396. Panic Maverick
Buggy keeps telling Maverick more about this world. Maverick also getting less wary of him and now sits closer to Buggy. He sits on a tree next to the one where Buggy sits and he puts his bow down.
They keep talking without realizing that the night is coming. Only when Maverick's stomach growls that they realize they have been talking for too long. Maverick seems rather frustrated when he realizes it because he hasn't caught any prey today.
"You don't have food?" asks Buggy.
"I have, but they are meant for winter that will come in a week," says Maverick.
"Winter? In a week?" asks Buggy with a rather surprised tone.
Today is very hot, so Buggy thinks this is summer on this island. But then he remembers that Calm Belt is also as absurd as Grandline. Ruskaina is located in Calm Belt and it has 48 seasons a year, so a winter after summer is not that strange.
"Then, do you want to eat on my ship? We have a lot of food and my friends should've hunted some animals too," says Buggy.
Buggy thought that Maverick would be wary of his invitation, but the guy has a horrified expression instead.
"BUGGY, WE NEED TO MEET YOUR FRIENDS NOW!" says Maverick with a panicked tone.
"What's wrong, man? Are you angry that we explore this island?" asks Buggy.
"NO! MOST OF THE ANIMALS HERE ARE VERY POISONOUS. THEY ARE VERY DEADLY AND THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW THEM WELL MIGHT NOT SURVIVE MEETING THEM, NOT TO MENTION EATING THEM," shouts Maverick.
"Oh, alright, let's go," says Buggy without any slight of worry.
They run to the beach where The Clown Pirates dock their ship. Buggy runs from branch to branch and Maverick also does the same. Maverick is far better than Buggy at moving through trees and his movements are very silent even though he is moving fast.
"Damn, you're a real Tarzan," says Buggy.
"What's Tarzan?" asks Maverick while swinging using a vine.
"Uh, well, he is someone in a story who lives in a forest like you," says Buggy.
"Oh, so I am Tarzan," says Maverick.
"Yeah, you're basically him," says Buggy.
It doesn't take long for them to reach the beach and they see The Clown Pirates lying on the beach. Maverick looks very horrified as he thinks that they are dead.
"NO! WE'RE TOO LATE!" shouts Maverick sadly.
The Clowns are very surprised because Maverick is very loud. They jolted and get up before looking at Maverick at the same time with confused expressions. No one there has ever seen Maverick, after all, so they are very confused by a few things now.
Maverick is just as confused as them and he is also very shocked because the dead people return to life again. But then he realizes that they haven't dead, to begin with, so now he is very relieved. This is the first time he ever met with people other than his dead parents, so he was quite excited actually.
"Who's this guy?" asks a man.
"Dunno, maybe it's just Deon transforming into someone else using his Chameleon power," says someone else.
"But Deon is on the ship," says another man while pointing at Deon who sits on the ship's railing.
"..... Then who is that?" asks a Fishman after a short pause.
Everyone gets silent before they realize that Buggy is standing quite close to Maverick. So they all look at him now with expressions that show they demand an explanation.
"Guys, this is Maverick. He lives here and I met him today. He was shouting because he thought you were dead. Apparently, most of the animals here are poisonous, that's why he was very worried," says Buggy.
"Ooh, so that's how is it," says everyone in unison before their bodies stiffen.
Buggy gets suspicious of them and asks, "You haven't eaten this island's animals yet, have you?"
They all look away and avoid eye contact with Buggy who sighs and shakes his head. He suddenly hears his crewmates' stomach growl and sees them hold their stomach, even the executives.
Buggy looks at them with an intimidating face and says, "Don't you dare drop your filths near my ship."
They all know Buggy is very serious because he loves his ship very much. So they immediately run into the forest and soon some bottom eruption sounds echo in the forest. The women are fine though and Mantis approaches Buggy who walks to his ship.
"I've warned them," says Mantis.
"I know, that's just how they are. They've gotten too overconfident with their metabolism and digestive system," says Buggy.
"Yeah, and I'm sure you'll also eat with them if you were here," says Mantis while giving Buggy a side look.
Buggy doesn't answer that and introduces Maverick instead, "This is Maverick, a friend I've just met in the forest."
Mantis knows Buggy is avoiding her question, but she lets him off. "Hi, I'm Mantis, the kids' caretaker."
"Kids?" asks Maverick confusedly.
"Yeah, these boys are basically kids who can't take care of themselves, so they need someone to babysit them," says Mantis.
Maverick doesn't understand that, but he has a feeling that he should just shut up. He trusts his feeling a lot because it has saved him from many dangers. So he just nods and goes along with it even though he doesn't understand.
"Maverick, this is the ship I've told you about before, and they are my crewmates. Don't worry, you are my friend, so you can enjoy your time here. No one will problem you because you are their Captain's friend," says Buggy.
*Broot* *Poot*
"Uhm, will they be fine?" asks Maverick when they hear the sound of agony in the forest.
"Don't worry, they won't die. The poison was strong, but it was not enough to kill them. They will be fine after cleaning their stomach," says Mantis.
"Let's ignore them and think of ourselves. Is there any food left? The healthy one?" asks Buggy.
"Yeah, I've cooked a lot, but those guys were so stubborn. They only ate those strange animals they've caught in their exploration," says Mantis.
"How strange are those animals?" asks Buggy curiously because he hasn't seen any.
Mantis points to a spot behind a rock and Buggy sees some animal carcasses there. Those animals look like they came from some alien movies and Buggy is sure he has never seen any of those animals in any books in this world.
"What the fuk did they just eat?" asks Buggy in disbelief.
He's sure that he doesn't want to eat any of those things even if Mantis told him they are safe. He has eaten much strange food, but these things aren't food, they are aliens. Even their blood has many colors that might come from their poisons, which make their blood looks very disgusting.
"Eugh, it's the first time I want to throw up after seeing dead bodies many times. Let's just get on the ship and eat. Tell those guys to clean this mess after they returned," says Buggy.
"I agree with you," says Mantis.
They leave the beach and get on the ship to eat real food. Maverick is very stunned by the ship he keeps looking around with his jaw drops. Buggy and Mantis don't say anything and just pull Maverick so that he won't walk in the wrong direction.
After a while, they arrive in the dining room where some women are chatting while drinking tea. Buggy introduces Maverick to them and they are very excited to know that someone is living here. They ask him many questions while Mantis prepares the food, but no one mentions Maverick's 3rd eye even though Buggy didn't say anything.
*Clap*
Mantis claps her hands and says, "Alright, let our Captain & guest eat first. We can talk more later."
They stop chatting immediately and start eating the food. Maverick tries a small bite first and his eyes widen instantly. The others smirk because they know how it feels to eat Mantis's food for the first time.
Mantis just smiles and says, "Enjoy your food, customer."
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