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Come on, come on… where is it???
A young boy swam frantically through patches of seaweed, his skinny legs kicking as fiercely as he could manage. His red hair floated around his face, tendrils occasionally blocking his view of the sea floor.
If I don’t find it before Rayleigh notices it’s missing…
He shuddered, imagining all sorts of reprimands he’d receive for his screw-up.
The boy was a deckhand on a pirate ship. Only 12 years old, Shanks had been working under Captain Gol D. Roger his entire life. The Captain and First Mate like to joke that they found him in a treasure chest, but other crew members claim they all stole him, or that a stork brought him to their ship, so the boy wasn’t fully convinced anyone was telling him the truth.
After reaching the double digits, he begged the Roger pirates to teach him some kind of weaponry, no longer content with only wielding a mop and broom. Gaban wanted to show him how to battle with his axes, but Rayleigh and Crocus quickly vetoed that option, neither of the two wanting to deal with an ax-throwing 10 year old. Eventually, Rayleigh agreed to teach the young boy swordplay, provided Shanks prove he had ‘earned the right to wield a blade’.
He practiced his forms with a wooden sword for months, sparring with various Roger pirates. The rule was that he had to land at least one blow on each of them in a spar before he could hold a real sword. At first it seemed an impossible feat, but Shanks slowly made his way up through the ranks, and eventually reached Rayleigh and Roger.
It took him as much time as it had to reach them as it did to strike them. Neither of the two gave him any help, preferring to give him as much battle experience as possible while still safe onboard the Oro Jackson.
Until finally, in a two on one battle, Shanks managed to hit Roger in the leg, then double back and give Rayleigh a blow to the stomach while he was distracted that Roger had been struck.
On that day, Rayleigh took him to a swordsmith. They docked at the next island they saw to have a sword a child could use made for him. Roger eventually wanted to give him a mighty blade like Ace, but knew he wasn’t ready to handle a weapon of that magnitude just yet. For now, a lesser sword would be just fine for his young apprentice.
And though she was lesser, she was beautiful. Simple, but made with the finest materials the island had to offer. A cutlass, undeniably sized for a child, but with a wickedly sharp edge. Her steel wouldn’t break easily, even if Shanks held her with less than ideal posture and not enough force. The hilt and guard were plated with gold Rayleigh had graciously sacrificed for the cause, so she was as pretty as she was deadly - as all swords should be, according to Roger, who had wrapped a rich green shagreen around the hilt as additional decoration.
In other words, she was irreplaceable and Rayleight would murder him if he told him he dropped her in the freaking ocean.
But it wasn’t his fault! He was practicing on the deck and lost his grip, it was an honest mistake! She had slipped right out of his hands and went flying into the sea. Luckily, the Oro was currently anchored, so Shanks fired off a quick excuse to whoever was listening of wanting to go for a swim, hopping overboard after her before anyone else could notice what he had done.
Back underwater, Shanks dug his hands in the silt, trying not to disturb the muck too much, but worried his treasure had gotten stuck and sunk into the soft ground.
Rock… rock… shell… bottle… UGH! I know I dropped her here! She’s a sword, how far could she have gone?!
He desperately continued his search, but was growing disheartened the longer he combed the ocean floor. Just when he was ready to give up and face the wrath of Rayleigh, he finally saw a glimmer through the swaying seaweed.
That’s it! The hilt!
He smiled broadly and eagerly made his way over to where he saw the shine, pushing the towering plants away.
A-hah! Found you!
His sword had indeed embedded her blade in the seafloor, but the gold hilt still glittered brightly among the seaweed forest. He reached forward to grab the handle, but before he could, he felt the water shift around him.
Something was headed for him. Fast.
He pulled back and darted his eyes around, twisting in place and craning his neck to try and spot whatever had disturbed the calm waters he swam in. But he didn’t see anything in the open ocean above him.
After waiting a few more moments, he turned back to his sword.
…and saw another face staring back at him.
“ AAAH! ” He yelled underwater, a flurry of air bubbles escaping his mouth. Instinct took over, and he quickly shot back up to the surface, gasping for breath. He bobbed for a bit above the water, waiting to see if the other face would drag him back down.
What was that? There was another person down there!
Shanks kept taking in deep breaths, treading water as he tried to picture what he saw.
It was a boy… I think. I wish I got a better look! Something red was blocking his face… Was there a crab in the way?
