One Piece: Star Sea Legend - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: All the Same

Qin Ming, leaving bloody footprints with every step, moved forward with Xiuxiu towards the largest bar in town, where loud noises could be heard.

As they got closer, Qin Ming could faintly hear voices.

“Old man, are you insane? Treasures are supposed to be gold, silver, and jewels—things that shine and show off the owner’s prestige!”

Even from a street away, Qin Ming recognized Buggy’s voice.

“This poor, rundown town is your treasure? You must be joking!”

Buggy’s voice rose sharply as he shouted at an old man wearing glasses.

The old man, with wrinkled forehead, white hair, and a furious expression, was the mayor of Orange Town, Boodle.

Boodle had finally snapped when he saw Buggy bombarding the town and decided to confront him.

Forty years ago, the town had been burned to the ground by pirates, leaving nothing but ruins. Under Boodle’s leadership, the villagers had worked together to rebuild Orange Town from scratch.

Over four decades, the once-charred land had grown into a modest town. But now, Buggy’s crew was wreaking havoc, and Buggy himself had destroyed a third of the town with his cannons.

For Boodle, who had poured his heart and soul into Orange Town for forty years, this was unbearable. Seeing Luffy and the others fighting Buggy’s crew, Boodle’s anger boiled over, and he bravely challenged Buggy to protect the town he cherished.

To Boodle, Orange Town was his most precious treasure, a place he had dedicated his life to. But to Buggy, who only valued gold and jewels, the town was insignificant and easily destroyed.

“You scoundrel! You have no idea how much I’ve poured into this place! If you have any guts, fight me one-on-one!”

Boodle’s eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead as he cursed at Buggy.

“Hahaha, this is hilarious! An old man who doesn’t know his place dares to challenge our captain!”

“Yeah, he’s lived this long and still has no self-awareness. How pathetic!”

Buggy’s crew burst into laughter, mocking the sixty-year-old Boodle.

“You want to duel me? Old man, what do you think pirates are?”

Buggy’s face darkened as he extended his right hand towards Boodle.

With a whoosh, Buggy’s detached hand flew through the air and grabbed Boodle by the neck, lifting him off the ground.

“Let me go, you monster!”

Boodle struggled, gasping for air as Buggy’s hand tightened around his throat.

“Captain, finish him off!”

Buggy’s crew cheered, laughing as they watched Boodle’s face contort in pain.

Buggy had been about to head out to find his missing vice-captain, Mohji, and strategist, Cabaji, when Boodle confronted him. Unbeknownst to Buggy, both Mohji and Cabaji were already lying unconscious elsewhere.

Earlier, Buggy had sent Mohji and Cabaji to investigate the commotion in town. After Luffy’s intense clash with Qin Ming, Boodle, who had been hiding in fear, emerged. When Luffy and the others went to find Qin Ming, they saw Mohji attacking Xiuxiu. Luffy promptly beat Mohji and his men.

Later, Luffy encountered Zoro, who had rescued three of Buggy’s men. These men, recognizing Nami, attacked her in revenge for her earlier deception. Nami had tricked them, stolen their ship and treasure, and left them to suffer a storm at sea.

Luckily for them, they had stumbled upon Zoro, who was chasing after Luffy and Qin Ming, and managed to survive. However, after threatening Zoro, they were beaten to a pulp by him and forced to row his boat.

When these men saw Nami again, they attacked but were quickly dealt with by Zoro.

Meanwhile, Cabaji arrived with more men. Zoro, seeing Cabaji wield a sword, engaged him in a duel, while Luffy handled the rest. Cabaji’s flashy, circus-like swordplay bored Zoro, who swiftly defeated him.

By the time Zoro finished with Cabaji, more time had passed.

As for Nami, she was shocked when Qin Ming was sent flying after his clash with Luffy. She wanted to find Qin Ming but hesitated, torn between her concern for him and her anger at his deception. The memory of their accidental kiss also made her reluctant.

Nami’s feelings were complicated. She was moved by Luffy’s actions in helping Xiuxiu and was surprised to see Zoro, a renowned pirate hunter, become a pirate. Yet, she couldn’t shake her resentment towards Qin Ming for hiding his identity.

“If I had known he was a pirate, I might have thrown him overboard back then,” Nami thought.

From Qin Ming’s perspective, he didn’t feel he had deceived Nami. She had approached him for cooperation without asking about his identity, and they had worked together to steal the Grand Line map from Shells Town.

Nami had never expected Qin Ming to be a pirate, especially one who had been lying inside a treasure chest when they first met.

After dealing with Cabaji, Luffy and the others went to find Qin Ming but realized Boodle had gone missing. Luffy guessed Boodle had gone to confront Buggy and decided to split up—Zoro would find Qin Ming, while Luffy and Nami would stop Boodle.

Zoro, true to form, got lost almost immediately.

Thus, when Qin Ming regained consciousness, no one came to find him.

“How does it feel? This is what you get for challenging me!”

Buggy’s detached hand continued to choke Boodle, lifting him higher.

“This… is nothing!”

