Chapter 4: Two Years Later!
As he walked, Buggy summarized his gains from the past two years. Undoubtedly, the biggest gain was mastering [Moon Walk]. Of course, this was also because he had focused his efforts on mastering [Moon Walk].
However, mastering it was one thing; how long he could sustain it was another. Then there was the cultivation of Eight Extremities Fist and the research into meditation; there were still many things to do.
Even Buggy himself didn't know how many goals he could achieve by the time he left Distan.
I'll do my best; the rest can only come slowly. After all, I can't stay here forever. Three years at most, and I should set off. Training is important, but I can't neglect finding companions either.
Following a path that was now quite familiar, Buggy moved quickly through the primeval forest. A week later, Buggy emerged from the primeval forest and could already see the town in the distance.
Entering the town directly, Buggy went to the shop that purchased furs.
"Isn't this Buggy? You're half a month later than usual. Has the harvest been poor recently?" A chubby shop owner greeted Buggy enthusiastically as soon as he saw him enter and asked with concern.
"It's nothing, I just got delayed looking for wild Celestial Fragrance in the forest," Buggy naturally wouldn't tell him that he had forgotten the usual trading time because of his training.
"Oh, so what was the result? If you found any, I can buy it at market price. No need for you to run to other shops," the chubby owner immediately pressed.
"How could it be that easy? You know it too. Apart from the areas guarded by established forces, even if there's wild Celestial Fragrance elsewhere, it can't be much. Besides, there are killer bee nests around wild Celestial Fragrance. Compared to finding it, I think not finding it is luckier. Of course, not finding it also brings a sense of unwillingness. It's truly contradictory," Buggy continued to bluff.
"That's true. Not finding it is indeed luckier than finding it. After all, those killer bees are not only terrifying in number but also incredibly venomous. Getting stung a few times would be fatal. If it weren't for the price of Celestial Fragrance, no one would risk their lives searching for it. Let's not talk about other things; let's see the furs you brought this time. I've already prepared the things you wanted. If there are no problems later, we can make the trade, after speaking the chubby owner took the bundle of animal skins from Buggy's hand, opened it, and carefully inspected them.
A while later, Buggy walked out of the shop carrying a large bag.
Not rushing back, Buggy walked towards the nearest tavern. It wasn't that he wanted to have a drink and relax; Buggy just wanted to buy a few apple pies to satisfy his craving and, incidentally, read the newspaper in the tavern to get some news from the Four Seas.
If it were any other place, Buggy definitely wouldn't have such thoughts. However, this small town that produced Celestial Fragrance was different. Caravans from all Four Seas gathered here to purchase Celestial Fragrance. Naturally, as a common gathering place for leisure, the tavern had people from all over.
Pushing open the door of a tavern and walking in, Buggy found that there weren't many people inside. Perhaps because it was still morning, not many people were out.
Putting his bag down, Buggy sat at a seat outside the bar counter.
"Boss, I want two apple pies and today's newspaper," Buggy said as he placed the money on the counter.
Glancing at Buggy, the tavern owner had some impression of this young man who came here every so often. He knew this young man called Buggy was a good hunter; the furs that came from his hands were not only intact but also very well cured.
Taking the money, the owner then turned around and went to the back to get two apple pies.
Grabbing a piece of apple pie from one of the plates, Buggy hadn't even had a chance to open the newspaper the owner brought over when a voice reached his ears.
"Did you hear? About that recent deal with the Terror Bandit Gang?"
"I know, how could I not know? Two Devil Fruits, tsk tsk, the Beks Trading Group from West Blue is truly generous."
"That's a must. Otherwise, why would the Terror Bandit Gang trade with them? You know, the Terror Bandit Gang usually trades with merchant groups from South Blue. If it weren't for the truly tempting things brought by the Beks Trading Group, the fearsome leader probably wouldn't have been moved."
"It is a legendary Devil Fruit, after all. But to exchange it for only 50 grams of Celestial Fragrance seems like a bit of a loss."
"What do you know? Without these things, the Beks Trading Group dreaming of obtaining Celestial Fragrance would be pure fantasy. But the people from West Blue aren't fools either. To pay such a valuable price once, they naturally wouldn't do it for just one trade. I bet the Beks Trading Group definitely has other deals with the Terror Bandit Gang besides Celestial Fragrance, like supply agreements or something. Of course, these are things we wouldn't know."
While eating his apple pie, Buggy was flipping through the newspaper, but his ears were listening to the conversation between the two men nearby.
Devil Fruits, huh?
They've probably been eaten by now. Better not think about snatching them.
After finishing his apple pie, Buggy picked up his package and headed back to his little den.
In the year 1500, when Gol D. Ace was born in the South Blue, Nico Robin in the West Blue became the most wanted criminal under the age of ten with the highest bounty, and Shiki the Golden Lion became the first legend to successfully escape from the underwater prison Impel Down; in Distan, East Blue, at the foot of the Red Line, Buggy was still sweating profusely with enthusiasm, using his shoulders, which had already developed hard muscles, to pour the strength of his body against a section of the mountain wall.
Two years had passed in a flash since he came to this world. If it weren't for the clear dream in his heart, Buggy, who had finally made it to this world, couldn't possibly have stayed cooped up training at the foot of the Red Line until now.
Strength. Buggy understood very well that the pirate world was a world where the strong reigned supreme. Whether it was pirates representing evil or the Marines, the embodiment of justice, they all used their fists to speak. Just like history is written by victors, the pirate world only had distinctions of strong and weak; right and wrong were not as important compared to this.
However, such a world held the most meaning for adventure. Whether one pursued wealth and power, or excitement and novelty, one could find satisfaction in this world. As long as one had enough strength, wealth, fame, power, and even eternal life were opportunities within reach.
Of course, Buggy, having died once already, wasn't that interested in eternal life. What he currently wanted to pursue was the exhilarating life of roaming free, something he couldn't experience before.
For this, gathering a group of powerful companions was necessary. However, Buggy also knew that to gain the recognition of strong individuals, relying solely on the halo of being a former crewmate of the Pirate King was definitely not enough; his own strength was also essential.
Thump! Another sound. Buggy looked at the mountain wall, which was already full of cracks, and stopped, his eyes wide with shock.
What was that feeling just now?
(End of this chapter)