Super Card System

Ian wasn’t surprised by Buggy’s background exposure.

He was well aware that after the Impel Down riot, the identities of the prisoners who came out with him had been thoroughly investigated by the Marines.

While Buggy was imprisoned, perhaps nobody paid much attention to him, but once he escaped alongside Ian, the Marines would immediately discover, upon checking his background, that he was a hidden big fish.

How deep was the Marines’ aversion to Pirate King Roger? It might be hard to describe, but the fact that even after Roger’s death for over twenty years, the Marines hadn’t given up on tracing his bloodline showed a lot.

To the Marines, anyone connected to Roger was a subject of concern. Even Rayleigh, had he not lived in seclusion and appeared indifferent to worldly affairs, might have been ordered to be captured long ago by those in command if they knew he existed.

So, when they found out that Buggy, despite his deep and powerful background, was acting so low-key, the Marines couldn’t sit idly by. They suspected Buggy might be up to something and, out of caution, exposed him, considering him one of the masterminds behind the prison break, just like Ian.

If Sengoku knew that Buggy’s low profile was because he had been searching for “Captain John’s Treasure” all along, rather than plotting something in secret as he imagined, it’s hard to say what his expression would be like at that time…

However, Ian wouldn’t expose Buggy. After all, these backgrounds were indeed facts for Buggy.

So, instead, Ian added fuel to the fire and said, “Hey, Buggy, looks like you can’t hide anymore. You’re going to be famous!”

“No… no!” Buggy hurriedly explained to everyone, in a fluster. He didn’t want the Marines to focus on him because it meant danger.

But his explanation was futile at this moment. Ian’s words indirectly confirmed that everything in the newspaper was true. The prisoners knew that Buggy and Ian were acquainted, old friends even. Didn’t Ian refer to him as an “old friend” when he saw Buggy in prison?

So, at this moment, all the prisoners stared at Buggy with gaping mouths, unbelieving.

Then Ian said, “Oh, by the way, Buggy, I met Uncle Rayleigh some time ago, and he mentioned you!”

“Huh!? You met Uncle Rayleigh!? How’s he doing?” Buggy, caught off guard, asked excitedly.

As soon as these words came out, a weapon held by one of the prisoners fell to the ground with a clatter.

“Th-they’re not talking about Rayleigh, the Dark King Rayleigh, right!?” The prisoners asked, trembling with fear. “Is he really a member of the legendary pirate crew?”

“This… this is too shocking!” One prisoner said dumbfoundedly. “I never thought that Impel Down would be holding so many big figures…”

For a moment, the prisoners began to regard Buggy as a figure on par with Crocodile and Jinbe, akin to a Shichibukai-level character. Even Crocodile himself was quite surprised. He had always thought of Buggy, the red-nosed guy, as nothing more than a jokester. He never expected him to have such an astonishing background.

At this moment, Buggy also snapped out of his daze. He felt like he had been tricked by Ian and quickly waved his hands at everyone, saying, “W-wait a minute! While it’s true, don’t put such a big label on me! How am I supposed to navigate my pirate life from now on!?”

But then Ian put his arm around Buggy’s shoulder, embracing him without hesitation, and whispered in his ear, “Hey, Buggy, don’t rush to explain. Let me ask you, do you want to become a Shichibukai?”

“S-Shichibukai?” Buggy was instantly stunned.

“That’s right!” Ian nodded and whispered softly, “You see, my Shichibukai title has already been revoked, and the same goes for Crocodile and Jinbe. Plus, with the earlier deprived of Doflamingo, that leaves four vacancies among the Shichibukai. The Marines will definitely try to fill those gaps. In my opinion, you have a very good chance of receiving an invitation!”

“R-really?” Buggy widened his eyes, looking at Ian in disbelief.

“Of course it’s true!” Ian nodded. “Because of your background, even though the Marines will see you as an enemy, at the same time, if they find they can’t deal with you, they’ll try to recruit you. That’s how I became a Shichibukai, believe me?”