Despite the pain and difficulty breathing, Boodle used his fists to strike Buggy’s hand, effectively hitting his own throat. Blood soon spilled from his mouth.

“Ow! Who punches their own throat?”

Buggy’s detached hand could still feel pain, and the repeated blows caused his arm to twitch.

Even as he coughed up blood, Boodle didn’t stop. His eyes, behind his glasses, were red with determination. He had one thought: At least let me land one blow, or I’ll die with regrets.

“You’ve wasted enough of my time. Die!”

Just as Buggy was about to finish Boodle, his detached hand suddenly felt intense pain.

“Straw Hat guy… who are you?”

Buggy saw a straw-hatted boy forcibly yank his hand away from Boodle’s neck, squeezing it tightly.

For some reason, the sight of the straw hat dude made Buggy uneasy, reminding him of someone who had delayed his dreams.

“I’m here to punch you!” Luffy declared, still holding Buggy’s hand.

“Punch me? Just the two of you?”

Buggy glanced at Nami, who stood further back.

“Captain, that woman stole our Grand Line map!” one of the pirates shouted.

“What? She dares show her face here?”

Buggy’s gaze turned hostile as he looked at Nami. “You! Hand over the Grand Line map! We’re heading to the Grand Line, and with my powerful Buggy Balls, we’ll make a name for ourselves there. Maybe even find the legendary treasure!”

Buggy’s crew cheered, envisioning their dominance in the Grand Line.

“Wrong! I’ll be the one to find the legendary treasure! Because I’m going to be the King of the Pirates!”

Luffy adjusted his straw hat, his expression serious.

The laughter stopped abruptly. Buggy and his crew stared at Luffy in disbelief before bursting into even louder, mocking laughter.

“King of the Pirates? A thief like you? That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard!”

Buggy couldn’t stop laughing, thinking Luffy was just a thief like Nami.

“What’s so funny? I’m a pirate. Wanting to be the King of the Pirates is natural, isn’t it?”

Luffy stepped forward, his body covered in bruises and his left hand still bleeding from his fight with Qin Ming.

“I don’t care if you’re pirates! This is between him and me! I’ll protect my town myself—I don’t need your help!”

Boodle, coughing up blood, shouted angrily at Luffy.

Before Buggy could respond, Luffy punched Boodle, knocking him out cold.

Everyone was stunned.

“What are you doing? Why did you hit the mayor?” Nami yelled, seeing Boodle bleeding and unconscious.

“He was in the way!” Luffy replied bluntly.

“Even so, you didn’t have to go that far! He’s hurt!”

Nami continued to scold Luffy, but he ignored her and shouted at Buggy, “Big Nose!”

“Huh?”

Nami was dumbfounded, and even Buggy’s crew froze.

“You idiot! I told you not to say that to him!” Nami panicked, remembering how Qin Ming would have handled things differently.

“You’re the one who caused all the trouble earlier, right? How dare you… how dare you call me that!”

Buggy, who hated being called “Big Nose,” was furious. He ordered his crew, “Fire the Buggy Balls! Blow this town and them to pieces!”

The pirates scrambled to the top of the bar, where their cannons were stationed.

As Buggy’s crew prepared to fire, Qin Ming and Xiuxiu arrived on the scene.

“Buggy, there you are.”

Qin Ming walked forward, pale and covered in blood. His slow, deliberate steps left bloody footprints, and the scent of blood filled the air.

“Qin Ming?”

Nami was shocked to see Qin Ming in such a state. She ran over, her concern evident.

She reached out to touch his blood-soaked clothes but hesitated. She hadn’t expected him to be this badly injured.

“If I had known, I would have found him sooner,” she thought regretfully.

Qin Ming’s face was deathly pale, and he looked like he could collapse at any moment.

“It’s good to see you’re safe. I have something to do first. We’ll talk later.”

Seeing the worry in Nami’s eyes, Qin Ming sighed inwardly. “She’s going to cry again.”

He walked past Nami and exchanged a glance with Luffy. Seeing Luffy calm, Qin Ming knew the hothead had cooled down.

If Luffy had still wanted to fight, he would have charged at Qin Ming regardless of his condition.

“I wonder what Nami said to him to keep him in check,” Qin Ming thought.

Standing about twenty meters from Buggy, Qin Ming took a deep breath and shouted, “Get over here and face your death, you damn big-nosed freak!!!!!”

As Qin Ming challenged Buggy, Xiuxiu barked loudly beside him, Woof! Woof!

“What?! You brat!!”

Buggy, already furious, was sent into a rage by Qin Ming’s words.

“Hahaha, well said, Qin Ming!” Luffy laughed heartily.

Nami, still worried about Qin Ming, nearly cried out in frustration. “You idiot! You’re barely standing, and you’re still provoking him! You and your crewmate are both insane!”

Meanwhile, on the bar’s top floor, the pirates fumbled with the cannons, startled by Qin Ming’s shout. Three misfired shots echoed through the air.

The deafening cannon blasts and Qin Ming’s booming voice filled the sky, leaving Buggy seething with rage, veins popping on his forehead…