He looked down at the water, but he couldn’t see anything among the dark seaweed patch he was exploring anymore, not even the sword hilt.
Oh crap, my sword! That boy distracted me from reaching her… If I go back down, will she still be there? Will he still be there?
He plunged back underwater, finding the gilded hilt easily since it was directly under him, but disappointed that the mysterious boy seemed to have vanished. He sunk down to the silt, digging his toes into it. He looked around the area once more, a soft frown on his face.
Hello? Where are you? I’m not going to hurt you!
As if the ocean had sensed the red haired boy’s distress, a strong current combed through the seaweed, pushing the plants in all sorts of directions and exposing a small form who had hidden within them.
It was indeed a boy. He twitched and turned fearfully in the direction of Shanks now that his shelter had vanished, bare torso on display. His bright blue hair fanned out around him, the long strands almost mimicking the seaweed he had hidden in. He had thick eyelashes that framed deep brown eyes, which were squinted slightly, as if he was tearing up. But his most prominent feature had to be…
Shanks cocked his head.
Oh. It wasn’t a crab after all. It’s…?
A bright red ball seemed to be stuck to the boy’s face. Shanks thought it was some kind of starfish or barnacle until the strange boy sniffed and it crinkled just like a nose would.
It’s his nose ?!
The revelation made him snicker slightly, which in turn made the boy scrunch it even further.
Awwww, it’s actually kinda cute… Poor little guy, he looks like he’s crying!
Shanks stopped his laughter and reached out a hand to him, crouching lower to the ocean floor, as if he was luring a stray cat out of an alley so he could pet it.
I wish we could talk underwater, but hopefully he’ll understand my body language.
He continued to give the boy a friendly smile.
See? I just want to be friends!
The boy was less amused. After having his perfect hiding place exposed, watching the redhead laugh at him, then give him that look he immediately tensed up.
What’s up with this weirdo? Why is he looking at me like that?! Does he want to fight?!?
He instinctively curled in on himself slightly, preparing for an attack. But once he laid eyes on the glittering gold next to the rude stranger, his greed overtook his fear.
Well too bad! I saw that treasure first! He can’t intimidate me away from it! Not the Great Buggy!
He pounced, darting towards Shanks with incredible speed. Shanks’s eyes widened as the small boy he had pegged as a terrified lost soul (who could really hold his breath, apparently) leapt at him with such ferocity. But what really surprised him was the boy's legs. Or lack thereof.
A… a merman?!
The small boy with bright blue hair and a clown nose propelled himself forward with his tail, a gorgeous shade of saturated orange, with almost iridescent white stripes segmenting it. Deep black lines bordered the splits between orange and white. His fins were very rounded, almost as circular as his nose, and as his tail crashed into Shanks he felt a sort of sticky substance coating the strong appendage.
As Shanks was tackled to the seafloor, he couldn't help but laugh, a myriad of bubbles escaping him once more.
Hahahaha! No way, hahaha! He’s- he’s a clown fish!
They rolled around in the silt for a while, Shanks having the time of his life while Buggy grew more and more frustrated.
Aw, he’s trying to wrestle! This must be how mermen play!
Why is he still laughing at me dammit!?! I’ll drown you, you jerk!
Though he was having plenty of fun, Shanks found himself in need of air. He frowned, disappointed that he would have to leave his new friend so soon. He patted the merman on the head.
I’ll come right back down, I promise! But I have to get my sword back onto the ship. Be right back!
Shanks lightly pushed the boy away from him, much to the other’s indignation, and swam lazily towards his sword. He grabbed the golden hilt and pulled her from the muck, her blade still gleaming despite some flecks of silt stuck to it. He tied her to the sash around his waist and let her dangle at his side. But as he pushed off the ground to return to the surface for air, he felt a tug.
“Mphf?” He let out a surprised sound.
The young merman had grabbed onto the blade, baring his teeth fiercely at Shanks. He refused to break eye contact and tugged harshly on the sword again.
What’s he doing? Is he trying to take my sword?
Shanks narrowed his eyes and shook his head down at the boy.
No way! This is mine, you can’t have it!
The boy glared harder at him in response and growled, tightening his hold on the sword. The two struggled a bit more, Shanks feeling his lungs tighten in protest at the lack of oxygen.
If I untie my sash, he’ll swim off with her! He wasn’t playing after all!