“But… but I don’t even have a pirate ship anymore, and my crew is a bunch of idiots!” Buggy said dishearteningly. “How can a pirate crew like that stand up to the Marines?”

“That’s why,” Ian said with a smile, “this time, going to the battlefield with me is an opportunity for you! Your background is a valuable asset. When the time comes, I’ll allow you to take some of these prisoners with you and form your own crew. Then you won’t have to worry, right?”

Ian’s words filled Buggy with excitement, but given his past experiences of being tricked by Ian, he remained cautious. “Are you really going to help me like this?”

“What are you saying…” Ian said with a straight face. “Of course… it’s not like I’m helping you for nothing!”

However, upon hearing Ian’s assurance, Buggy relaxed a bit. “That’s great, then. Just tell me what you want in return!”

“I don’t need anything too bothersome, don’t worry!” Ian said with a smile. “After you become a Shichibukai, you’ll definitely have contact with the Marines. When they have any movements or plans, you’ll need to find a way to pass that information to me!”

Yes, that’s Ian’s goal. He may have been stripped of his Shichibukai title, but he still needs to have a presence within the Marines. While Kuina can occasionally pass on information to Ian, her identity is inconvenient. With Buggy, however, there wouldn’t be any issues. Even if the Marines found out, it wouldn’t matter much because Buggy was originally a pirate.

Ian had already figured out that if he could lift Buggy up to the position of Shichibukai, he could then have him pay attention to the situation within the Marine Science Unit. Ian wanted to find out what happened to Uncle Kuma in the end.

Developing Buggy into his own informant, and at the level of a Shichibukai informant at that, felt exhilarating no matter how he thought about it. Didn’t Kaido work with Doflamingo in the same way?

Although their collaboration was for evil purposes…

At this moment, Buggy was truly moved. After hearing Ian’s terms, he thought carefully and found that it wasn’t anything extraordinary. He could totally do it. Immediately, he looked at Ian and said, “Deal!”

“That’s great, my friend!” Ian said satisfactorily. “Rest assured, I’ll find a way to give you opportunities to shine. By then, you’ll become someone everyone looks up to!”

“Hahaha!” Buggy laughed heartily. After his change of heart, he stood with his hands on his hips and laughed heartily, then, with an air of sophistication, stroked his chin and addressed the prisoners present, “Well, it seems I can’t hide it anymore… That’s right, I was a crew member on the Pirate King Roger’s ship, and Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, is my sworn brother! Ah, those were the days, fighting alongside Captain Roger and Vice Captain Rayleigh…”

“Whoa!” The prisoners gasped in shock, then erupted into a chorus of uproar.

Hearing Buggy’s admission firsthand, the prisoners finally understood why the Marines singled him out while others were not mentioned. It seemed like this was indeed true. Didn’t Ian just have his arm around Buggy’s shoulder, displaying the demeanor of lifelong friends?

At that moment, Buggy’s reputation among the prisoners soared…

And his crew members from the Buggy Pirates only now realized the true extent of their captain’s background. Cabaji and Mohji, among others, fell to their knees before Buggy, tears streaming down their faces, filled with gratitude and worship, swearing allegiance to him for life…

Ian smiled contentedly as he watched Buggy address the prisoners, pleased with the outcome. Meanwhile, Crocodile whispered behind him, “Looks like you’ve gained another pawn…”

“Can’t put it that way; it’s just a mutual exchange!” Ian retorted without even looking back. “Just because we don’t care about the Shichibukai title doesn’t mean others don’t, right?”

Crocodile chuckled coldly and fell silent.

At that moment, the bay was suddenly shrouded in shadow. Looking up, Ian saw a massive cloud looming overhead, blocking out the sunlight and casting a vast shadow.

With his keen eyesight, Ian vaguely saw the colorful balloons beneath the cloud, a smile creeping onto his face.

“It’s finally here, my Sky Island!…”

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