CHAPTER 39:Heroes Are Not So Easy to Be

Weiwei said regretfully, "But I heard Wu Nan had a change of heart in his later years and returned all the gold to its owners. Now there's nothing left on Golden Island, Bakijiro. This map of yours... tsk tsk... I personally advise you to give it up—it's just a waste of effort."

"I don't believe it! I'll definitely find Golden Island!" Bucky was clearly worried, but he kept a tough mouth and decided to study the map in private.

...

The process was a bit winding, but Weiwei eventually reached a consensus with Bucky the Clown. In return for getting a clue to Captain John's treasure, Bucky agreed to lead his pirate crew out of Orange Town.

Weiwei called back her pet duck Karoo and her puppy Xiuxiu. The fighting earlier had been chaotic and sudden, and she had forgotten to recall them. Still, not wanting to waste resources, she let them pick up nearby attribute drops. The result? Everything they gathered was labeled "acrobatics."

Even though having more skills wasn't a bad thing, Weiwei couldn't help but feel that "acrobatics" didn't match her fighting style at all. Looking at all the light spots representing "acrobatics" made her eyes twitch in disgust...

Soon, the pirates, the townspeople, and even the two bounty hunters—Johnny and Joseph—who had been knocked out by Conqueror's Haki, all began to wake up.

Seeing Weiwei standing with Bucky, the core members of the Bucky Pirates and the Three Weird Strength Brothers rushed up again with loud screams.

Beast-tamer Mohji pointed at Weiwei and ordered the lion Richie to charge, while he himself turned tail and fled town without looking back. Kabaji, on his unicycle, ran even faster.

The sight of his two top officers running away made Bucky incredibly embarrassed. He chased after them, shouting.

Richie, the lion, had just woken up and was still dizzy. Still hungry and half-aware, he roared and charged Weiwei under Mohji's orders.

"Huh? You're charging again? Has your brain been eaten?" Weiwei didn't need to release actual Haki anymore. Just a cold, sharp glare from her was enough. The lion, mid-charge, suddenly froze, fear flashing through his eyes as though he'd seen a natural predator.

Just like before, Richie's legs gave out. He slipped, collapsed, and knelt trembling at her feet once again.

"Now that's more like it." The timely surrender spared Richie from becoming lion steak. Weiwei pointed at a nearby dining table, and the relieved lion trotted off to eat joyfully.

Meanwhile, Bucky had caught up with his officers. Though the pirates yelled in panic, none dared make a move against Weiwei.

The misunderstanding was resolved. Both parties were now somewhat satisfied.

"I'm in such a good mood today! Let's throw a banquet to celebrate!" Bucky the Clown cheered. His crew didn't understand where their captain's joy came from, but they still jumped to help prepare a banquet.

There were live performances: unicycle stunts, lions jumping through flaming hoops, sword swallowing—it was far livelier than the bounty hunters' party in Whisky Peak. These were professionals, after all. Weiwei got caught up in the festive mood and helped herself to another bowl of squid fried rice. Karoo clapped his wings excitedly at Richie's fire ring tricks, while little Xiuxiu wagged his tail without concern.

"Bakijiro, throwing a banquet to celebrate something—isn't that also a tradition from Roger's ship? Seems like you really respect Captain Roger."

Bucky's face froze. He darted his eyes around to check if any of his crew heard that. When none reacted, he turned back and snapped, "Don't mention that name! You, you, you—!"

But despite his outburst, he had no real means of silencing her. He was increasingly baffled by this woman who seemed to know far too much.

The townspeople of Orange Town were still visibly shaken. Weiwei reminded Bucky to keep his word and leave the town for good.

"Hey, woman—are you sure that the Sand Crocodile has a clue to Captain John's treasure?" Bucky asked quietly as he boarded his ship.

"Of course. I'm a king with Conqueror's Haki. Would I lie to you?"

Bucky ground his back molars together and nodded slowly.

To sum up Bucky the Clown: greedy for treasure, afraid of death.

Unlike Weiwei's hot-blooded partner Mr. 9, Bucky had lived through the great storms of the world. He knew how terrifying a Warlord like Crocodile could be, and didn't want to mess with that kind of monster. But the lure of treasure kept gnawing at him.

So, like a donkey trudging in circles, he stood silently on the deck, deep in thought.

To verify Weiwei's claims, he planned to visit Golden Island himself. If he found no treasure there, then he'd believe 90% of what she said. At that point, he might consider turning back to the Grand Line.

After a long and noisy day, and under the hopeful eyes of the townspeople, Bucky and his crew finally lifted anchor and sailed away from Orange Town.

Weiwei had no idea whether other pirate crews would target Orange Town in the future.

She had completed her mission, and it was time for Xiuxiu to fulfill his promise. The loyal dog, who had stayed at his dead master's doorstep all this time, barked twice in farewell before following Karoo toward the pier. His steps were slow, but firm.

The matter in Orange Town was now settled. Weiwei was eager to move on.

Johnny and Joseph boarded the boat first, followed by Karoo and Xiuxiu. Vivi came last.

Standing on the bow, Vivi waved cheerfully to the townspeople. Though they had no clue what had caused them to faint earlier—whether Bucky's Haki or Smoker's—they knew that Vivi had helped save them. And now that their benefactor was leaving, they gave her a heartfelt farewell.

As the sailboat drifted farther and farther, the voices of the townspeople became faint. Xiuxiu sat silently at the stern, gazing at the island he had lived on for half his life...

Weiwei stroked his head and said softly, "The past was sweet, but the future will be warm too. I know you like to stay in one place—but don't worry. You'll be able to play happily on the island we reach..."

With Orange Town behind her, she left Bucky the Clown in the dust.

How could someone like Bucky deal with Crocodile, a King-level Shichibukai? That wasn't her concern at all. She was just here to dig a hole for him to fall into!

She only wanted to disgust Crocodile, like how Shen Gongbao once tormented Jiang Ziya. She would imitate that tactic—copying the cat to paint the tiger!

Bucky the Clown was the first... but definitely not the last. Crocodile wanted to be a hero?

Weiwei would make sure he learned:

Heroes are not so easy to be.