They continued thrashing about underwater, disturbing the surface and splashing around.
Not good, I’m starting to see black… If I don’t let her go, I’ll drown.
But before Shanks could give in and release the blade to the merman’s clutches, a strong, familiar hand grabbed him by the back of his shirt.
“ Shanks !”
He was abruptly yanked above the water, the young merman and sword remaining just below the surface. Rayleigh’s scolding voice booming in his ears as he held the fabric firmly.
“We can’t even trust you to swim anymore? Get your ass back on the ship!”
“W-wait, Rayleigh!” Shanks struggled to speak as his body desperately took in air, “There’s a-”
“I don’t care, Shanks! Ship! Now !”
Still keeping his grip on his collar, Rayleigh pulled back his arm and lobbed Shanks out of the sea and towards the deck of the Oro Jackson. However, Shanks went flying along with the unfortunate merman, who still refused to let go of the treasure he had found.
“What the?”
Rayleigh stared up in disbelief at the bright orange clownfish tail attached to the blue haired boy he had mistakenly flung onto his ship after Shanks.
A merman? And a young one too… Shanks must have been messing around with him.
The two boys landed on the deck in a painful heap, the sword clattering as it hit the wooden floors. Her gold hilt, which had started this whole mess, was jabbing painfully into Shanks’s side.
“Oof!”
“ OWWWWWW !”
A high-pitched yowl of pain shot through Shanks’s ears. Nobody on their ship talked like that, or whined that pathetically. He blearily opened his eyes and looked around, easily landing on the merman Rayleigh had accidentally brought onboard.
The boy had rolled off Shanks after their collision and was rubbing his tail while pouting, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes as he sniffled in apparent pain. All his posturing and predatory snarling was clearly being thrown out the window.
“Owowowow my taaaaaaaaillllll… My perfect tail! It’s going to have a bruise for sure now…”
Shanks was awestruck by the literal fish out of water. Already bright blue hair shone even brighter in the light of the sun, it draped across the boy’s neck and chest, contrasting with his pale skin beautifully. His lips formed an adorable, soft pout, and his cheeks had taken on a rosy hue from all the excitement. His long spindly fingers ran across his tail carefully as he consoled himself, avoiding the supposed ‘bruise’. His orange and white scales practically glowed in the sunlight.
At that moment, Shanks understood the old myths: stories of sailors who drowned to death in pursuit of beautiful mermaids who lured them out to sea.
Buggy brought a hateful glare up to the speechless boy and screeched at him.
“You bastard! Stop staring at me! This is all your fault!”
… Shanks’s fantasy faded slightly.
He leveled the merman with a flat look. “How is it my fault you grabbed onto my sword, huh? If you didn’t want to get cut you shouldn’t have grabbed onto the blade.”
The boy wasn’t pacified by this at all, content to blame the worst day of his life on this stranger.
“If you would have released the treasure to me, I wouldn’t have had to hold on so tight! And it’s your fault I got thrown up here too!”
“No it isn’t! And first of all, why the hell would I ‘release’ my own stuff to you ?!”
“Because-! You-! I-! Hmpf.”
The boy clearly didn’t have a decent argument against this, so he crossed his arms and continued to sulk angrily. Though as he clenched his hand, he winced in pain, finally noticing the gash he had earned himself while holding onto a sword blade as he was thrown out of the water, through the air, and onto a pirate ship.
Shanks saw the red seeping from the merman’s hand, rolling his eyes at the boy’s idiocy.
“Why’d you even go after my sword? You obviously have no idea how to even use it, Stupid.”
He stuck his tongue out at the boy, who held his bleeding hand behind his tail, pouting harder at the insult.
“My name is not ‘Stupid’, it's Buggy! The Great Buggy! And who cares if I can use it or not?”
His eyes darted down to the sword still strapped to Shanks’ side, sparkling almost as much as the gold hilt. A lovestruck grin stretched across his face. If possible, his pupils may have turned into hearts.
“It’s sooooooo shiny! Forget that sharp part or whatever, the gold bit is absolutely gorgeous~”
Buggy giggled to himself as his eyes unfocused, fantasizing about gold and treasure.
Shanks was aghast.
“You... you only care that it’s shiny ??” He asked incredulously.
Buggy stuck his tongue out back at him “ Duh ! Shiny things are life’s greatest treasures! I don’t even want to imagine a world without shiny things!”
