Some words are said without intent, yet heard with meaning.
Wallace, who had been eagerly chasing a big scoop, instantly connected all the dots in that very moment.
The extensive experience he'd accumulated over his years as a reporter also gave him plenty of mental material to fill in the blanks about Garen's identity. First of all, Garen claimed to be from the distant Kingdom of Demacia.
But when asked about the kingdom's specific location, Garen became evasive—even unable to say which sea his homeland was in.
Secondly, the armor and sword Garen wore were once-in-a-millennium treasures. Wallace didn't know much about forging techniques or materials, but the massive natural sapphire embedded in Garen's sword was something he had never even seen in the royal palaces of the east blue kingdoms.
What kind of noble knight could possess such luxurious and extravagant equipment?
That question was worth pondering.
And just moments ago, Garen had inadvertently revealed a key piece of information—he'd let slip a significant detail about his worldview:
"Five million isn't even enough to buy a bathroom."
Five million Berries not enough to buy a bathroom?
To live such a lavish and wasteful life, treating money like trash—the only people Wallace could think of were the legendary World Nobles.
His imagination spiraled further, speculating on the shocking secrets hidden beneath the surface of this world:
Why do people say the World Nobles are nothing but useless fools, yet they still comfortably sit atop the throne of "gods"?
Why are there so many strong fighters in the Navy, yet they continue to bow and scrape to such weaklings?
Now Wallace believed he had found the answer in Garen.
The stereotype of incompetence was merely a facade the Celestial Dragons chose to show the world.
Their true elite—hidden from sight—were geniuses like Lord Garen.
Yes, in just one minute, Wallace had formed a theory in his mind. One that sounded absurd, but the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
And that's how a big scoop is born.
"Hey!"
Garen, looking a bit frustrated, tapped the dazed Wallace and righteously said,
"Don't go writing nonsense like that!"
"Understood!"
Wallace's eyes sharpened at once. He picked up his pen and violently scribbled over the half-finished paragraph, blacking it out completely.
"I won't leak a single detail about Lord Garen's identity!"
"Good. Just don't overthink it. I'm really not…"
Garen could only helplessly accept Wallace's firm promise.
Ahem.
Nami, who had only been active in the East Blue's pirate underworld, didn't understand the significance of the term "Celestial Dragon." She coughed softly, bringing the conversation back on track:
"Anyway, five million Berries is absolutely not enough!"
Buggy hesitated, saying nothing.
Nami quickly threw Garen a meaningful look.
Garen nodded in sync. Then he raised his sword and slashed at Buggy's foot.
"Decisive Strike!"
Buggy's flying head slammed onto the deck for the third time. Garen's giant sword then quietly blocked out all the light from Buggy's field of vision.
"D-don't kill me!"
Buggy stammered in terror. "I still have money!"
"How much?"
Nami crouched down and looked at the limp Buggy, her voice stretching out with a wicked lilt.
Having always been a thief, Nami was really starting to enjoy this pirate-hunting side gig. No skill required, and the money came fast.
"A-around three million…"
Tears of heartbreak leaked from the corners of Buggy's eyes.
"It's all stored in the captain's cabin!"
Nami nodded in satisfaction, then pursed her lips and motioned toward the ship with her eyes.
"Lead the way."
"Yes…"
Buggy replied feebly.
As the silence effect wore off, Buggy's scattered body parts floated back into the air under Nami's watchful gaze. He led Garen and the others toward his captain's cabin.
Unlike the Steel Blade Pirates, the hygiene on Buggy's ship was much better. His spacious captain's quarters even gave off a faint air of luxury and cleanliness.
Nami was surprised and gained a bit more respect for the flying clown.
As a professional pirate thief, it was rare for her to see a clean room belonging to a middle-aged male pirate.
After they entered the room, Buggy hesitated for a long while before finally, under Nami's intimidating glare, pointing out the location of the treasure chest—it was in a hidden compartment beneath the floorboards.
Nami walked over, pried up two planks, and pulled out a heavy chest.
