“Which one of you hired the circus?”
Before long, a circus setup had already been erected on the open ground at the entrance to Cocoyasi Village.
Cabaji rode a unicycle along a tightly strung steel rope, while Mohji cracked his whip, directing Richie beside him to leap through several flaming hoops in succession.
Buggy himself directly used the powers of the Chop-Chop Fruit to perform tricks such as the magic box, human cannonball, and many other acts.
The rest of his underlings served as assistants, and they had even picked out someone eloquent to act as the host.
“Next up! The great Captain… Ringmaster Buggy will personally perform the flying trapeze! Everyone, please give him a round of applause!”
Ever since Shanks had “tricked” him into eating this Devil Fruit, this was the first time Buggy felt that the Chop-Chop Fruit could be so useful.
But this uninvited circus puzzled Arlong. He did not remember inviting any circus troupe to perform.
Buggy’s bounty of seven million Berry was simply too insignificant in the eyes of the Ryugu Kingdom.
Fire a random shot in the New World, and you’ll blast out several people with bounties of millions of Berries; coupled with how quickly Buggy worked with his hands, Arlong genuinely had not realized these people were actually pirates.
“No idea, Boss Arlong. They suddenly appeared offshore and said they came here to perform. Their skills seem pretty good, though?”
“Mm, it really is. Having a permanent circus at the amusement park might not be a bad idea. Once they finish performing, have a proper talk with them and see if they’re interested in cooperating.”
Since he had already experienced—no, inspected—all the amusement attractions in advance, Arlong had come over near the circus and was now watching Buggy and the others perform. He had even begun considering a partnership.
If they wanted to surpass Sabaody Archipelago’s Bubble Park, they had to come up with things that place did not have. Buggy’s circus performance had received a pretty good response, and in Arlong’s eyes, this was an opportunity.
Of course, Buggy had no idea what Arlong was thinking. At this moment, his face was plastered with a businesslike smile, and he had completely immersed himself in the role of a clown.
Perhaps because he was worried about being recognized, Buggy had applied his face paint even more heavily than usual, making it look almost like a mask made of paint.
The performance went on for a long time. Only after Buggy and the others had run through all the common acts did they finally stop for an intermission.
As the curtains of the circus tent temporarily closed, one of the underlings came over to Buggy carrying the Berry the spectators had given as tips.
“Captain Buggy, these people seem pretty rich. Looks like we can make a huge profit!”
“Idiot! We’re only here to perform circus acts!”
Buggy was still lying in his chair, but his right hand held a folding fan that he repeatedly smacked the underling with, as though punishing him for saying something he should not have.
“Huh? Captain Buggy, didn’t you sneak in here disguised as a circus troupe just to size these people up?”
Quite a few of the other underlings nodded as well. They had all assumed Buggy had come with that goal in mind, but judging from his behavior, it seemed he genuinely wanted to perform as a circus.
That completely contradicted the impression Buggy had always given them. As far as they knew, Buggy was an extremely cruel pirate who never thought twice about things like bombarding towns.
Combined with his ability to ignore slashing attacks, Buggy had a powerful and terrifying image in their minds. Yet now he had suddenly discovered his conscience and come here to put on a free performance?
If the spectators had not tipped them a bit of spending money, they really would have been working for free.
“Boys, I’m doing this for your own good. See that statue on the mountain? Even in the New World, that man is a famous big shot.
You younger guys might not recognize him, but among pirates of the older generation, there isn’t a single one who hasn’t heard of his fearsome reputation.
With one punch, he can destroy an entire island, and he himself is an undying monster!
He’s the king of Fishman Island. Didn’t you also see those people in the audience who looked like Fish-Men?
This is his territory. Offending him won’t do us any good.”
Buggy counted his “tips.” As someone who loved treasures, he likewise could not resist the temptation of Berry; there was no way he would give back the money he had earned through such humiliating work.
“So that’s how it is? Captain Buggy, I never expected you to know such an incredible big shot.”
The words sounded like praise for Buggy’s extensive knowledge and experience, but to Buggy’s ears, something about them just didn’t feel quite right.
“Hmph. Back in the day, I was a member of the Roger Pirates. I followed Captain Roger and—”
Perhaps because he had spent too long performing circus acts, Buggy casually blurted out his identity from back then, but quickly stopped himself.
That was one of his secrets, and he had no intention of telling these people about it. In the original timeline, if Sengoku had not directly revealed Buggy’s former identity, most people would have simply regarded him as an ordinary pirate.
It was precisely because those words had been spoken personally by the Marine Fleet Admiral that they carried extraordinary credibility. Yet now, when Buggy casually revealed the truth, his underlings actually did not believe him and even burst out laughing.
“Captain Buggy really does have a talent for comedy!”
“Hahaha, exactly! How could Captain Buggy possibly have served aboard the Pirate King’s ship?”
Among the pirates in the Four Seas who had once seen Roger, by now they were either dead, retired, or imprisoned in Impel Down. Those who were still active were all major figures in the New World.
To ordinary pirates, Roger was an exceedingly mysterious, powerful, and heroic figure. They had embellished the Pirate King they admired with all sorts of idealized qualities.
If the current Buggy were placed aboard Roger’s ship, he would only be regarded as a stain on its reputation, so naturally no one believed him.
Although his underlings’ disbelief made Buggy breathe a sigh of relief, it still annoyed him greatly. He had several throwing knives pinched between his fingers and was just about to lose his temper when Arlong pushed open the door and walked in with several people.
“What are you doing?”
“We… were just about to practice blindfolded knife throwing for the next performance!”
Looking at the throwing knives in his hand, Buggy instantly came up with a reasonable explanation. His underlings immediately understood and quickly set up the props.
Although they did not believe Buggy had once been a member of the Pirate King’s crew, if even Buggy feared these opponents, then they definitely could not beat them. At a time like this, they just had to follow Buggy’s orders.
“You really are dedicated. Our amusement park doesn’t have a professional clown. Interested in staying? We can negotiate the pay.”
“Ahem… well, we like seeing the scenery in different places, so we don’t plan on staying in one place for long.”
Seeing Arlong trying to tie him down to his “clown” identity, Buggy hurriedly refused. He still had treasures to search for and had no intention of spending the rest of his life holed up in Cocoyasi.
“What a shame. If you change your mind, you can contact me again. This is my Den Den Mushi number.
“If nothing else, at least in East Blue, I can make sure you can earn money in peace.”
“Of course, of course.”
Buggy smilingly saw Arlong off and made up his mind that the moment night fell, he would leave this place immediately and never come anywhere near Cocoyasi again!
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