The sudden death of one of the Five Elders left many in disbelief. How could this be possible? And in such a short time?
No matter how inexperienced a Five Elder might be in direct combat, their strength was still on par with a Marine Admiral—a force that could shake the world. Yet, in the blink of an eye, Buggy had erased one from existence. The sheer absurdity of it sent shivers down the spines of those witnessing the battle.
The battlefield fell into stunned silence, only broken by the panicked cries of the CP0 and the Knights of God. Their supposed untouchable leader had been obliterated—just like that. If even a Five Elder could fall so quickly… what hope did they have?
Figarland Garling, locked in combat with Dragon, felt a chill run down his spine. His pupils shrank in disbelief as he roared, "Impossible! There's no way you possess such strength! Even Nika in the legend—No! This can't be happening!"
His voice cracked, his mind refusing to accept the reality before him. Overcome with madness, Garling launched a frenzied assault against Dragon, his attacks growing more erratic, more desperate.
Meanwhile, Buggy remained motionless atop True Several Thousand Hands, sitting cross-legged as though nothing had changed. His body radiated a profound blue aura, the energy so dense and thick it seemed almost liquid.
This was the life force and power he had just drained from Jaygarcia Saturn—a gift granted by the Mori Mori no Mi, and one with its consequences. Unlike other abilities, the stolen vitality did not remain indefinitely; it had to be absorbed immediately, or it would simply fade away.
It was a weakness that few would ever notice. Only someone who had broken beyond the normal limits—someone who could hear the Voice of All Things—would even perceive this rapid dissipation.
This was the price of Buggy's overwhelming strength. Instantaneously eliminating a Five Elder came at a cost, and he had no choice but to digest the stolen lifeforce now. He could, of course, choose to forgo it and return to the battle immediately, but doing so would leave him unable to replenish the colossal energy he had expended.
It was a calculated risk—one he rarely took unless necessary.
And yet, even as he processed Saturn's life force, Buggy could feel something… shifting. The moment he had unleashed True Several Thousand Hands and combined it with Turning Buddha on the Top, something within him had snapped—or rather, broken through.
For the first time, Buggy felt himself transcend, as though he had shattered some unseen limit that had bound him until now.
At that moment, Buggy finally understood why even Dr. Vegapunk, with all his genius, had failed to replicate Logia-type Devil Fruits.
It wasn't just a matter of science—it was something beyond that.
There was a reason Logia's abilities stood at the pinnacle of all Devil Fruits. When pushed to their absolute limits, they became almost divine, capable of reducing weaker opponents to nothing in an instant. Against those who lacked the strength to resist, the power of an awakened Logia was effectively a one-hit kill.
Until now, Buggy had never had the chance to test this theory.
So when he stepped onto Egghead Island, he did so with one goal in mind—to see if his power had truly reached the realm of gods.
Just moments ago, he had activated every ounce of his Haki, pushing his Mori Mori no Mi to its strongest extraction ability—and the results spoke for themselves.
Without warning, without any chance to react, Jaygarcia Saturn—one of the Five Elders—had been erased from existence.
No struggle. No resistance. Just instant annihilation.
The battlefield had never been quieter.
The sheer terror of what had just transpired sent shockwaves through Egghead Island. The Celestial Dragons, who moments ago clung to their arrogance, now desperately sought escape. The once-fearless CP0 agents were breaking ranks, their so-called elite discipline crumbling. Even the Knights of God, the supposed ultimate warriors of the Holy Land, found themselves being overwhelmed, unable to so much as retreat.
It was chaos.
And worse, there was no way out.
The moment one of the Knights of God attempted to take to the skies, a blinding bolt of lightning crashed down from above, turning him into a charred husk before he plummeted back to the ground. The unspoken message was clear: No one leaves alive.
Ten seconds passed.
Sitting cross-legged atop the colossal True Several Thousand Hands, Buggy's eyes snapped open. The surging life energy he had absorbed now fully merged with his body, sinking into the very core of his being. The sensation was overwhelming—like an ocean of vitality pouring into his soul.
Then—Ka-ka-ka!
The sound of shifting bones echoed as Buggy felt something new. His body, once bound to its normal limits, was now something entirely different.
