doflamingo in Dressrosa was a priority. This serves as another incentive to reshape the storyline.

Ah, and then there's Zephyr!

In the cinematic version, that should be part of the plan, right?

Observing the departing Admirals of the Marines, Buggy's mind was already strategizing for the next move.

Only when both Kaido and the Marines had completely left did Buggy divert his attention to the live Den Den Mushi behind him. He grinned at the camera and remarked,

"How did you all enjoy today's live broadcast? And now, the live broadcast comes to a close. Allow me a final bit of self-promotion."

"For those wishing to join the ranks of the Buggy Pirates, look for the world's largest, most fearsome ship when you arrive in the New World. That'll be my temporary base."

"And so with I conclude today's live broadcast."

As he uttered these words, a mischievous smile spread across Buggy's clownish face, and the final seconds of the footage settled on the headless corpse atop the pyramid!

Only a few seconds later did the live broadcast screen dim completely.

The decapitated celestial dragon dressed in lavish attire seemed to proclaim to the world:

Everything you've witnessed today is authentic!

Believe your eyes. You've borne witness to the fall of a "god." Many sensed that things would change after today. The public execution of the "god" on high led many to kindle a spark of hope in their hearts.

Returning to the underground base on Punk Hazard Island,

At this moment, Gastino had transformed into a model subordinate. His demeanor towards Buggy and the others was nothing but a continuous smile, much like the Devil Fruit he had created!

Buggy currently paid little heed to Gastino. He wasn't required for the time being.

Stepping forward, Buggy took a seat in a grand chair at the heart of the hall. Witnessing the astonishment in everyone's eyes as they looked at the disintegrated remains before him, he couldn't help but smile and remark,

"You're not the only curious ones; I'm quite puzzled by these two individuals' circumstances as well."

With a brisk clap of his hands, Buggy contemplated further.

The two Seraphim Hancock and Seraphim Hawkeye shattered into countless pieces, and swiftly reconstituted themselves with a mere second.

Reformation!

Thunk!

Almost simultaneously, as they reverted to their original forms, Hancock and Hawkeye unsheathed his lengthy cross-shaped blade while Hancock charged up her lasers.

Snap!

Witnessing their reappearance, Buggy snapped his fingers.

Crash one

Then, right before everyone's astonished gazes, the two swiftly transformed back into a substantial heap of fragmented body parts.

Buggy regarded the mound of dismembered body parts, his brow furrowed, and he queried, "Are you mindless tools or conscious beings under control? I need to understand your current situation. Should you truly possess no fear of death and no desire for survival in this world, I can readily terminate you. After all, my crew exceeds the numbers you represent, and losing one of you would hardly make a difference."

With that said, Buggy paused momentarily before continuing nonchalantly, "Alright, tell me now. If you're controlled and seek emancipation, raise your index finger. Otherwise, I'll handle you without ado."

Buggy cut to the chase; he had no inclination to engage in conversation with these two entities.

In a past life, he had known that Seraphim were creations of Vegapunk, generated through the cloning process developed by the Shichibukai.

Hints from his previous existence suggested that the Five Elders held supreme authority over the Seraphim, followed by Vegapunk and his cloned variants, and ultimately the Seraphim themselves.

The remarkable obedience of these Seraphim could be attributed to the insertion of a microchip within their bodies. Through this chip, they could assess the strength of most individuals and pirates.

Originally designed for Pacifistas, even years into the original storyline, Luffy was still easily detected when disguised  This scanning ability, akin to encyclopedic knowledge, was nothing short of extraordinary.

Vegapunk's technological advancements seemed to be centuries ahead of their time, possibly by over five hundred years. In a world where flintlock firearms and gunpowder shells still reign supreme, technology of this nature was groundbreaking.

Little wonder the Five Elders promptly hung up the phone. From their perspective, while Buggy was undeniably potent, he was, at best, a more formidable, albeit ragtag, pirate.

Cracking the Seraphim's enigma was a task reserved for Vegapunk alone. And extracting the microchips implanted within them? A misstep could render these Seraphim mindless.

