356. Independence
Before telling them his plan, Buggy takes the 2 kids to the main deck where everyone gathers. He calls the teenagers to come forward and sit on the floor. Law & Lami also join them, then Buggy tells them his plan.
"Alright, the 4 of you have been on my ship for years, and you're more than qualified to start your own crew," says Buggy.
Alan, Elen, Jack, & Yamato are surprised by that statement. So Alan asks, "What do you mean by that, Captain?"
It's the first time Alan calls Buggy Captain after a few years because this is a serious matter.
Buggy then says, "It is what it is, I want you to form your own crew and develop yourselves. If you keep staying under my wings, then you'll never grow to a great height. You know Marco & Jozu from Whitebeard Pirates, right? They are great and strong, but when compared to me & Shanks, they are lagging behind."
"We come from the same generation as apprentices. But Shanks & I have spread our own wings while he stays under Whitebeard till now. You all surely can see the differences in our achievements right now. Marco's & Jozu's achievements always become Whitebeard's achievements, while mine & Shanks are ours alone. Both me & Shanks have carved our own paths, while they are still following their father's footsteps," says Buggy seriously.
The teens know what Buggy wants to tell them, they aren't that stupid to not understand it. Even though Buggy & Shanks were forced to start their own crews because of Roger's death, starting their own crews was their own choice. They could choose other things to do, but they decided to make their own crews and sail as Captains.
Alan looks at his friends and says, "Alright, if that's your decision, then we will do it."
"Brother/Alan!" says Elen & Yamato in unison with surprised tones.
Jack doesn't say anything and just nods, he is a very obedient guy, after all.
"Don't protest! This is Captain's order, so we need to follow it. He also never said that we aren't parts of this crew anymore," says Alan firmly.
Buggy smiles and says, "Good, it seems you understand my intention."
Alan nods and says, "You want us to make our own crew which will be Clown Pirates' subordinate crew, is that right?"
"Yeah, but I also won't hold you back by forcing that. You can choose to not be a subordinate crew if you want. No matter what you choose, your crew will still be my crew's ally because in the end, you will still be our apprentices," says Buggy while smiling.
"Our crew will always be your subordinate crew, it is my decision, and I'm sure they also think that way. We were saved by you and we are forever grateful for that," says Alan.
Jack nods firmly, then Elen & Yamato also nod while tearing up. They never thought there will come a day when they'll leave this crew that they love so much.
Buggy nods and says, "Alright, it has been decided. Law & Lami will join your crew, but not as members, they will be apprentices. You guys are ready for Grandline, but they're not. So you guys will train them and teach them things about sailing. Law, you need to form your own crew too in the future."
"To defeat Doflamingo and World Government, you will need power, knowledge, and experience. The best way to do that is by starting your own crew and exploring the world. You can't stay with the 4 of them forever because they can't keep babysitting you. They can already enter Grandline right now, but they will train you first," says Buggy.
"No problem, I will do anything necessary to defeat them," says Law.
"Good, that's the spirit. Alan, Elen, Jack, and Yamato, you guys will stay on North Blue for 2 years. Expand your crew and train the 2 of them. They will also gather their own crew while training, so you can help each other. Manba will stay with you to teach Law & Lami about medic for a year. But he won't help you in battles, so keep that in your minds," says Buggy.
"Can we ask him to train us?" asks Jack who rarely talks.
"Yeah, if he wants to," says Buggy.
Jack nods and then there's no question at all. The ship turns silent and it feels very awkward right now.
"What are you bastards staying still for? Go and prepare a party! We need to send our little ones with smiles!" shouts Buggy
Everyone scatters and they take out all their drinks, food, and entertainment tools. They hold a big party immediately as they go to the next island. This won't be their last party with the teens, but this is surely their last party while being in the same crew.
The Clown Pirates arrive on the next island after some hours. They help the teens take out their stuff onto the empty coast. The teens are very wealthy actually and they can buy a big Galleon Ship with their money.
Even though they are just apprentices, Buggy always shares the crew's treasures & money fairly with them. Also, they never spent too much of their wealth, so they still have a lot of savings. They were correct to do that because now they won't need to worry about money when they start their own crew.
Manba also takes some of his stuff and medical equipment. He has his personal equipment so the ones that the crew has are still complete. The crew also doesn't need to worry about their health because Manba's medical team is already as skilled as some big crews' doctors.
"Well then, lads, I guess this is a temporary goodbye. All of us hope that you'll do great on your journey," says Buggy while smiling at the teens.
"Don't hesitate to call us once in a while. We might be parts of different crews now, but we are still family," says Cricket.
"Find a good ship, okay? And take care of it, or I will destroy it if you don't," says Palu.
"Uh, well, you know, good luck," says Enel awkwardly while patting Jack's shoulder.
"Yohohoho, you don't look cute, Enel-san," says Brook.
"SHUT UP, YOU PILE OF BONES!" shouts Enel embarrassedly.
"Alan, beat up the guys who try to approach your sister," says Deon while giggling.
"Don't forget to train every day, warriors never stop improving," says Magnus.
"Yamato, don't forget that you're a girl, alright? So don't enter the men's bathroom, change clothes in your own room, don't get naked in front of men, bla bla bla," nags Jude while hugging Yamato.
"Alan, you're the oldest, so take care of the others. Elen, you need to be strict, you're the only one who can take care of these guys. Notes everything they do and report it to me when we meet again. I will beat them up if they don't behave," says Mantis while hugging Alan & Elen like a mother.
Mantis was the one who picked them from the streets and took care of them the most. So she is really their mother figure even though she isn't that much older. That's why they cry a little when she hugs them and she also cries.
Everyone then bids farewell to the teens and the girls even cry. Brook & his band also plays some songs as their way to say goodbye. Then after they're done, the Clowns get on their ship and get ready to leave.
*BAM BAM BAM BAM*
Suddenly, they hear some loud noises, so they look back. They see the 4 teens are slamming their heads to the ground. The teens are prostrating toward the crew while Law & Lami watch confusedly.
Alan then shouts while doing that, "CAPTAIN, CRICKET-SAN, MANTIS-SAN, AND EVERYONE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR GUIDANCES ALL THESE YEARS. YOU HAVE DONE SO MUCH FOR US EVEN THOUGH WE COULDN'T DO MUCH FOR YOU. WE MIGHT NEVER BE ABLE TO REPAY ALL YOUR KINDNESS TO US. BUT WE WILL TRY TO MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS. YOU ARE OUR FAMILY, AND THE CLOWN PIRATES WILL ALWAYS STAY IN OUR HEARTS. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE FOR US."
Then the 4 of them shout together, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"
The women on the ship are crying immediately while telling good luck to them. Some men even tear up and also tell good luck to them. Buggy is the only one who doesn't look at them, so they can only see his back.
But then he says, "Don't worry about it, family always help each other, after all. Just stay alive and come to New World. We will meet each other again when you've succeeded."
Buggy then orders his crew to start sailing and the ship is moving away, leaving the crying teens with their faces on the ground. As the ship goes away, Cricket pats Buggy's shoulder from behind.
"They can't see us anymore, so no need to hold it back," says Cricket while smiling.
Buggy is still standing on his spot firmly without moving. He looks fine from behind, but the floor between his feet is wet as some water drops there. The tough and strong Buggy was actually crying when he heard the teens' farewell, but he couldn't show this to them because he needs to be strong so they can sail without worry.
"Those rascals better stay alive or I will kill them myself," says Buggy while wiping his tears.
______________________________________________
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