He could feel it. The ability to manipulate his size at will. His eyes burned with realization.
"Another power boost?" Buggy murmured, his voice barely containing his excitement.
His fingers curled into a fist, his grip tightening as the newfound strength coursed through him.
"So there are still benefits like this…?" His grin widened. "It really is just as they say. The power of a Devil Fruit is only limited by the imagination of its user!"
His gaze slowly swept across the battlefield, where the strongest forces of the World Government stood in shock and terror.
The fire in his eyes blazed. He had only just begun.
But Buggy didn't act immediately. Instead, he raised his hand and peeled the Devil Fruit from the lifeless corpse of Jaygarcia Saturn.
Only after securing it did his gaze shift toward the Kaido clone, now battered beyond recognition. Blood poured freely from its wounds, its once-imposing dragon scales cracked and broken under Douglas Bullet's relentless assault.
It was clear—this clone was nowhere near the original Kaido's level. Its Haki was weaker, its Mythical Zoan abilities underdeveloped.
Buggy's thoughts flickered to the real Kaido. If Charlotte Linlin hadn't taken him away… the Whole Cake Island War might have played out differently.
A shame.
If he'd fully unleashed the Mori Mori no Mi back then… if he'd pushed it to its limits… would he have achieved that same Logia-like instant kill?
No matter. He had missed his chance with Kaido, but this clone… this clone would do just fine.
He couldn't let this opportunity slip away.
"Bullet, Gabban! I need the life force from both of them!" Buggy's voice rang out without hesitation.
His eyes gleamed with a feverish light. He could feel it—a boundary he was on the verge of breaking.
"I need an immense amount of vitality right now!" He clenched his fist. "Don't blame me for interfering in your fight!"
Then—
"True Several Thousand Hands!"
"Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean!"
A deep, thunderous whoosh echoed through the battlefield.
From behind the colossal wooden Buddha, thousands of black-gold fists surged forward, swirling like a storm of writhing dragons.
—Crash!
The sky itself seemed to tremble as the golden-black fists twisted into two massive waves. One surged toward the Kaido clone, while the other coiled around the Golden Lion clone, locking them in an inescapable grip.
Bullet and Scopper Gaban exchanged sharp glances, momentarily startled.
But as they watched, their expressions hardened. They could sense it now. Their captain was undergoing a fundamental transformation.
The overwhelming vitality that radiated from him wasn't just intense—it was agonizing to feel up close.
No. It was like being burned. Gaban's breath hitched. How could a human body contain this much life force?
Even Bullet, a warrior obsessed with raw power, found himself unnerved.
What the hell is this captain trying to do? Above them, the other fighters had also turned their gazes toward the unfolding scene.
And then—
They froze. Before their very eyes, the Kaido and Golden Lion clones began to shrivel.
Their once-powerful bodies, filled with monstrous Zoan vitality, were now collapsing in on themselves, as though the very essence of life was being drained away.
—Crack! Snap!
The next instant, neither clone had time to scream.
Like Jaygarcia Saturn before them, they were completely consumed by the black-flamed wooden hands, their existence erased in an instant.
And then—
—WHOOSH!
The thousand arms, now divided into two 500-fist waves, retracted all at once, sinking back into the towering Buddha.
Buggy's connection to the colossal construct surged even deeper.
At that very moment—
A force unlike anything before erupted from Buggy's body, rocketing toward the heavens. A brilliant blue radiance exploded upward, piercing through the thick thunderclouds that had smothered the battlefield.
From his perch high above, Enel involuntarily shuddered. That energy—it sent chills down his spine. He slowly turned his gaze downward, and when he saw the Buddha-like figure towering over the battlefield, his mouth twitched. "Tch… only the captain could pull off something like this…"
Meanwhile, Crocodile was just as shaken. He let out a breath, eyes narrowing as he murmured to himself, "Can the Mori Mori no Mi really be developed to this level…?" His grip tightened. "So tell me… do I still have the ability to counter him?"
A pause.
Then—he scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Hah. Forget it."
There's no point in comparing. The same Devil Fruit in different hands… its limits… its strength…
Buggy's Mori Mori no Mi had ascended to something entirely different.
