Buggy D Clown

"What? What did you say? Fuwa Fuwa no Mi!?" Buggy was no longer calm. Without hesitation, he addressed Zephyr and the others, who were just as bewildered. "Zephyr, excuse me for a moment."

After speaking, he patted Crocodile on the shoulder, who had been pressing his face into the ground. "Crocodile, take Zephyr and his students on a tour. You can call Blueno to guide them around our Crimson Empire."

With that, he shot directly into the sky, following Enel toward Onigashima. The two of them soon transformed into a blue and platinum beam of light, disappearing into the sky at an incredible speed.

Now, with the Mori Mori no Mi and Suna Suna no Mi nearly completing the basic infrastructure of the Crimson Empire, the addition of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi would significantly alleviate future workloads. This fruit would be particularly practical for quarrying in the mines and transportation of entire fleets of ships.

In the future, they could capture Kidd, who could be defeated in seconds, and have him cooperate with Enel. They could then call on Ceaser Clown to help develop an electrical system. 

Tsk! It would catapult the Crimson Empire into a new era, ushering in the age of electricity.

Upon returning to Onigashima, Enel held a "Devil Fruit Illustrated Book" in his hand. He flipped through a few pages, pointed to a fruit, and said, "Captain, the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi looks like this?"

Buggy examined the book closely and nodded. "This is the 'Devil Fruit Illustrated Book' left by Kaido. There shouldn't be any mistake."

Enel clapped his hands in excitement. "That's right! I remember there was a fruit like this in my Birka islands. I was planning to pick it up after watering the pumpkins that day, but your arrival, Captain, along with Blueno, made me forget all about it."

"Tsk!" Buggy clicked his tongue, studying Enel closely. Satisfied that he wasn't just boasting, he quickly took out the Den Den Mushi and called Blueno.

After a brief conversation, a space door appeared next to Buggy and the others. Blueno poked his head through the opening, looking puzzled. "What's going on, captain? Didn't you plan to accompany Zephyr and the NEO Marines?"

Buggy waved his hand dismissively. "That can wait. Let Crocodile show them around the Flower Capital first. You open the space door; we're heading back to Birka."

"Got it!"

Creek.

Soon, the space door swung open, and a unique airflow blew in from above, filling the air with a refreshing scent. Without hesitation, the three of them stepped through the portal.

Enel took the lead, guiding them toward his small orchard. When they arrived behind his two-story Enel's house, they found various fruits hanging on a wooden shelf in front of them.

Among these unusual fruits, one in particular stood out: a bluish-white fruit dangling from a green vine, hovering in the air. It had a gourd-like shape and was roughly the size of two apples.

The surface of the fruit was adorned with lines resembling floating clouds, giving it an air of mystery.

"That's it! It's a Fuwa Fuwa no Mi!" Buggy exclaimed, astonished.

"Hahahaha! Captain, did I do a great job this time?" Enel laughed triumphantly, hands on his hips.

Buggy grinned but then sighed, the weight of nostalgia settling in. "I never expected that the Golden Lion, once part of the strongest pirate crew in the world, has fallen. Another remnant of the old era is gone."

Blueno looked shocked, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Wait, the Golden Lion—Shiki—is actually dead?"

Enel furrowed his brow in confusion. "Captain, Blueno, who is this Golden Lion Shiki?"

Buggy took a moment, glancing at his crew as if weighing how to convey the magnitude of Shiki's legacy. "He's a notorious pirate from the same era as Kaido and Big Mom," he began, his voice tinged with reverence. "Shiki was the captain of the Golden Lion Pirates and once posed a serious threat to the world government as he was part of Rocks Pirates. He was infamous for trying to control everything, and he managed to corner our Roger Pirates on more than one occasion."

Buggy leaned forward, his excitement growing as he recounted the tale. " He once approached Captain Roger, trying to persuade him to form an alliance to rule the world together. You see, Roger had found an Ancient Weapon through his studies of the Poneglyphs, and with their combined power, they could have ruled the entire world. But of course, our captain refused. He had no interest in world domination. We were lucky to survive the Battle of Edd War,"

Enel listened intently, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. "So, this Golden Lion had the power to put the Pirate King in a corner?"

Buggy chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "As the two crews clashed, it seemed inevitable that the Roger Pirates would lose, especially with Shiki's heavy fleet surrounding us. But fate had other plans. A storm suddenly swept over the seas where we fought, sinking half of Shiki's fleet. It was a chaotic moment, but it turned the tide in our favor."

Without hesitation, Buggy reached for the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi. After a moment of thought, he turned to Blueno and asked, "Do you know where Gabban is now?"

"Well, he should be training in the deep sea. He's been focusing on his physical conditioning lately," Blueno replied thoughtfully.

"Okay, then go and call him over," Buggy instructed with a nod.

"Got it!"

