Chapter 352: Trouble in Buggy’s Stronghold

“What on earth are you guys wearing?”

“Are you auditioning for some kind of circus act?”

Ye Fan had always trusted Luffy and Zoro.

After all, they were the ones who took down the Buggy Pirates right from the start.

But when he finished gathering supplies and returned, all he saw were Luffy and Zoro tied up in the middle of the square— in the most humiliating pose possible.

The only small mercy was that, even though they were tied up in the plaza, there weren’t many pirates stationed around as guards.

Of course, Ye Fan had already knocked out two pirates at his feet. No need to pay them any mind.

If some gym bros from the city saw how these two were trussed up, they’d be blinded by the spectacle!

“Where did Nami go?”

“Mmmph! Mmmph!”

“Oh, right, whoops— forgot your mouths are sealed.”

Ye Fan ignored the furious glares Luffy and Zoro shot his way.

You could hardly blame him for forgetting. He honestly never thought these two would get beaten by Buggy. Did Buggy actually try this time?

“Ah, thank goodness! We’re saved!”

Freed at last, Luffy wasted no time stretching his arms right there on the spot. “I’ll never forgive that guy!”

Glaring at Luffy’s furious expression, Ye Fan suddenly noticed his straw hat was missing.

“Yeah, that guy’s the real deal this time. We can’t let our guard down.”

As soon as Zoro’s ropes were off, he rubbed his sore and aching limbs before grabbing his three swords and slipping them back onto his waist.

Something about all of this just felt off.

Did Buggy really level up somehow? He wasn’t this strong in the original, was he?

“Nami’s been captured. I’m not taking any more chances today.”

Luffy swung his left shoulder a little, eyes locked on a house at the edge of the square.

Without warning, he stretched out his right hand toward the building and grabbed both Ye Fan and Zoro with his left.

“Nani?!”

With a startled shout, the three of them soared through the air straight at that house.

Ye Fan quickly realized Luffy’s moves seemed familiar— so this was that signature move!

Crash!

They landed right through the roof, coming down smack in front of an iron cage— and inside, Nami was locked up.

Buggy gaped at the sudden visitors, pointing a finger right at Luffy. “Nani? How did you escape?! And— who are you?”

Judging by the scene, this was the middle of a banquet, and the trio had made their grand arrival right in the center of the feast.

“You really don’t want to know,” Ye Fan replied, letting a wave of intimidation radiate from him— focused entirely on Buggy.

That sudden pressure left Buggy stunned for a moment. It was weirdly familiar, like something he’d sensed before.

But his old acquaintances should all be in the New World, right? He’d never heard of anyone like this lurking around East Blue.

“The fight’s only just begun.”

While Buggy was frozen in shock, Luffy had already set up for his attack.

“Gum-Gum Pistol!”

Boom!

Luffy’s stretching fist hammered Buggy’s cheek and sent him flying out of the building.

“Zoro, Ye Fan— I’m leaving this to you!”

“Got it— leave it to us, Captain Luffy.”

With a nod, Luffy scooped up his straw hat from where Buggy had fallen, put it on, and ran out through the hole in the wall.

“You dare mess with the Buggy Pirates? Tired of living, are you?”

“Get them, boys!”

The moment Luffy left, the pirates in the hall snapped to their senses, drawing swords and storming at Ye Fan and Zoro.

“Don’t expect me to hold back to protect you in this fight,” Zoro said, blades flashing out— even biting down on one in his mouth.

Truth be told, Zoro had never seen Ye Fan fight, so he was genuinely concerned whether Ye Fan could handle this.

“Don’t worry— I’m a lot stronger than I look.”

“Besides, I’m a pro!”

Ye Fan caught Zoro’s hint of concern immediately, giving him a confident thumbs-up.

“Aaaah!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The two of them were soon locked in a chaotic brawl with the surrounding pirates.

Zoro’s moves just kept getting flashier— one moment a Three-Sword Style whirlwind, the next a Lion’s Song slash. Maybe out of everyone in the main crew, Zoro’s got the most expensive battle effects!

With Zoro clearly having a blast, Ye Fan quietly slipped away from the chaos and found the key to Nami’s cage.

“You two are supposed to be geniuses— how’d you get captured this easily?”

Watching as Ye Fan worked on the lock, Nami sighed. “Who could’ve guessed Buggy would suddenly be this strong?”

“He whipped out some weird item that took Luffy out instantly.”

“Then he used that bizarre power, splitting his body and completely trapping Zoro.”

“Just like that, the three of us got caught.”

So it was Seastone.

Only Seastone could rob a Devil Fruit user like Luffy of his strength so completely.

And as for Zoro, guess he learned firsthand how to deal—or not deal—with Devil Fruit powers.

After all, Buggy’s splitting trick is the perfect counter for a swordsman.

He could turn his body into ribbons, wrapping Zoro up tight. With his hidden strength, there’s no way Zoro could’ve broken free right now.

With Nami’s explanation, it was no wonder they’d all been captured.

“Alright— let’s get out of here.”

As Ye Fan spoke, he had already freed Nami from the cage.

Boom!

Just as Ye Fan opened the cage, Luffy came crashing in from outside, slamming into the bars and warping the whole thing out of shape.

“You’ve got guts, showing your faces here!”

“Do you have any idea who I am?”

Buggy strutted through the doorway, full of swagger.

“What, you didn’t know I practice martial arts?”

“Are you always this reckless, or just today?”

Listening to Buggy’s speech, Ye Fan couldn’t help but cover his face.

Honestly, this was all his fault. This script was supposed to be famous over in the New World.

It was only because of Ye Fan’s own memories that he’d managed to re-enact a few classic movie and anime scenes here.

But those were only widespread in the New World. Turns out, Buggy had his secrets.

He even had connections with the New World. If Ye Fan remembered right, that movie only got popular in recent years.

“Guess we both learned from the same master. No breaking these moves.”

“How about we try something different?”

With that, Ye Fan showed off the opening stance of the Eight-Level Fist.

“What— How do you know that move? Who are you?!”

Buggy was stunned that someone could play along with his banter. After all, this script never showed up in a backwater place like East Blue.

But then that hand gesture— even more shocking. If memory served, only people under Karl’s command ever learned moves like that. So who exactly was this young man?

No way!

Buggy’s expression turned grim, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

That intimidating pressure from earlier— It had to be coming from this guy. And with all these connections piling up, could it be…

In the end, Buggy’s gaze shifted to Luffy. Looked like Luffy was someone’s pawn all along.

The pieces suddenly fell into place— and Buggy let his stored power surge.

“Gum-Gum Rocket!”

Back on his feet, Luffy ignored everything else and charged straight at Buggy, fists smashing down with everything he had.

But this time, Buggy didn’t resist. He stood motionless as Luffy’s attack sent him flying.

“What? How… How can this be?”

“Quick, go find the captain!”

A panicked shout from one of the pirates snapped the rest out of their daze.

Clutching their swords warily, they crept out of the hall and dashed off after Buggy.