"That man is terrifying." Lucci, standing off to the side, nodded in agreement, his usual calm demeanor betraying a hint of unease. "Even with the same Awakening, the difference between Zoan and Logia is just too vast," he murmured, his sharp eyes fixed on the devastation before him. "An attack of this level… we wouldn't even be able to block it, would we?" His fists clenched involuntarily, tension visible even in his rigid posture.
"Even the previous Marine Admiral, Green Bull, didn't give off such a terrifying presence," he admitted after a pause, his voice laced with something dangerously close to admiration. He exhaled sharply, his expression darkening. "An ability that can instantly kill a fighter above Marine Admiral... Even if this is a unique Awakening ability of the Mori Mori no Mi, it's simply absurd. Sure, people can be strong, but the fruit itself can be overwhelming, right?"
As they whispered among themselves, Buggy's eyes snapped open once more. A sharp boom split the battlefield as two piercing blue lights shot from his eyes, slamming into a mountain of rubble in the distance. The impact sent a cloud of dust and debris billowing into the air, masking the battlefield in thick gray mist. Then—something miraculous unfolded.
The lifeless, barren rock that had stood there mere moments ago suddenly erupted with growth. Within the span of a single breath, a vast, towering forest had taken root, spreading wildly across the battlefield. Trees twisted and surged upward, their thick trunks splitting apart jagged stone like it was nothing. Leaves the color of polished jade shimmered beneath the eerie glow of the battlefield, and vines as thick as ship masts slithered across the ground, wrapping around debris and forming a lush jungle where there had once been only desolation.
It was indistinguishable from the Tree World that Buggy had summoned before. The sheer impossibility of it left everyone stunned. This wasn't just an extension of his abilities—it was evolution itself, something beyond what even the greatest Devil Fruit users could normally achieve.
"This is… too outrageous…" Figarland finally whispered, but the words were drowned out by the sound of collective gasps. A heavy silence followed, thick with unspoken dread.
Then Buggy's voice rang out, sharp with frustration. "Not enough! Not enough! Not enough!" His eyes burned with raw power, his body radiating an intensity that felt almost suffocating. A chilling certainty settled over the battlefield as he straightened, his presence dominating everything around him.
"Everyone—back away. Now."
No one questioned it. Even Monkey D. Dragon, who had been locked in combat with Figarland Garling, immediately retreated, pulling back several hundred meters without hesitation. A ripple of movement spread as the others followed, instinct screaming at them to get away before it was too late.
Then, it happened.
"Jukai Kōtan!" (Birth of the Flower and Tree World!)
"Mokuryū!" (Wood Dragon!)
"Mokujin!" (Wooden Golem!)
"Dai-Senjū Kanon!" (True Several Thousand Hands!)
Shinsoku Shibō! (Divine World Tree!)
Buggy's voice echoed like rolling thunder across Egghead Island, his words carrying the weight of something beyond mortal comprehension. The sky turned a deep, unnatural blue as an overwhelming aura of power pulsed outward, sending shockwaves across the battlefield. The air itself seemed to tremble beneath the sheer force of it.
In that instant, hundreds of enormous wooden dragons burst forth, twisting and writhing as they tore through the sky. Their massive bodies coiled through the battlefield like primordial beasts, their eyes burning with an eerie golden glow. Giant wooden golems emerged, standing like ancient titans beside the colossal Buddha that loomed over the island. Their movements were slow yet unstoppable, their sheer size making them seem like the embodiment of destruction itself.
Panic erupted among the Celestial Dragons and their forces. The once-mighty Knights of God—elite warriors feared across the world—found themselves frozen in place, terror twisting their expressions into something grotesque.
"NO! NO! MONSTER!" CP0 agent dropped his weapon as he stumbled backward. "THERE'S NO WAY TO WIN! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!"
"WE HAVE TO RETREAT!" another agent roared, his voice cracking under the weight of his fear. But there was nowhere to go.
The wooden behemoths bore down on them with unstoppable force, moving like a calamity sent by the heavens.
One of the last remaining Knights of God gritted his teeth, his hands trembling as he raised his blade. "Brothers! The time has come to die for the Celestial Dragons!" His voice wavered, but desperation gave him the courage to stand his ground. "LORD IMU WILL AVENGE US!"
