Chapter 21: The Legendary Demon of East Blue
Meanwhile, ahead on Buggy's ship, the clown pirate was already drooling at the sight of Ryu's luxurious vessel. "What a magnificent ship! It must be loaded with treasure. Men, prepare the cannons!"
"Aye, Captain Buggy!"
"What?! Who said I have a big red nose?!"
Without warning, Buggy grabbed one of his crew members, glaring menacingly. The surrounding pirates froze in terror—mentioning anything related to "red," "big," or "nose" was an absolute taboo for Buggy. His hearing was notoriously poor, often misinterpreting harmless remarks as insults about his most sensitive feature.
Once offended, violence inevitably followed. And since no one dared ignore their captain's questions, it created an endless cycle of misunderstandings and bloodshed.
From afar, Ryu observed this scene through his enhanced Demon Eyes , which granted him superior night vision. He found it amusing but felt no sympathy for the unfortunate pirate being punished.
After all, most pirates in this world weren't adventurers like Luffy—they were criminals through and through. Buggy's crew was no exception.
"Accelerate toward them," Ryu commanded calmly.
"Aye, Captain!"
The navigator obeyed without hesitation. To him, Ryu was nothing short of legendary in East Blue—a force of nature who had never met a pirate he couldn't defeat.
Through his telescope, Buggy watched as the merchant ship charged straight at his vessel. Confusion clouded his face. What kind of foolhardy merchants would dare approach the great Buggy the Clown?!
"These guys are insane! Prepare the cannons—but don't use the Buggy Balls yet. We wouldn't want to sink them too quickly," Buggy declared confidently. However, none of his crew responded.
"What's wrong with you idiots?!" Buggy barked furiously.
"C-Captain Buggy… look at the ship!" one of his men stammered.
Following his subordinate's trembling finger, Buggy finally noticed the sheer panic etched onto his crew's faces. They stared at the approaching ship as if it carried death itself.
Even Buggy, dense as he was, could sense the ominous atmosphere hanging over the sea.
Curious, he raised his telescope again and focused on the bat-headed figure standing proudly at the bow of the opposing ship.
The man was strikingly handsome and vaguely familiar, though Buggy rarely paid attention to newspapers and thus didn't immediately recognize him.
Until Kabaji gasped, "T-That's… the legendary Demon of East Blue! Ikano D. Ryu!"
At the mention of that name, fragments of information flooded Buggy's mind. Ikano D. Ryu—the infamous Pirate Hunter, known as the Demon of East Blue. Countless powerful pirates had fallen to this man. He hunted pirates like breakfast!
"Men!!! Load the Buggy Ball!" Buggy roared, snapping everyone back to reality. They scrambled to load the largest cannon with a Buggy Ball while firing off several regular cannonballs in quick succession.
To his credit, Buggy wasn't entirely stupid. He understood the gravity of facing someone like Ryu—you couldn't afford to hold back even a drop of water, lest you drown yourself.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A barrage of cannonballs hurtled toward Ryu's ship. Watching the projectiles soar through the air, Ryu smirked. With a single leap, he launched himself into the sky, slicing through the incoming cannonballs with incredible speed.
KABOOM! KABOOM!
One after another, explosions lit up the night sky, leaving Ryu completely unscathed.
"Hey now, you can't damage my precious Black Magic ," Ryu chided playfully.
Black Magic was the name he'd given his ship.
Though elegant and refined, its design carried an eerie undertone, making the moniker fitting.
As the distance between the two ships closed, Buggy sneered. "Fire the Buggy Ball!"
Though Ryu's earlier display of cutting through cannonballs had been impressive, those were mere ordinary shells. The Buggy Ball was different—its explosive power and range far surpassed anything they'd fired so far. Even detonating mid-air, its blast radius could easily engulf the enemy ship.
Ryu noticed the unusual cannonball as well. Rumor had it that a single Buggy Ball could obliterate half a small town. Not wanting to take chances, Ryu flicked his wrist, sending out a droplet of blood that morphed into the shape of a miniature spear mid-flight.
His Blood Spear technique, honed over five years, may not have leveled up, but its mastery was extraordinary. The spear struck the Buggy Ball with pinpoint accuracy just moments after it left the cannon. The resulting explosion caught everyone off guard.
The shockwave rocked Buggy's ship, tilting it violently and sending several pirates tumbling into the sea. Seeing this, Ryu ordered, "Full speed ahead!"
Instantly, the Black Magic surged forward, ramming directly toward Buggy's vessel. Meanwhile, chaos reigned aboard the pirate ship. As Devil Fruit users, falling into the ocean spelled doom for both Buggy and his crew. Panic gripped them as they scrambled to save themselves.
"AAAAH! You bastard! What did you do?! Why did the Buggy Ball explode prematurely?!"
Before Buggy could finish his rant, a shadow descended onto his deck. Thanks to the darkness of the night, Ryu's crimson eyes glowed ominously. Yet amidst the pandemonium, no one paid him much attention—not even Buggy, who clung desperately to the mast, too terrified to move.
Ryu's dramatic entrance went unnoticed.
The Demon of East Blue was not pleased. And when he wasn't pleased, consequences tended to be severe.
"Take this!" Ryu shouted, delivering a Busoshoku Haki-enhanced kick straight to Buggy's face.
The impact felt like being run over by a tank.
Buggy's vision went black, and he collapsed unconscious.
The next morning, Buggy groggily opened his eyes, only to find himself surrounded by pitch-black darkness. His throat was parched, rendering him unable to speak.
A deep sense of weakness coursed through his body, as though his very essence had been drained. His face throbbed painfully, and touching it revealed bandages wrapped tightly around his head.
Struggling to move, he realized he was bound by chains. Something—or someone—seemed to be nearby, but the darkness obscured everything.
Creak...
The door suddenly swung open.