Black Cat Pirates?

"Captain Kuro of a Hundred Plans"?

Captain Morgan?

The first two names didn't ring any bells for Davy Jones, but the last one certainly did.

Not long ago, Koby had tried to use Captain Morgan to take Davy Jones down. Unfortunately for them, Morgan was clearly not right in the head — he had come alone to challenge Davy Jones, only to be run through by the latter's crab claw.

Morgan was easy to recognize: his jaw was made of metal, and one arm had been replaced with an axe. A marine captain like that could only be Morgan — Alvida had identified him with a single glance.

Davy Jones hadn't known who Morgan was at the time, but Alvida had explained everything afterward — including how Morgan had risen to power. Apparently, he had single-handedly captured "Captain Kuro of a Hundred Plans," gaining great fame and earning a special promotion to Marine Branch Captain.

As for that infamous Captain Kuro, he had long since been executed, and the Black Cat Pirates had dissolved as a result.

So why was there now another Black Cat Pirate ship?

Buggy was wondering the same thing.

He watched as the Black Cat Pirates' ship approached. It was clearly heading directly for the Terror Ghost— and he couldn't help but laugh.

After sailing with Captain Davy Jones for three days, they had only ever attacked others — never the other way around. And now, here came a pirate crew voluntarily offering themselves up!

With the wind at their backs, the Black Cat ship soon entered the Flying Terror's stormy radius.

Fwooshhhh—

But they seemed completely unaware of the oppressive aura radiating from the strange weather, and continued sailing toward them without hesitation.

The Terror Ghost was now visibly larger than the other ship, and the two vessels quickly came to face one another head-on.

Davy Jones didn't order an attack. Instead, he casually took out his pipe and began to puff on it, the smoke drifting toward Buggy and making him cough.

Buggy's expression twisted slightly — but after a moment's thought, he understood what the captain was doing.

In this world, it was unheard of for a captain to fight on the front lines while his crew stood idly by. Just like during the raid on the sea black market, Davy Jones was giving Buggy another test — to prove that he had what it took to fend off these pirates on his own.

Whoops and shouts rang out from the Black Cat Pirates' ship. Several pirates grabbed hold of ropes and swung across like monkeys, landing on the Terror Ghost's deck with drawn blades.

At first, they noticed Buggy. But when they laid eyes on the strange figure in the tricorn hat — Davy Jones — their expressions shifted noticeably.

He was even more terrifying than any Fish-Man they'd seen or heard of.

However, one man stepped forward, putting their hesitation to rest.

Wearing a hat and heart-shaped sunglasses, the acting captain Jango swung over and landed on the deck.

"Captain Jango, there's a monster over there!" one of the Black Cat Pirates pointed out with concern.

Jango lifted his heart-shaped glasses with a finger, peering at Davy Jones. After a brief moment of consideration, he shrugged and said, "He's a Fish-Man. Don't make a big deal out of it."

"A Fish-Man?" said Buchi, the larger of the two Meowban Brothers. "I thought Fish-Men only showed up in the Grand Line?"

His thinner brother, Sham, sneered. "Idiot! Fish-Men can cross the Red Line and the Calm Belt way easier than humans!"

Jango continued, pulling a ring from his coat and spinning it in his fingers. "I've heard that a few years ago, a group of Fish-Man pirates came to the East Blue. They took over several islands and towns, and the local Marines were so afraid that they chose to cooperate with them…"

Many pirate crews dreamed of such an arrangement, though few could actually pull it off — they'd need the strength to intimidate the Navy first.

The Black Cat Pirates had no such power. For years, they had only survived by avoiding the Navy altogether. After the incident three years ago, they went silent — only now becoming active again.

So… was this terrifying man one of those Fish-Man pirates?

Or was he unrelated altogether?

Jango pondered the possibilities.

Meanwhile, Davy Jones lowered his pipe. He had heard people refer to him as a "Fish-Man" multiple times now, and his curiosity about the species was steadily growing.

Puffs of smoke swirled in the air, but he still didn't make a move.

Jango couldn't determine who Davy Jones really was, but he at least knew the basic rules of fighting a Fish-Man:

First, Fish-Men were naturally stronger than humans.

Second, they dominated in water. If you were forced into the sea, you were at a massive disadvantage.

In other words, the key was to avoid close combat, and stay on dry land.

"Take that one out first!" Jango pointed his ring at Buggy. "We'll deal with the Fish-Man afterward!"

"Huh?" Buggy was absolutely livid — though not for the reasons they thought. "Who are you calling a giant red-nosed beach ball?!"

Jango blinked, confused.

Did I say anything about his nose?

Regardless, Buggy had lost his temper. He completely forgot about trying to prove himself to Davy Jones and instead launched into a rage-fueled attack.

To the Black Cat Pirates' shock, the clown-like man began floating in mid-air!

In truth, it was only his upper body — his legs remained on the deck due to the restrictions of his Chop-Chop Fruit powers.

But that was all he needed.

As long as his feet were secured, he could unleash aerial assaults using his floating limbs!

Buggy pulled a set of throwing knives from his coat and hurled them with precision.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One pirate was stabbed in the throat, blood gushing forth. Another was hit in the arm, dropping his weapon. A third took a knife between the legs and collapsed in agony.

Buggy's airborne barrage had taken down three pirates in an instant!

Jango, who had a habit of reading the newspaper, immediately recognized Buggy's outfit and abilities.

"The Clown" Buggy!

A notorious pirate captain of the East Blue — feared on the same level as Captain Kuro!

What was he doing here? Was this ship part of the Buggy Pirates? And what was his connection to that Fish-Man?

Jango was completely bewildered.

This was exactly the kind of disaster that happened when you acted without gathering proper intel.

Attacking another pirate crew was always risky. Pirates typically kept to their own turf — crossing territories was practically a declaration of war.

Had Jango realized Buggy's identity from the start, or if he'd deduced that Davy Jones was from a Fish-Man pirate crew, he might have called off the attack altogether.

But now it was too late. His crew had already suffered losses — and after going a week without loot, his men were bloodthirsty. There was no stopping the fight now.

"Buchi, Sham!" Jango barked, "Come here — I'll hypnotize you to awaken your true strength and speed!"

"Right!" The Meowban Brothers — one large, one thin — exchanged a glance and sprinted toward him.

Jango pulled out a hypnotic ring attached to a thin string. Holding the string, he began to sway the ring before their eyes.

Davy Jones, pipe still in his mouth, watched the scene from a distance with a curious glint in his eye.

"One, two, JANGO!" Jango cried, lowering his hat brim to shield himself and completing the hypnotic spell.

This sort of trick wouldn't work on Davy Jones.

But it had a dramatic effect on the Meowban Brothers. Their bodies swelled like inflated balloons, their eyes lost all focus, and their teeth turned jagged and bestial.

"Grrraaaaahhh—"

The brothers dropped into a four-legged crouch like wild cats, growling menacingly at Buggy.

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