Blueno decisively opened the space door and left.

"Captain Buggy, are you serious?" Enel asked, looking at him with curiosity.

"Absolutely!" Buggy nodded. "Let's see if Gabban is willing to eat it. Such a fantastic fruit—I don't want to give it away to anyone else."

Enel nodded and sighed. "Gabban is already as strong as a monster, but with the addition of this Paramecia: Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, his strength will reach a new level. He might even be able to match you, Captain."

Buggy shook his head, not being modest. "It's still a long shot. To reach my level, one must either awaken their Devil Fruit and develop it to a very high level or possess Conqueror's Haki entanglement. Gabban doesn't have Conqueror's Haki, so his fruit ability needs to be awakened."

Enel frowned, realizing he had underestimated his captain. Buggy glanced at Enel with a half-smile.

Snapped!

Enel slapped his forehead, enlightenment dawning on him. "I forgot, Captain! You have Conqueror's Haki, and you're also a double-fruit user, with one of your fruits already in an awakened state! It seems I still have to work hard. I haven't found the opportunity to awaken my goro goro no mi recently."

Patting Enel on the shoulder, Buggy chuckled. "Don't worry. Awakening a Logia fruit is likely much more challenging than awakening a typical Paramecia or Zoan. Look at Lucci; even though he's on the verge of awakening, he still hasn't managed to break through the final limit. Perhaps your next fight will give you that chance. Just remember not to focus solely on devil fruit; make sure to practice your Haki too!"

"I understand, Captain!" Enel replied, giving a thumbs up. "Only Haki is above everything else!"

"As long as you know," Buggy said with a nod of relief.

Enel had changed a lot; at least he wasn't as reckless as he used to be. While they were chatting, Blueno emerged from the space gate, bringing Gabban with him.

"Buggy, are you looking for me?" Gabban asked, looking around in surprise. "Wait, is this Sky Island?"

Without wasting any time, Buggy raised the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi in his hand and shook it in front of Gabban. "Gabban, how's it going? Want to take a bite?"

Gabban stared for a moment, then exclaimed, "Devil Fruit?"

"That's right." Buggy grinned, adding a touch of intrigue. "And it's the Devil Fruit of our old rival."

"Old rival?" Gabban pondered, resting his chin on his hand. Buggy's reference made him wonder if he meant the Roger Pirates or the current Buggy Pirates.

"It's the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi," Buggy clarified, not intending to keep him in suspense. With a smile, he tossed the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi to Gabban.

Gabban caught it instinctively, then gasped. "Shiki? I can't believe that guy fell too. Why..."

Seeing Gabban sigh and fall silent, Buggy chose not to rush him. It was evident that both the Roger Pirates and the Golden Lion had formed a bond. First Whitebeard, now Shiki—it was indeed disheartening to watch old friends pass away one by one.

"Gabban, I won't emphasize how important this fruit is," Buggy said seriously. "If you don't eat it, I'll have to find a way to trade it with someone else on the crew."

Gabban exhaled deeply. "I'm not the type to overlook a gift, Buggy. Since you've given me such an important fruit, I must eat it! If I want to take my strength to the next level, then Devil Fruit is the only option. I don't want to be the one left watching you fight one-on-two or one-on-three without being able to help. That would be a dereliction of duty for us crew members."

After speaking, Gabban wasted no time and threw the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi into his mouth. He chewed a few times before swallowing the Devil Fruit with a grimace.

Buggy and Enel watched Gabban expectantly. None of them had ever seen the powers of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, so their curiosity was piqued.

After closing his eyes to focus for a moment, Gabban smiled and sighed, "Shiki's ability is incredible! No wonder he was able to wreak havoc on our Roger Pirates back in the day."

He paused, then shook his hand toward the vast expanse of the White Sea in front of him. "What was Shiki's signature move called? Oh, right! Lion's Song: Rolling Tidal Barrage!"

As soon as Gabban finished speaking, the White Sea surged dramatically, transforming into a massive wave hundreds of meters high that swept directly toward them. Just as it was about to crash down, the colossal wave froze a hundred meters above Buggy and the others, then morphed into the shape of a lion's head.

Buggy and Enel stared in amazement.

"This ability is incredible! It looks just like Shiki's!" Buggy exclaimed.

"Wait, the White Sea is still seawater. Can it be manipulated like that?" Enel added, his eyes wide with astonishment.

"Gabban, you've only just eaten this fruit, and you can already control its ability at this level?" Buggy asked, clearly impressed.

Gabban raised his hand and casually waved it, causing the monstrous white waves to obediently recede and fall back into the sea. After hearing Buggy and the others exclaim in awe, he shook his head and laughed.

"Buggy, don't forget that we spent a lot of time fighting with Shiki. I've seen Shiki use the power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, it's only natural that I can replicate Shiki's skills. This fruit truly has incredible abilities! Not only can I control clouds, but I can also manipulate seawater and land."