"LONG LIVE LORD IMU!!!" The battle cry was taken up by the last few warriors, their voices raw and desperate as they charged forward one final time.
But it was futile.
A deafening clap rang through the battlefield, followed by another. Then another. Clap. Clap. Clap. The earth quaked as Buggy's creations crushed them instantly, their final resistance shattered like brittle glass. Their screams were short-lived, snuffed out within seconds.
And then, under the stunned gazes of every last member of the Buggy Pirates, it was over.
Whether it was CP0 or the Knights of God, they were all gone. Not a single one remained. Their bodies had been stripped of all vitality, reduced to nothing but empty husks.
Buggy moved with eerie precision, plucking the Devil Fruits from their remains with the same casual ease as one might pluck fruit from a tree. Then, slowly, he turned his gaze to his crew.
The Buggy Pirates stood motionless, their faces pale, their expressions locked somewhere between awe and sheer horror. Their captain… wasn't just strong. He had transcended strength itself. He had become something else entirely.
And then—Buggy grinned.
A slow, terrifying grin.
"Wait for me a little while." His voice was light. Almost casual. And yet, something about it sent a shiver down their spines.
"When I wake up…" His eyes burned with an unnatural light, something untamed and boundless lurking beneath his gaze.
"The world… will be without its limits."
Without another word, he turned, crossing his legs atop the colossal Buddha. His breathing slowed his body unnaturally still. Then, before their very eyes, his entire form dissolved into wood, sinking into the True Several Thousand Hands like a spirit merging with nature itself.
And just like that—
Buggy was gone.
Ka Ka Ka—
The air trembled with the sound of shifting wood, a deep, resonant creaking that sent a shiver through the battlefield. At first, everyone thought the transformation would take time, that the monumental process unfolding before them would stretch on for hours. But reality shattered their expectations in an instant.
The surrounding Jukai Kōtan, the Mokujin, the colossal Mokuryū—everything that Buggy had summoned—began to unravel, absorbed into the towering form of the Dai-Senjū Kanon. The thousand-armed Buddha, already titanic in stature, grew even larger, its form doubling in size within mere moments.
The once-wild and overflowing energy of the technique, the sheer pressure that had suffocated the battlefield, now began to condense. It no longer bled outward uncontrollably but coiled inward, folding upon itself like a collapsing star. The overwhelming aura was no longer a chaotic storm—it became something far more terrifying. It became focused.
Under the wide-eyed gazes of everyone present, the energy continued to shrink, pulling itself into the very core of the Buddha's chest. And then—
Shinsoku Shibō! {Divine World Tree} vanished.
One moment, it was a god towering over the world. The next, it was gone, leaving behind only deep, gaping footprints in the earth as proof that it had ever existed.
Silence fell over the battlefield. No one spoke. No one moved.
Then—
"Fuck! Just for a day!"
Someone's voice cracked through the stillness, filled with disbelief. They couldn't help but verbalize the absurdity of what had just happened.
The Knights of God, the warriors personally commanded by the Five Elders, had been completely annihilated. CP0, the elite assassins of the World Government, had been erased. The vast army of the Celestial Dragons—the so-called rulers of the world—had been utterly destroyed.
And all of it had happened in less than a day.
If Buggy hadn't intervened, this war could have dragged on for two, maybe three days at best. Even that estimate assumed no reinforcements from Mariejois. And yet, the battle was already over.
And all because of that man. The sheer weight of it settled into their bones, but just as the realization hit them, something else did too—
Buggy was gone.
"W-Wait… what's going on!?"
"Where's Captain Buggy!?"
"Are you blind?! He's right there!"
"No, idiot! That's not what I mean! Try sensing him with your Haki!"
A moment of hesitation. Then, as Observation Haki flared across the battlefield, a wave of confusion followed.
"…What the hell?"
"That can't be right. Try again!"
"No way. He's… He's gone."
"Impossible! He's standing right there!"
The confusion turned into unease. They could see Buggy. He was sitting right in front of them, his form clear as day. And yet—their Haki couldn't perceive him at all. It was as if the world itself refused to register his presence.
A chilling possibility crept into their minds. Did their Captain just surpass the limits of what Haki could even detect?