She opened it—inside were piles of gold coins, glittering jewels, and wads of Berry bills.
Nami's amber-colored eyes sparkled like polished gemstones, turning golden in an instant.
"All the money you wanted is in there…"
Buggy forced a fawning smile. "So… does this mean you're not going to kill me?"
"Nope."
Nami smiled wickedly and waved her hand dismissively.
"Red-Nose Captain, you're still not being honest enough."
"You're already bound for prison—still clinging to your worldly possessions?"
"You—!"
Buggy's fake smile instantly froze over.
Nami crouched again and knocked on the bottom of the compartment from which she had just taken the chest.
The sound was crisp—and echoed clearly.
Buggy's face darkened further.
"A double-layer compartment."
Nami's smile curled up with subtle pride.
"Such a basic trick. Did you really think you could fool my eyes?"
Buggy's eyes rolled back, and he almost fainted on the spot.
Nami chuckled and began feeling around in the hidden space. Soon, she touched a small mechanism.
With a little pressure, a second hidden compartment opened beneath the first, revealing a beautifully crafted small chest.
Nami eagerly pulled it out and opened it—inside were flawless jewels and gemstones.
Clearly, Buggy hadn't wasted all those years as a pirate. This small box of treasure was worth far more than the previous large one.
"There's a notebook, too?"
Nami curiously picked up a thin booklet from among the jewels and flipped through it in front of Buggy.
"A custom recipe for Buggy Balls gunpowder?"
Wallace couldn't help but chime in:
"Are those the shells that sank our ship earlier?"
"Those cannonballs are really something. Totally different from regular solid shot!"
"Oh."
Nami responded disinterestedly and casually tossed the secret Buggy Bomb formula back into the box.
Buggy remained silent, but in his chest, the sound of his heart shattering echoed loudly.
As a legendary pirate who had returned from the Grand Line, he was now completely at the mercy of a greedy little girl.
Finally, Nami gave him a playful smile.
"Thanks for your generosity, Red-Nose!"
Then she turned to Garen.
"This clown is yours now. Kill him or let him go—your call."
"Wait…"
Buggy suddenly came to life, gritting his teeth.
"You've already emptied my treasure, and now you want to kill me too?!"
"Whether you live or die… isn't up to me."
Nami's smile grew even more mischievous.
"It depends on our gallant knight here."
She waved the small treasure chest in her hand, clearly satisfied.
"You boys take your time. I'll go find a safe spot for our loot."
The captain's cabin fell silent.
Sweat beaded on Buggy's forehead as he stared desperately at Garen—the man holding his life in his hands.
Garen, on the other hand, was hesitating.
Should he kill Buggy?
This guy had bombarded them with explosives and ordered his crew to attack. By all rights, he deserved to die.
Plus, Buggy was a strong Devil Fruit user. That Steel Blade guy with a 10-million bounty had already given him a ton of experience. Killing Buggy might even get him to Level 5 instantly.
But Garen also couldn't ignore Buggy's identity—not just as a major character in the original story, but as one of the Pirate King's former crew members, and an old buddy of Red-Haired Shanks!
If he killed Buggy now, and ten days later Rayleigh, Shanks, and a whole crew of legendary retired monsters showed up for revenge… even with two systems, Garen probably wouldn't survive.
Kill him or not?
Garen agonized over it for a long time.
And in that extended silence, Buggy was the first to break down.
He suddenly went berserk, launching his floating body parts at Garen in a desperate attempt to turn the tables.
"Decisive Strike!"
But Garen's reflexes had evolved significantly.
He slashed without hesitation, scattering Buggy into a pile of disassembled limbs once again.
Having failed in his desperate gamble, Buggy began to sob and scream.
"Help! Somebody help!"
"Hey, hey…"
Garen sighed helplessly.
"Stop shouting."
But the hopeless Buggy just kept yelling:
"Help! Save me!"
Sigh…
Galen sighed again softly and said the rest of the lines cooperatively:
"No one's coming to save you…"
"Even if you scream until your throat is raw!"
(End of Chapter)