"By the way, Buggy, don't you have a lot of ideas for developing Devil Fruits? Do you have any recommendations for enhancing the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi?"

Buggy pondered for a moment before responding, "I think the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi is great for controlling islands and smashing enemies. However, if we set aside the limitation of needing to touch objects to make them float, its potential is really exciting!"

"Oh? What do you mean?" Gabban asked, intrigued.

"Look, Gabban, since you can directly manipulate land and seawater, can you also control wind and thunder?" Buggy suggested, raising his hand to feel the air currents of Sky Island. "What if you could summon meteorites from the sky? You've seen the abilities of Marine Admiral Fujitora's gravity fruit? If you could develop the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi to that level, it would be incredibly powerful!"

"Of course! Now, let's bring Fish-Man Island to Crimson Empire! Originally, I only wanted those giant Sea Kings from Fish-Man Island to bring the Noah. But now that you've mastered the abilities of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, we can move the entire island!"

Gabban's eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "Yes! Your suggestions are truly valuable references. I can develop my skills further in this area and incorporate my axe techniques. With that, my strength will reach a whole new level!"

After hearing Buggy's ideas, Gabban became excited and eager to start training. However, Buggy grabbed him and, after signaling to Blueno, they headed directly to Fish-Man Island.

Meanwhile, outside the capital of Flowers in the Crimson Empire:

The NEO Marines stood in stunned silence, their eyes wide as they surveyed the bustling scenes around them. One of them broke the silence, exclaiming, "No way! Is this the dilapidated Wano we envisioned?"

Another, shaking his head in disbelief, added, "How can these civilians live in such nice two-story stone houses? Back at Marine Headquarters, we don't even see this kind of housing for the families of rear admirals!"

"This is unbelievable! Those enormous trees—did they grow here?" a third Marine wondered aloud, gazing at the lush greenery that surrounded them. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at the vibrant life thriving in this place.

"Look at the farmers," another chimed in, pointing at the locals working the fields with bright smiles on their faces. "Their faces are full of smiles. This can't be faked! It's like they truly love their lives here."

The group began to exchange glances, their thoughts racing. One Marine remarked, "We were told Wano was a place of suffering, yet it seems more alive than the Marine headquarters."

A group of NEO Marines resembled country bumpkins stepping into a city, marveling at everything around them. If this was a country, what did their previous home look like? Even Zephyr, who was usually well-informed, couldn't help but be astonished.

Crocodile accompanying them smirked, clearly pleased. "It's worth spending the day with these guys," he thought. They were just outside the capital of Flowers, one of the most prosperous cities in Wano, so such sights were understandable. However, once they ventured into the rural areas of Kuri, Udon, and Okobore Town, they would be completely shocked.

Sure enough, everything unfolded just as the sand crocodile had predicted.

After summoning Blueno, they took the NEO Marines to the most underdeveloped area, Rabbit Bowl County, and once again, everyone was astonished. They discovered that the houses in the countryside looked even better than those in Flower capital as they were all brand new!

Not only were the houses impressive, but the roads were also well-maintained, just like those outside the Flower capital. Every roadside displayed signs that read, "If you want to get rich, build roads first." There were even stone facilities for children to play on, such as slides and swings, which were bustling with kids.

Despite being a bit dirty, the children wore new clothes, and their rosy cheeks suggested that they were well-fed. This was true from the capital of Flowers to Rabbit Bowl County. The NEO Marines were already numb from the continuous shock!

Many stole glances at their teacher, questioning intelligence from Wano, "Is this the Wano you said we couldn't surpass? Is this the Wano that lacks food and clothing?"

"Good grief!" one marveled. "This place is not worse than any other country!"

Particularly striking were the two-story stone houses with six bedrooms and two halls; aside from their unrefined appearance, they rivaled some noble residences!

"Is this Wano? No, this is no longer Wano; it's the Crimson Empire! What a surprise!"

At this point, countless NEO Marines stood completely shocked and speechless.

However, the old man Zephyr was quite stubborn and still refused to believe his eyes. He insisted that the Sand Crocodile take them to a few more counties, and each time, the scene remained the same.

After witnessing this, Zephyr fell silent. Eventually, he turned to the Sand Crocodile and said in a deep voice, "Crocodile, please ask Buggy to come over. I want to discuss the conditions for NEO Marine to join your Crimson Empire."

The usually stoic Crocodile was taken aback by this request, his expression shifting to one of astonishment. He never imagined such a surprise would come so suddenly! This was a powerful army that had always been active in the New World, and Zephyr was a former Admiral leading it.

Crocodile quickly understood why his captain had been so courteous before; the possibility of an alliance had suddenly become tangible. He nodded solemnly and replied, "Understood! I'll call Captain Buggy right away!"

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