Chapter 27: The Instantly Fulfilled Prophecy

"Captain Buggy!" Mokey shouted loudly, "That guy is a pirate hunter who wants to cash in our heads!" "We should hurry and raise the sail and escape with the wind!" Though Mokey said this, his hands were already working hard in the sea, rowing with all his strength; his pet lion, Richie, was also energetically helping its master paddle.

"But..." Buggy said, utterly conflicted, "My foot is in his hands. If I move more than two hundred meters away, I can't move at all..."

"Captain Buggy!" Cabaji said earnestly, "I have a solution."

"What is it?" Buggy asked, his face showing a hint of delight.

Cabaji slowly drew his katana. "Just amputate it."

"Brilliant!" Buggy slapped his thigh in excitement, then suddenly realized, "If we cut off the leg, that foot will no longer count as a part of my body! That way, I can move freely!"

It was as if he had opened the door to a new world, gaining a novel understanding of his Devil Fruit powers. Cabaji’s blade, gleaming coldly, quietly approached Buggy’s calf...

"Um..." Buggy stared in shock for a long while before finally regaining his composure. "Damn it! That’s my leg!"

"Master Buggy!" Cabaji urged in a deep voice, "If we cut it now, we lose only a foot. If that pirate hunter boards our ship, we'll lose three lives!"

"Roar, roar, roar~" Richie, the lion, howled tearfully, reminding everyone that more than three lives were at stake.

Buggy fell into even greater turmoil. He had already lost his ship, lost his crew, lost his treasured hoard of many years, and lost the carefully crafted formula for Buggy Balls—he really didn’t want to lose a leg as well...

But given the circumstances, it seemed he had no choice but to sacrifice his limb for survival.

"Captain Buggy!" Mokey glanced back at Garen and his companions, who were steadily closing in from behind, and added his voice to the persuasion. "If we don’t raise the sail and escape now, it’ll be too late!"

Buggy looked around at his mere two... three remaining subordinates, and finally, with immense reluctance, said, "For everyone’s safety... Do it!"

Resigned, Buggy clenched his fists, his conspicuous red nose trembling uncontrollably.

"Captain Buggy!" Cabaji was moved to tears. "This life-saving sacrifice will forever be remembered!"

Mokey and Richie held each other tightly, watching Buggy sob with his head in his hands. The tiny lifeboat was suddenly filled with a melancholy and noble atmosphere, and Buggy's heart was full of pain: Would he, Buggy the Clown, become a cripple from now on?

Cabaji gripped the sword tightly, raising the blade to Buggy’s calf...

Boom, boom—

A massive wave of sound swept across the sky, abruptly interrupting the impending tragedy.

"Huh?" Buggy paused, then tracked the trajectory of the cannonball with his gaze.

Garen, busily rowing after the lifeboat, stopped in astonishment, his expression turning inexplicably bitter and angry. "Seriously? Again? I’ve already abandoned ship and fled, and the cannonball still lands on my head?"

To strike such a small, rapidly moving target from a distance invisible to the naked eye, that unassuming solid cannonball must be equipped with global positioning, inertial navigation, visual imaging, infrared guidance—a combination of navigation systems, perhaps even attitude control computers and internal propulsion devices.

Garen’s understanding of the world's advanced technology became even more shaken.

But there was no time to hesitate. He instantly activated [Deadly Strike] and [Courage], leaping from the broken wood and colliding head-on with the incoming cannonball.

Garen managed to slash the cannonball down, but still couldn’t escape the enormous recoil, once again crashing heavily from mid-air.

Last time he had the broken hull to catch him; this time, Garen plunged straight into the sea.

A spray of water erupted, and Garen vanished without a trace.

Meanwhile, on the nearby lifeboat, Buggy quickly began to experience weakness and loss of power, a sign his abilities had failed.

"He and my foot fell into the sea together!" Buggy’s survival instinct flared instantly, and he excitedly shouted to his two subordinates, "Now’s your chance! Go grab that pirate hunter’s companions and take them hostage!"

"If we have hostages, we just might get away safely!"

"Alright!" Cabaji immediately withdrew his blade from Buggy’s leg and prepared to head back and attack.

If there was a chance, he preferred not to sacrifice his captain’s leg.

Mokey gritted his teeth, tossing aside the untied sail rope. "Richie, let’s go!"

Richie the lion was reluctant, but Mokey kicked him into the water and, together with Cabaji, mounted Richie’s broad back.

"Roar, roar, roar~" Richie gave two mighty roars to bolster his courage, then swiftly carried the two toward Nami and Wallace nearby.

"Garen?!" Seeing their formidable foes approach, Nami’s face showed a hint of panic, and she instinctively called out Garen’s name.

Unconsciously, after years of struggling for survival on her own, Nami had gradually grown accustomed to Garen’s help and protection.

But this time, Garen did not resurface.

Cabaji and Mokey, riding on Richie’s back—one wielding a katana, the other brandishing a beast whip—had already revealed their menacing intent.

"Damn..."

Nami glanced toward the spot where Garen had fallen into the sea, then looked at the boxes of treasure at her feet. Without hesitation, she picked up her staff for self-defense, steeling herself to face the approaching enemies.

Wallace placed the box containing his manuscripts and camera at his feet, inconspicuously breaking off a plank from the wreckage beneath him and gripping it tightly.

With two fierce enemies and a snarling lion about to close in on the two weak fighters, Nami and Wallace, Garen’s voice suddenly rang out across the sea:

"Stop! Or your captain is dead!"

Richie’s movements abruptly halted; Cabaji and Mokey, unable to reach their targets, were forced to stop midway.

They turned to look:

Unbeknownst to them, Garen was now standing on the lifeboat; their captain, Buggy, left alone on the boat, had a massive, coldly gleaming broadsword pressed tightly against his neck.

Wearing heavy armor, Garen found it difficult to float in the water, but powered himself forward by kicking forcefully beneath the surface. Thanks to his tireless, digitized body, he could paddle endlessly without fatigue; combined with his formidable physical strength, Garen moved quite swiftly through the water.

When he fell from mid-air into the sea, his unharmed body recovered quickly from the impact. To seize the lifeboat, Garen quietly approached from underwater, finally capturing both the boat and the weakened Buggy.

Faced with this sudden reversal, Mokey and Cabaji were caught in a dilemma. They couldn’t quickly subdue Nami and Wallace, while Garen could take their captain’s life at any moment.

"Damn..."

Buggy was once again plunged into despair. "Why can’t I move yet?"

"Oh..." Garen explained with a smile, "I left your foot in the sea. Forgot to bring it up."

"You!" Buggy’s big red nose swelled even more with rage.

The broadsword pressed against his throat silently pushed down another few millimeters...

Buggy dared not utter another word, his expression twisted as he silently lamented his fate.

Garen, meanwhile, was feeling much more at ease. Despite the many twists and turns, he had finally regained absolute control of the situation.

With a relaxed smile, he calmly faced Cabaji and Mokey.

"Surrender!" Garen shouted loudly. "You won’t escape this time!"

No sooner had he spoken...

Garen sensed the sunlight behind him suddenly dim.

A gigantic shadow enveloped the entire sea.

Garen turned around in astonishment, only to see a massive ship, as tall as a mountain, anchored firmly behind him.

Dense, terrifying rows of cannon muzzles, endless sails blocking out the sky, and a strange smoke rising from the huge vessel, flowing in a bizarre manner straight toward Garen’s lifeboat.

"I..." Garen stared at the towering ship, murmuring to himself, "I’ll never jinx myself again..."