He turned and stared off into the ocean as he thought back to a cave he had scoped out back underwater. He often daydreamed about himself filling it with gold and jewels and all sorts of treasures he had collected. It would be undeniably stunning one day, and most importantly, far away from this drab pirate ship with scratchy floors.
Said floors were currently ruining his imagination as they itched at his tail. Buggy’s eyes swept away from the sea and back to the red haired boy. He looked Shanks up and down with disdain, noting the ratty straw hat he had tied around his neck and plain clothing.
“Hmpf.” He scoffed, “I don’t think someone like you would understand.”
In the face of his smug attitude, a vein throbbed on Shanks’s forehead. As a pirate, he was looked down on plenty, but coming from this whiny merman’s big mouth, the insult stung.
“Oh yeah?! Well… Well I live on a pirate ship! So I see plenty of shiny things every day! And I get to steal them too!”
Still laying on the floor, Shanks spread his arms wide as he bragged to Buggy, as if he was describing a treasure trove so vast it would have encompassed more than his entire form.
“Our crew is amazing! Every island we go to they always give us more shiny things than I bet you’ve ever seen in your life!”
Ha! He thought proudly, I showed him ! Where’s that snooty attitude now, huh?
“ Really ?!”
Buggy’s interest in Shanks had skyrocketed. He scooted closer to him eagerly, like a puppy who had just been promised a treat. He leaned his face over Shanks’s, their noses almost touching and his blue hair completely encasing the two.
“You really get to see that many shiny things? Every day ?!”
Shanks felt himself flush at their proximity, completely forgetting why he was annoyed.
Oh wow, that smile makes his face just light up… He’s not so bad when he’s not yelling at me…
“Y-y-yeah! Yeah we do! In fact, there’s an entire room dedicated to holding all our treasure!”
Buggy smiled even wider at this, folding his hands on Shanks’s chest and resting his chin on them as his tail swished in place.
“Show me!” He demanded, “I wanna see the treasure room, Shanks!”
Shanks’s eyes widened as the other boy said his name, surprised he had heard it through the water when Rayleigh was scolding him. Unbeknownst to him, this was the moment he became wrapped around a merman’s finger.
As Rayleigh climbed back aboard the ship to examine the poor merman he had displaced, he was greeted with the sight of Shanks, tearing a chunk off of his sash to wrap around said merman’s apparently bleeding hand. Once he was done, he scooped the clownfish up into his arms. The two of them grinned at each other, then made a mad dash across the ship, disappearing into the storage room.
He scratched his head, “I… guess he’s okay? Little guppy seems right at home with Shanks.” He pinched his brow in fond frustration, “Little punk, making me worry over nothing...”
He shrugged it off and went to find a change of dry clothes, his current ones being dripping wet from his impromptu swim when he thought his young ward was drowning.
Laughter could be heard coming from the room for the next few hours, but the crew unanimously decided to let the boys be. With Shanks being the only child on board, nobody wanted to interrupt his much needed bonding time with others his age.
The two had made a comfortable lounge area for themselves amongst the spoils of the Roger pirates. Shanks sat on the floor, leaning against an old chest he had layered luxurious furs and silks with… questionably fashionable patterns over. He had wrapped himself in a fine black cloak, snuggling up in his comfortable pile of fabrics. He idly examined a set of ornate daggers, tracing his fingers in nonsensical patterns across the various gems embedded in one’s hilt.
Buggy on the other hand, had piled as much gold as he possibly could onto his small body. He wore a gaudy crown on his head, and had stacked a myriad of necklaces, bracelets, and rings on his appropriate limbs. He shimmied the longer necklaces down his torso, and they settled comfortably against his waist, right where his skin ended and his scales began. Once his upper body was sufficiently covered, he had grasped his tail and clasped bracelets around the thinnest part of that too.
After the two boys were their own definitions of ‘comfortable’, they had settled into a friendly conversation. Shanks, it turns out, was a natural at finding new topics to ask the merman, and he loved hearing his new friend’s over-exaggerations and dramatic storytellings.
Seriously, there was no way his tale about splitting himself in half to evade a fearsome predator, then snapping back together and swimming away, was true .
Buggy, naturally, loved talking about himself and relished in the star struck expressions he garnered from Shanks, especially while he was positively dripping in jewels.
But while Shanks was enthralled with learning about life under the sea, Buggy was scheming.