No one had an answer. No one could even guess what had just happened. But before they could spiral too far into their speculations, Buggy's eyes slowly fluttered open.
A slow, satisfied grin spread across his lips. He felt incredible.
The sensation was difficult to describe. His Mori Mori no Mi had undergone another breakthrough, pushing the already godlike abilities of the fruit to unprecedented heights. But it wasn't just that. His very being—his body, his life force—had ascended to something beyond what he had ever imagined possible.
At what level had he reached? Buggy himself wasn't sure. But he knew one thing.
Mariejois was next.
Imu.
That shadowed, enigmatic existence who ruled from the highest seat of the world—he would be the true test of this power.
And Buggy couldn't wait. Before he could dwell on it further, a familiar scent rushed toward him—floral, intoxicating, laced with urgency.
Hancock.
The Empress of Amazon Lily all but threw herself at him, her eyes brimming with uncharacteristic worry as she placed a delicate hand on his chest. "Buggy, how are you feeling?"
Buggy blinked, puzzled. He looked at her, then at the others, only now noticing the way everyone was staring at him—as if he had just returned from the dead.
"Feeling?" He tilted his head, flexing his fingers experimentally. A smirk pulled at his lips. "I feel better than ever."
His words only deepened their expressions of confusion. Buggy frowned. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
No one answered. Because the truth was—
They had no idea how to explain what just happened.
The atmosphere was still thick with the lingering energy of battle when Dragon stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Buggy. His expression was unreadable, but there was something sharp in his gaze, something calculating. He raised a hand and placed it firmly on Buggy's shoulder.
Buggy, for his part, didn't react. He didn't tense, didn't shift, didn't so much as blink—he simply allowed it.
Dragon's brow furrowed, his fingers tightening slightly against Buggy's coat as a rare flicker of uncertainty crossed his features. His piercing eyes locked onto Buggy's with something akin to astonishment.
"Do you realize," Dragon murmured, voice low but weighted, "that we can't perceive you at all with Observation Haki? No matter how much we try, it's like you're not even here."
Buggy's brows furrowed slightly, but Dragon wasn't finished.
"Even if someone managed to suppress their presence with 'Kenbun-shoku no Metsu,' I would still be able to sense them through physical contact. And yet—" he squeezed Buggy's shoulder lightly as if to confirm it for himself one more time, "even while touching you, I can't sense a thing."
Buggy's frown deepened. "Wait… all of you feel the same way?"
A murmur of agreement passed through the crowd, heads nodding in unison. Some still looked wary, others simply bewildered.
"Hold on a second."
Buggy lifted a hand in a halting gesture, his curiosity suddenly piqued. He hadn't paid much attention to it before, too caught up in the overwhelming surge of power coursing through him. But now that he focused—
Something was different.
His ability to absorb vitality from his enemies… something about that process had altered more than just his Mori Mori no Mi. His Crushing Magic and Chop-Chop Fruit—two distinct forces that had always remained separate within him—felt different.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated, searching for the familiar sensation of his two abilities. Before, there had been a clear boundary between them, as if an unseen law kept them apart. But now—
They had merged. It wasn't just an overlap. It was a complete integration.
Crushing was splitting. Splitting was crushing.
The realization settled in, and with it, a slow, creeping grin spread across Buggy's face. This… this was something entirely new.
Not only had his Mori Mori no Mi undergone a transformation, but his very existence had changed. He could feel it—his body, his energy, even the very fabric of his being had reached a level that defied logic.
With this power, he didn't just control destruction.
He was destruction itself. A deep chuckle rumbled in his throat, low and amused.
He lifted his gaze toward the distant horizon, where the Holy Land Mariejois sat perched upon the Red Line, and his smirk widened.
"Well then…" he muttered to himself. "I guess there's only one way to test this out."
His eyes glinted with something dangerous, something electric, something inevitable.
Imu. That phantom who had lurked in the shadows of history for eight hundred years. That untouchable, unchallenged figure who ruled from behind the veil.
Buggy had no idea what kind of power Im had accumulated over the centuries.
But he was going to find out.
---
You can read 40 chapters ahead and get exclusive access to more content on P*treon.c*m/Marioni