One Piece: Buggy the Great King of the Sea

After finishing his meal, Buggy watched as Shanks left the room. He didn't say much—his memories had only just finished merging, and he was afraid that saying too much might give something away.

He lay back down. His body hadn't fully recovered yet, and he still felt weak all over. Resting was the best option—it would help him regain strength more quickly.

As he lay there, Buggy began thinking about his future and the path ahead.

The first thing that came to mind was strength. In the world of One Piece, power is everything. Weakness is a sin. If you don't have the strength to protect yourself, you're nothing more than meat on the butcher's block—your life and death at the mercy of others.

And for him, that was a major problem. His original body—this Buggy—was pathetically weak. Years from now, after Shanks became a Yonko, Buggy still couldn't even beat a rookie like Luffy. It was laughable. And right now, he was even weaker than that.

Although Buggy eventually became a Shichibukai and even a Yonko in the original story, it was all thanks to dumb luck and random opportunity. It had nothing to do with real strength.

Before he transmigrated, that was as far as the story had gone. He had no idea if Buggy had hidden strength that just hadn't been revealed yet, or if he truly bumbled his way into power. Either way, it was uncertain, and uncertainty was dangerous.

He wondered if he had the potential to become truly strong. Maybe he could make up for his weakness through clever ideas and relentless training. But the truth was, he had no real confidence. His life in this world had just begun. Who could say what the future held?

The second thing he thought about was: What now? Where does he go from here?

Roger would return soon. The Roger Pirates would disband shortly after. In just over a year, the Pirate King himself would be executed. Around the same time, Shanks would set out on his journey.

That would mark the beginning of a chaotic, opportunity-filled era—a time when the power structure of the seas would be completely reshuffled. If he wanted to stand a chance in this coming age of upheaval, he needed to grow stronger fast, within the next year. Otherwise, he'd be swept away by the tides of the era, missing his best shot.

Buggy knew his current strength very well. He couldn't survive out at sea. At most, he could maybe deal with small-time pirates… maybe. He wasn't like the original Buggy, who had grown up through countless battles. He didn't have real combat experience or the heart to kill. He was just a modern man who had merged with some memories. Telling someone raised in a peaceful world to suddenly start fighting and killing? That was a tough ask.

Even though a year from now, Shanks would go out to sea, and their sparring back then looked fairly even, Buggy knew Shanks was holding back. He had to be—how else would he go on to become a Yonko on his own? Buggy had no such strength at this stage. And he knew that if he left now, he'd be dead within a month.

The thought made Buggy's head ache. He was too weak, and his control over his Devil Fruit was practically nonexistent. All he could do was split his body into parts—not exactly something that screamed "powerhouse."

There was just over a year left. He decided that once the captain came back, he'd seize the opportunity to level up his strength.

But why wait until the captain returned? Buggy had thought that through.

Right now, the Roger Pirates were the crew with the highest concentration of monsters in the world. While they were still together, it would be the perfect time to learn from the best—ask the captain questions, train with other crewmates, anything. It was an opportunity of a lifetime.

He figured he could find someone in the crew willing to mentor him over the next year. That way, by the time Gol D. Roger was executed, Buggy would be strong enough to protect himself. Even if he had to venture out into the world, he wouldn't be doing it as helpless prey.

He already had someone in mind.

Silvers Rayleigh, the right hand of the Pirate King himself—nobody else had produced results like he had. The man helped train the future Pirate King, after all.

Learning under Rayleigh was a no-brainer. A year would be more than enough to gain real strength under his guidance. Plus, Rayleigh would go see Roger one last time before the execution. If Buggy was close to him, he might get to go along and witness the dawn of the Great Pirate Era.

Even though he wasn't the original Buggy, that final moment was one he could not miss. Roger had raised this body. That kind of debt couldn't be ignored.

With those thoughts in mind, Buggy drifted off to sleep. When he woke, it was already the next morning.

Buggy got up early. His body was fully recovered now, overflowing with strength. He felt stronger than he'd ever felt in his past life. The physical power he had now would've been godlike back in his world.

After stretching a bit, he stepped outside and immediately spotted Shanks roasting meat in the yard.

"Buggy? You're up early. Are you feeling better? Shouldn't you rest more?"

"Shanks, I feel amazing. My body's completely back to normal. I'm so full of energy, I feel like I could beat up two of you!"

Shanks froze for a second, a little surprised. He could tell that Buggy had recovered—no one talks that much trash unless they're feeling good.

"Oh yeah? You think you can take two of me? Eat this!"

Without warning, Shanks put down the meat and pounced. The two started brawling like old times—trading punches, rolling around in the dirt. But of course, neither of them was getting hurt. Buggy held back, and Shanks knew his limits. After some playful wrestling, they pulled apart.

"Buggy, your punches are getting weaker. That felt like a tickle! And you said you could take on two of me? You're full of crap."

Buggy wasn't surprised. He hadn't fully gotten used to his new body. He couldn't control its strength properly yet. His punches were probably all over the place and naturally lacked power.

"Hahaha! Shanks, I haven't even eaten properly yet. Once I've had my fill, you'll feel my Iron Fist!"

"Tch! Iron Fist? What, you think you're Garp now? Just shut up and eat. You still need to recover properly."

Shanks handed over a plate of roasted meat. The two of them sat there in the yard, grilling, eating, and chatting.

After the meal, both of them were stuffed and satisfied. Their talk turned to other things, like when the captain might return, and what their future would look like.

Shanks figured Roger would be back within a day or two to come pick them up. Then they'd be part of the Pirate King's crew again, the most dominant force in the world. Once that happened, even the Marines would have to tread carefully around them.

Buggy didn't say much in response. He couldn't exactly tell Shanks, "Yeah, the crew's about to disband and everyone will go their separate ways." Even if Shanks believed him, he'd want to know how Buggy knew that.

And that was a question Buggy had no idea how to answer.

Telling the truth would only lead to more trouble.