Chapter 260: The Cooperation of the Clown and the Sand Crocodile

Cloaked in a great cape, cigar clamped between his teeth, Crocodile cast a sidelong glance at Buggy, who—like the Heavenly Yaksha—had already been stripped of his Celestial Dragon status.

The reason was,

after returning to Mariejois, Buggy had secretly worked in concert with his own pirate crew from the inside to steal gold and jewels from the Celestial Dragons' secret vault.

And, quite by accident, he had sold an artifact extremely important to the World Government—something tied to a secret from eight hundred years ago—to the Samsara Game.

Once discovered, he fled together with his pirate crew.

In the end, he was stripped of his Celestial Dragon identity and hunted by the God's Knights.

After many twists and turns,

he fled to this island, where Crocodile—who had been keeping a close eye on world affairs—discovered him.

"Does it concern you, Crocodile? You want to go against me too?"

Buggy was draped in a red bedsheet, his four limbs spread out to prop it up, making him look as towering as a Giant.

He stared at Crocodile with a savage grin,

Having exchanged the stolen Celestial Dragon treasures for Reward Points, Buggy was now undeniably one of the top players among the first-tier crowd.

A mere Crocodile—he feared him not at all.

"Are you looking to die?"

At the side, the utterly loyal Mr. 1 Dazi Bonisi frowned deeply, very displeased with Buggy's attitude.

His arms gradually transformed into Blades, wreathed in faint red flames.

This was a game ability he had exchanged for,

the top-tier martial art from the wuxia world, Shaolin Temple's 【Burning Wood Blade Technique】.

Although it was only Green quality, he had already leveled it up to Lv. 19; when swung, it could cut through even a body protected by Armament Haki.

"Mohji, teach him some manners."

On the second floor of the circus tent, Vice Captain Mohji, leaning against the railing, suddenly whistled.

Only to see,

the lion Liji, who had been lazily coiled at his feet, suddenly leap down into the center of the enormous tent.

Purple flames blazed,

and in an instant, Liji became a massive lion wreathed in Purple flames.

On its back grew a pair of narrow Purple wings, as though crafted from crystal-clear crystal—exquisitely perfect.

"Understood, Captain Buggy!"

Mohji sneered coldly and said: "I spent fifty thousand Reward Points to buy the companion Purple Crystal Source from beside the Amethyst Winged Lion King in 【Dou Qi Continent】, and fed it to my Liji."

"The current Liji wields a faint Purple Flame power; against your Blade-Blade Fruit, it can melt you straight down into molten iron!"

The current Buggy Pirates,

although being hunted by the God Clan and in a sorry state, were equally flush with cash.

They were no longer the small pirate crew that could be pushed around at will; even across the entire Pirate World, one could be called Lord Buggy.

"Hold it, Bonis, put away your Blades—we're not here to fight!"

Crocodile's gaze fell on that Purple-Flame lion, then shifted to Buggy in the seat of honor,

and suddenly he laughed,

The richer the Buggy Pirates were, the better—it proved his judgment had been right.

"Out with it, Crocodile. What did you come running here to do with me?"

Seeing Crocodile's accommodating attitude, Buggy was very pleased; he waved his hand, signaling Liji to stand down.

"Mr. Buggy."

Crocodile didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point: "When hunting the Soul Snatching Envoy's last life, the Buggy Pirates should have been under pursuit, so you didn't get a Family Token—not even a fragment, right?"

At the time, although the players were in utter chaos,

the Soul Snatching Envoy in its last life was at its strongest state, and most players simply couldn't get close to the Soul Snatching Hall.

The first-tier players were all renowned figures on the seas.

Therefore, after snatching a Family Token, Crocodile had deliberately noted down the forces that hadn't joined the hunt, intending to approach them afterward.

After much deliberation,

the Buggy Pirates were the best choice for cooperation.

Before Buggy could speak, Crocodile had already stated the purpose of his visit: "To be frank with you, I have one complete Family Token, which can directly establish a clan."

"But I lack sufficient assets, so I hope to cooperate with Mr. Buggy."

Originally, he would never have been short on money,

regarded as a hero of Alabasta by everyone, holding the Seven Warlords of the Sea's license to legally plunder, running Baroque Works—every day, a steady stream of assets flowed in.

He had never once worried about money.

But now,

the Alabasta Family, led by Vivi, had driven him out, and Baroque Works had been wiped out.

Only a handful of loyal employees remained.

The Suna Suna no Mi's ability, in a desert nation like Alabasta, could be called the ultimate trump card.

However,

the Alabasta Family's crest, which controlled quicksand, when gathered by several hundred people, could actually surpass the Suna Suna no Mi.

If only he had known,

he should have transferred his assets out first; he wouldn't have fallen to such a state.

"You have a Family Token?"

Buggy's eyes suddenly widened,

Crocodile's guess was correct—the Buggy Pirates had indeed missed the operation to hunt the Soul Reapers because they were fleeing the God Clan's pursuit.

So they failed to seize a Family Token, and until now had never founded a family.

He wasn't short on money—he was short on tokens!

"Of course."

Crocodile extended his palm, a faint white light flickering on,

a palm-sized Family Token hovering within his palm, slowly spinning.

Drawing Buggy's gaze.

After a moment, Buggy laughed loudly: "What kind of cooperation did you have in mind?"

Crocodile also laughed, saying: "It's a cooperation between the Buggy Pirates and Baroque Works—we form an Alliance and jointly found a family."

"Who becomes Clan Head?"

Buggy asked the critical question.

In the Samsara Game's Family System, the Clan Head's authority was enormous—embedding and upgrading the Family Badge, using Reward Points, researching skills, and so on all required the Clan Head's decision.

"You take it."

Crocodile said without hesitation: "Since I'm the one coming to find the Buggy Pirates, it shows I'm in the weaker position—the weak have no right to choose."

"After the family is founded, the first thing I hope for is to oppose the Alabasta Family, to find an opportunity to declare war!"

"Furthermore, I need one hundred and fifty thousand Reward Points!"

At this point,

a hint of vexation finally surfaced on Crocodile's calm expression.

A plan painstakingly cultivated over several years, shattered just like that by Vivi—this grievance no one could swallow.

He would take back everything that belonged to him.

"Hold on a moment."

Buggy pondered slightly, both hands resting on the second-floor railing,

a red bedsheet hanging like a curtain, blocking the Buggy Pirates behind it.

Alvida, Mohji, Ka Ba Ji and the others exchanged glances, squeezed together with Buggy, stuck out their rear ends, and whispered back and forth.

Very quickly,

their conclusion reached consensus, because none of them could think of any more critical content.

But one thing was certain—even the scheming Crocodile could not violate the Samsara Game's rules.

As long as Captain Buggy became Clan Head, he couldn't stir up any waves.

"Very well, I accept your proposal."

The red bedsheet dropped down,

Buggy still carried that great pirate's presence, nodding lightly.

(End of this chapter)