However, the Five Elders had never conceived that Buggy's Chop-Chop Fruit could not only strip a Devil Fruit from a person but anything from a person's body as long as he wished!

While Buggy pondered this, Seraph-Hancock and Seraph-Hawkeye simultaneously raised an index finger.

This action left Buggy in no doubt.

The World Government—or, more accurately, Vegapunk—had undoubtedly succeeded. Humans could indeed be cloned!

Should this be the case, the Marines would never be left without capable personnel in the future.

"As expected, whether clone or original, if you're human, you inherently yearn for freedom. Even the World Government's human weapons yearn for liberty. How intriguing!"

"Hahahaha.Since you seek freedom, I shall grant you your wish!"

Buggy rose and walked directly up to the two Seraphim beings. He extended his arms and greeted them with a smile.

"As long as your consciousness remains cooperative and your bodies don't resist, you'll soon attain the freedom you desire. Let's commence."

Seraphim Hancock and Hawkeyes exchanged glances before closing their eyes without any unnecessary movement.

Observing this, Buggy displayed a hint of fascination.

Stussy, it seemed, had likely been the initial experimental prototype of the Seraphim. Yet, once successfully gained some awareness, she massacred everyone in the experimental facility.

Buggy mused about the expression Stussy would wear upon encountering the two Seraphim. To some extent, these two beings belonged to her kind.

Seeing these weaponized individuals in the world, Stussy would undoubtedly see a reflection of herself. It was a reminder of the suffering their kind endured.

Buggy anticipated that it wouldn't be long before Stussy came knocking on his door.

"Chop and Extract!"

Chi chi

Buggy's deep voice resonated within the hall. Two gleaming platinum beams materialized not far from him, transforming into two towering two-meter-high platinum light screens.

Buggy then pushed both hands forward, propelling the platinum light screens towards Seraphim Snake and Eagle before him.

Buzz! Buzz!

In a matter of seconds, the two Seraphim were encompassed by the platinum light screens.

Buggy clenched his hands tightly, his eyes gleaming with platinum light. He fixed his gaze on the distant figures and uttered another low command:

"Chop and Extract!"

Pooh!

Pooh!

In the ensuing instant, the two human-shaped platinum clusters were stripped from the bodies of the Seraphim. Simultaneously, metallic nodes suspended within the brain of these platinum forms were also removed.

Whizzing

Following Buggy's outstretched hand, the two components floated and landed before him.

Gazing at the intricately laid circuitry and various intricate machinery, such as microcircuits and integrated circuits, Buggy couldn't help but marvel anew at Vegapunk's brilliance.

Creating such devices in this era was as improbable as achieving immortality or ascending in an age of desolation.

"You may now open your eyes and experience the breath of freedom!"

Buggy tossed the two chips in his hand, looked at Snake and Eagle, and grinned.

Swish! Swish!

Almost simultaneously, the Hawkeye and the Mihawk opened their eyes, an orange-red blaze flickering between their gazes. Then, their young faces displayed astonishment.

"How can this be?

"Hancock, I no longer sense the presence of the chip! How about you?"

"I can't hear the incessant buzzing orders in my mind anymore!"

"So... are we truly free?"

Eventually, both turned their incredulous gazes towards Buggy, as if seeking confirmation of their reality. Buggy tossed the two chips in his hand and let out a sigh.

"Here lies what was extracted from your brains. However, don't regard them in such a manner. Though these devices have controlled you, they are merely machinery—a state-of-the-art creation of this era. I can't allow you to recklessly damage them."

"These contraptions aren't limited to humans; if applied to machinery, they could propel human civilization forward by centuries! Truly remarkable, Vegapunk."

At this juncture, Hancock and Hawkeye adopted pensive expressions, particularly upon hearing the name Vegapunk; their feelings appeared rather intricate.

Logically speaking, Vegapunk was, in fact, their creator—the one who cloned them and nurtured them.

Yet, he had inserted chips into beings like themselves, making them his subordinates instead of tools of the World Government. This complexity colored their sentiments toward him.

Perhaps to Vegapunk, they were ultimately nothing more than tools.