Heh, this little fool, he’s just letting me wear all his shiny things! All I need to do is get back outside and I can hop into the sea and escape!
He looked back to Shanks, trying to not let his face distort into a sinister smirk.
He’ll never see it coming.
“You know, Shanks…” Buggy purred slyly, interrupting their conversation, “I know how to make these even shinier~”
“Really?” Shanks perked up excitedly, “Are you going to like, rub your anti-anemone slime all over them?”
“What?! No!” Buggy snapped, a little offended at the notion.
He quickly recovered, clearing his throat, “They should be outside in the sun! Gold looks its best glittering in the sunshine after all~”
Buggy looked down pitifully at his tail, prepared to lay it on thick, “Oh! But I can’t pull myself across these floors without scraping against my scales… And my poor tail has already been bruised and battered today… Will you carry me to the back of the ship again?”
Shanks rolled his eyes, not falling for the desperate maiden act at all, but still holding his arms out to gather up the merman.
“Don’t act all helpless when you’re just being lazy.” He chided. “Let’s just go outside!”
Buggy made a content sound as he was carried.
Just as planned ~
Shanks managed to stagger to the railing on the back of the ship, Buggy’s weight now much heavier due to his new accessories. As he struggled across the deck, his crew couldn’t help but smile fondly at the display, inwardly cooing at his little grunts of effort.
Buggy grew more and more confident as he got closer to the sea.
Yes, good! The Great Buggy is about to make his biggest heist ever!
The merman was finally set down with a *thud*, his tail flopping around happily as he listened to the sounds of his trinkets clink against each other. He couldn't help but twist and turn in place, genuinely admiring the gleam of the precious metals and stones he was adorned with.
“See?” His voice taking on a softer tone, one of reverence, “I told you they were even prettier in the sun!”
“Yeah, you are- They ! They are! Hahahaha…”
He looked over at Shanks, fully intent to mock him for his slip up, but found himself distracted before he could speak.
Huh… His hair kinda reminds me of an anemone, all those little red tendrils swaying in the breeze… bouncing around as he laughs…
Briefly, a long repressed sense of home and loneliness hit Buggy. Since being separated from his family as a young fry, he hadn't been able to find another proper anemone to settle down in, sticking to prowling around the seaweed forest alone for protection.
He found himself wanting to reach out and run his fingers through the hair, to bury inside it and feel safe.
You know, he looks better in the sun too. Just like treasure…
He cocked his head as he stared intensely at Shanks, who was still trying to play off his awkward laugh.
As the two sat by the edge of the ship secretly admiring each other, neither one noticed the rest of the crew, who were all trying to subtly observe the newest person on board. Most of them were familiar with merfolk, but very few had ever seen a young fry up this close. It helped his case that their collectively adopted child was clearly growing infatuated with the blue haired boy. Roger nudged Rayleigh in the side and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as they watched Shanks stumble his way through his first crush. Crocus just rolled his eyes at the display, muttering to himself about brushing up on his merman anatomy and getting the boy a real bandage for his cut.
“Oh! I know!”
Shanks suddenly perked up, disrupting the tense air. He darted back to the treasure room and snagged the boxed dagger set he had been messing with, extending the ornate container out to Buggy with a bright smile when he returned.
“Here! You should take these!”
Buggy took the box and stared dumbly at it, not quite processing the act.
“You’re giving these to me? But they’re your treasure!”
Crap! Why do I care if it’s his treasure? I’m trying to rob him!
Shanks laughed, climbing onto the railing to sit beside Buggy, “I know! But I want you to have them! You should have some weapons to defend yourself! But…” He looked down at his feet sheepishly, “Are… are they shiny enough? Do you like them?”
Buggy may have been a bit of a loner, he had essentially raised himself away from other merfolk, but he wasn’t stupid, and knew vaguely of their cultural traditions. One of which was, of course, a courting gift: a token of affection given to someone you have romantic interest in, the prettier and more valuable the gift, the deeper the other’s affections ran.
And this offering was both.
Buggy felt his heartbeat start to race, the small organ pounding in his chest.
This boy… Why is he making me feel so… so damn dizzy?! It’s not just the shiny things, they’ve never made me feel this tightness in my chest. It’s something about him .
