"Kuhahaha! You brats don't know your place!!" Buggy spread his arms wide dramatically. "Today, I'll show you the consequences of mocking 'Star Clown' Buggy!"
Ace grinned fearlessly. His flintlock was aimed directly at Buggy's head. "A fight? Fine by me!" He stepped forward. "Dual Blader—"
Ace fired two shots, both flying straight at Buggy's face. But Buggy just stood there with a smirk, letting the bullets pass through him.
"Ace! Look out!" Sabo suddenly shouted.
The smoke cleared. Buggy's figure was gone.
"Up there!" Hiyori shouted.
Buggy had split into dozens of body parts floating in the air. He grinned fiercely. "Chop-Chop: Clown Knives!"
Countless gleaming knives shot at the five little ones from all angles. But none of them were coated in Armament Haki. He just wanted to teach the kids a lesson, not kill them.
"CLANG!" Ann's heavy sword traced an arc, deflecting most of the knives. Hiyori and Hizumi stood back to back, their twin swords forming an impenetrable defense that knocked down the remaining knives.
"This guy... isn't an ordinary pirate." Sabo's forehead beaded with sweat. The longsword in his hand trembled slightly.
Buggy's body parts reassembled. He landed lightly on the awning of a fruit stand. He sat cross-legged and looked down at the children proudly. "What do you think? Now you know how powerful I am? It's not too late to beg for mercy!"
"Hehehe. This feels amazing. Hahahahaha." Buggy put his hands on his hips and laughed.
Kabaji looked away. "In terms of bullying children and being proud of it instead of ashamed, our captain is truly one of a kind."
"Don't get cocky!" Ace roared. "Bullet Space!"
Gunfire erupted toward Buggy, instantly setting the awning on fire. Buggy let out a strange cry. His body split again, this time into even smaller pieces. They scattered like a swarm of red wasps.
"It's useless, kid!" Buggy's voice came from all directions. "I ate the Chop-Chop Fruit! I'm a splitting human! Physical attacks don't work on me!"
Sabo quickly looked around. Then his eyes lit up. "Ace! His real body is his red nose! The other parts move with the nose!"
Buggy: Hehehe. That's right. My weakness is my red nose.
"Smart kid!" Buggy's red nose suddenly flew right in front of Sabo's face. "But what can you do about it?"
"THUD!" Ann's heavy sword slammed down, leaving a large crater in the ground. Buggy's nose narrowly avoided it.
"Everyone attack together!" Hizumi shouted. Her twin swords crossed into an X. "Dual Swords: Cross Cut!"
Hiyori coordinated with her sister. "Dual Swords: Swallow Return!"
The two sisters' blades formed a net around Buggy's nose. But Buggy's other body parts quickly gathered to form a wall in front of his nose.
"Useless!" Buggy laughed triumphantly. Suddenly, all of his split limbs attacked at once. "Chop-Chop: Circus Rampage!"
Ace was caught off guard by a flying foot. It hit him in the stomach. He grunted and flew backward, knocking over several fruit stands. A sudden arm knocked Sabo's longsword away. Then a headbutt made his vision go blurry. Ann was about to swing her heavy sword when she realized her target had disappeared.
"Ann! Behind you!" Hiyori shouted.
But it was too late. Buggy's upper body appeared behind Ann. He struck the back of her neck with a precise chop.
"Ann!" Hizumi charged at Buggy in anger. But she was forced back by several flying knives.
In just a few minutes, all five little ones were injured. Buggy reassembled his body and stood on a pile of fruit debris. He looked down at the children proudly. "Kuhahaha! Now you know how powerful I am!"
Ace wiped the blood from his mouth. His eyes burned with a refusal to lose. "Damn... this guy is much stronger than he looks..."
"Not only strong," Sabo said as he struggled to get up and picked up his weapon. "He has way more combat experience than us too."
Ann silently picked up her heavy sword. Her eyes grew even sharper. Hiyori and Hizumi stood back to back. Their swords trembled slightly, but their grips tightened.
Buggy watched the children's reactions with satisfaction. His red nose stuck up proudly. "What? Want to keep going? I can play with you until dark!"
The five little ones exchanged a look and nodded in unison. Ace suddenly grinned. "Of course we want to keep going! That was just a warm-up!"
"Oh?" Buggy raised an eyebrow. "You've got guts! I'm going to hang you up and beat you. If I don't, I'm not 'Star Clown' Buggy."
"That doesn't seem very accurate." Sabo glanced at his companions. By now, they all probably knew who they were fighting. But they couldn't stop. They had started fighting the moment they met. And Buggy was holding back, enjoying the joy of bullying children.
"What?!" Buggy's red nose turned bright red. "You think my knives aren't accurate?!"
"Yeah," Hizumi joined in, deliberately looking contemptuous. "With all those knives, you didn't even tear our clothes."
Hiyori nodded. "Maybe your nose is too big and blocks your vision?"
"You little brats!!!" Buggy trembled with rage. "I'll show you what true knife artistry looks like!"
Just as Buggy was distracted by his anger, a red light flickered in Ann's eyes. An invisible pressure suddenly exploded from her. The surrounding air seemed to freeze.
"Conqueror's Haki?" Buggy's eyes went wide. His movements noticeably slowed.
"Now!" Ace shouted.
"Dual Swords: Flower Blizzard!" Hiyori and Hizumi leaped at the same time. Their twin swords created a magnificent light show, forcing Buggy's split body parts toward one spot.
Sabo had already circled behind Buggy. His longsword was coated in Armament Haki.
"THUD!" The flat of his blade struck Buggy's just-reassembled back, sending him toward Ann.
Ann's heavy sword was already ready. The blade shone with black-red Haki light. "An-Shin Style: Phantom Strike!"
The heavy sword swung down with a whoosh. At the critical moment, Buggy's body split again. But this time—
"Got you!" Ace suddenly burst out of the flames. He grabbed Buggy's red nose.
"What?! Let go of my nose!" Buggy screamed in panic. His other split body parts started flying around randomly like headless flies.
Sabo pushed up his glasses. "So the nose really is the main body."
"Damn brats!" Buggy's expression suddenly turned into a sneer. "Just kidding!"
Suddenly, an unprecedented pressure exploded from Buggy. An invisible shockwave spread out from him. The glass windows of nearby stalls shattered. Many bystanders collapsed unconscious.