Observing their contemplation, Buggy smiled and addressed them,

"You aren't mere clones or tools. Describing you as clones isn't entirely accurate. Instead, you could be seen as the fresh life Vegapunk brought into existence! Each of you has a unique existence in this world. Do you grasp the essence of what I'm saying?"

Buggy's heartening words deeply moved the two beings, and they gazed at him with hope in their eyes.

"We're not clones? How can that be?"

"Yeah, what you're saying doesn't match up; we were cloned."

"And we do exhibit traits of the other two Shichibukai!"

"Mr. Buggy, don't try to deceive us or provide false comfort."

Hearing these statements, the others were taken aback. They hadn't anticipated that these seemingly youthful individuals possessed a wisdom beyond their appearance.

"It's not deception; hear me out. I'll explain it clearly, and you'll understand what I mean."

Buggy gestured towards the wings on their backs and the flames at their centers, explaining:

"Although you carry unique genetic traits from other Shichibukai, their characteristics aren't the sole ones present in your bodies. If I'm reading it right, the pair of wings and the flame behind you likely symbolize the renowned Lunarian. Oh, and by the way, your distinctive white hair as well. As for the cells of other races that still exist within your bodies, I can't discern that at this moment. What is certain is that you've become the most exceptional lifeforms Vegapunk created, amalgamating the superior genes of several remarkable races."

"Hence, I assert that each of you is the most unique being in the world. Once I extract these two chips from your minds, you will no longer be Seraphim, tools of the world, or pawns of the world government. The sea is vast and unbounded, just like your potential—there's more to you than being defined by these roles."

"From now on, you are free."

"We... free?"

As soon as Buggy spoke these words, both Hawkeye and Hancock froze momentarily. Tears welled in their eyes involuntarily.

At this moment, they glimpsed smiles on each other's faces—a genuine smile, one of freedom.

After addressing Boa and Mihawk, Buggy set the plan in motion for relocating the base.

With his abilities, the entirety of Punk Hazard's scientific research materials were soon transferred to the Thriller Bark.

Utilizing Blueno's space manipulation, the Thriller Bark sail traversed from the Grand Line's Florian Triangle sea region to the New World.

This ship-like behemoth, the world's largest seafaring vessel, was now the temporary headquarters for the Buggy Pirates. It's noteworthy that Moria, following the Celestial Dragons' execution, eagerly joined the Buggy Pirates.

Boa and Mihawk also expressed their desire to remain and repay Buggy's kindness. Buggy felt elated about this decision and assigned Gabban and Bullet the task of teaching them Haki.

Enel was overjoyed, finally having newcomers who could challenge him in terms of aerial prowess.

To Enel's astonishment, these two novices had mastered both Armament Haki and Observation Haki within their first two days of training, far surpassing even his expectations.

Their remarkable progress stunned everyone within the Buggy Pirates.

Only then did they recall Buggy's earlier proclamation, "You are the most exceptional lifeforms Vegapunk created, blending the exceptional genes of various races."

Truly extraordinary!

On the following day, as Buggy made his way to Dressrosa, the bounties for the pirate crew were finally issued.

Seeing the staggering collective sum offered for the entire pirate group, Moria and the others who had recently joined were left astounded and speechless.

Unquestionably, this stood among the pirate crews with the highest combined bounties in history.

1: Godslayer Buggy - 4.99999 billion

2: Two Axes Scopper Gabban - 2.8 billion

3: Crimson Dragon Bullet-2.52 Billion

4: God Enel-2.31 Billion

5: Fallen Angel Doringo - 2 billion

6: King of the Desert Crocodile—-1.9075 Billion

7: Colossal Battleship Sunjuan Wolf - 1.12 Billion

8: Fishmen Karate Master, Sunbell - 1.1 billion

9: Knight of Sea-Jinbei - 1 billion

10: Rob Lucci - 400 million

11: Gate of Space Blueno-400 million

12: Jabra-170 Million

13: Kaku - 150 million

14: Secretary, Kalifa- 112 Million

15: Mr. 1 - 100 million

New World-Yonko-God Slayer Buggy Pirates total bounty amount:

20.9 billion Baileys!