The young clownfish found himself filled with hope. Not only had someone decided that he was worthy of their attention and affection, he found them interesting as well. He started leaning closer to Shanks, about to exclaim his joy and acceptance of the gift, but halted as he noticed the boy’s legs, which he had been swinging back and forth as he sat with Buggy on the railing.
But… there’s no way Shanks knows what he’s doing. He’s a human! They don't put the same value on things like this. He probably doesn’t mean it… Stupid heart! Stop acting like this is real!
He looked down sadly at his tail, feeling cold and alien next to the human.
There’s just, there’s no way it’s real…
He set the box in his lap and murmured into the ground, refusing to look back up, “I… I need to go. You just don’t… you wouldn’t get it…”
Shanks was incredibly distraught, worried he had committed some taboo against Buggy. He just wanted to give him a gift! Were his affections too strong for the boy? Was he scaring him off?
“What? But… but why? I don’t understand, Buggy! Is it something I did?”
Shanks grabbed Buggy’s forearm, desperate to fix whatever he had done. He lightly pulled the other towards him as he pleaded, causing the merman to jerk his head up in shock.
“I don’t want you to leave yet! You should stay here! With me! Please?”
Quiet gasps could be heard from the crowd of pirates watching the scene.
Buggy’s cheeks nearly matched his nose in redness in the face of Shanks’s pure admiration and affection, the skin almost sizzling, but he was at war with himself, unable to accept Shanks’s words but desperate to do just that. Flustered, he kept a firm grip on the box and pushed the offending object, Shanks, away from his face with his tail, stuttering and snarling out at him.
“N-n-not on your life, jerk!”
With that, Buggy dove back into the sea with a small splash. His orange tail quickly submerging below the waves and out of sight of Shanks and the Roger pirates.
Shanks felt his heart pull at the rejection, wondering if this sensation is what the older crew meant when they spoke of heartbreak during drinking nights. He turned away from the ocean and slumped over, trudging through his equally heartbroken audience back to the main mast solemnly.
Rayleigh leaned over to Roger. “Poor little guy, mermaids are known for being heartbreakers after all.”
Roger laughed heartily at this, slapping him on the back and lifting the mood “Ha, Ha, Ha! Don’t be too sure Rayleigh, Shanks will perk up soon enough.”
The first mate raised an eyebrow, “Oh? And what makes you so sure?”
Roger smirked down at him and the rest of his crew, “Has your observation haki weakened? Surely you feel him too.”
Rayleigh gave a puzzled look and focused his haki. His eyes widened. To his surprise, he could indeed still sense the blue haired merman near their vessel.
He held up a hand to signal that the rest of the Roger pirates should stay quiet, then jerked his head at the rear of the ship to Roger. The two ‘casually’ walked over to the edge of the boat where Buggy had fled, glancing into the water without tilting their heads down.
They were faint, but flashes of orange blinked up at them from just underneath the Oro Jackson.
“He’s… he’s swimming under the boat.” Rayleigh whispered in disbelief. “But mermaids are highly territorial! They don’t like to stray from their birthplaces… Why is this one following us now?”
Roger grinned at him and whispered back, “Come on, Rayleigh. Isn’t it obvious? He’s still being territorial, he just picked us as his new territory!”
He scratched his mustache in thought, “Though whether he’s imprinted on the ship or Shanks I’m not sure…”
Rayleigh glared at Roger, no longer interested in whispering.
“Then why did he make that big fuss if he wasn’t going to leave in the first place?! What a little brat!” Rayleigh huffed as he stormed away from the railing, annoyed. But Roger just smiled, having heard the inklings of fondness in his tone.
Oh yeah, he’s already accepted little Buggy.
He flicked his attention back to the sea, smiling at the orange streaks he could barely make out among the white foam of waves slapping against the ship.
We’ll just have to wait until Shanks notices too, it’ll be a good incentive for him to work on his observation haki! Or until the clownfish wants his attention again and reveals himself, whatever comes first.
He shrugged and started walking back with Rayleigh, smiling excitedly at the rest of the crew and giving two thumbs up, which caused them all the cheer.
Buggy knew he didn’t really have a plan, he was already regretting his parting words to Shanks as he swam around, but he knew he would follow the large boat that Shanks called home, at least until he could sort his heart out and confront the boy once more. As the Oro Jackson indeed began to move, headed towards the next adventure, he kept pace underneath her, clutching his new daggers close to his heart as he pictured the boy who glittered like treasure in the sun.