Alex stepped forward one bloodstained footprint at a time, Chouchou at his side, heading toward the largest bar in town—the one now roaring with commotion.

As they neared the bar, Alex could faintly hear shouting.

"You old man, have you gone senile? Treasure means gold and silver—things that shine and show off their owner's power! That's what real treasure is!"

Even across the street, Alex could tell the voice belonged to Buggy.

"This poor, broken-down town? That's your so-called treasure? You've got to be kidding!"

Buggy's voice jumped several octaves as he shouted at an old man across from him, a man with reading glasses, a furrowed brow, white hair, and a face full of fury.

That man was none other than the mayor of Orange Town—Eugene Boodle.

Back when Buggy began shelling the town, Eugene's long-held anger finally erupted. He stormed out to confront Buggy face-to-face.

Forty years ago, this place had been reduced to ashes by pirates. Everything was destroyed. From those ruins, Eugene had led the townspeople to reclaim the land and rebuild what would become today's Orange Town.

After decades of hard work, the once-devastated town had grown into a respectable small city.

But now, the Buggy Pirates were tearing it down again. Buggy's cannons alone had already destroyed nearly a third of the town.

To Eugene, Orange Town was the treasure of his life—he had poured his soul into it. But to Buggy, who only saw value in jewels and gold, the town was worthless rubble.

"You damn clown! You've got no idea how much I've given to this place! If you've got any guts, face me in a one-on-one duel!" Eugene's bloodshot eyes blazed with fury as veins pulsed on his forehead.

"Hahahaha! That's hilarious! Some crusty old coot thinks he can challenge our captain?" laughed Buggy's crew.

"Yeah, what a joke! The man's past sixty and still doesn't know his place!"

Buggy's lackeys roared with laughter, mocking Eugene without mercy.

"You want to duel me? You delusional fossil!" Buggy growled, extending his right hand toward Eugene.

With a swish, Buggy's hand detached from his arm and flew straight at Eugene.

"Let me go, you freak!" Eugene cried out, struggling as the severed hand clamped tightly around his neck and lifted him off the ground.

"Finish him off, Captain!" shouted the pirates behind Buggy, who laughed cruelly at the mayor's pain-stricken face.

Originally, Buggy had been planning to go out himself to find his missing officers—Vice Captain Mohji and Chief of Staff Cabaji—after they failed to return.

But just as he stepped out of the bar, he ran into Eugene.

Buggy had no idea that both Mohji and Cabaji were already lying unconscious somewhere in town.

Earlier, when Buggy heard the chaos erupting, he had sent Mohji and Cabaji to investigate.

Meanwhile, after Luffy clashed fists with Alex in a rubber-powered rocket punch, Mayor Eugene—who had been watching in secret—fled in terror.

Later, when Luffy and the others went to find Alex, they saw Mohji attacking Chouchou. Luffy stepped in and gave Mohji a thorough beatdown, even sending Mohji's subordinates flying.

Shortly afterward, Luffy and Zoro met three of Buggy's goons who had once been tricked by Nami at sea. She had faked a shipwreck, stolen their treasure and boat, and navigated them into a storm using her expert skills.

Those pirates barely survived, only to be picked up by Zoro while he was chasing after the bird that had snatched away Luffy and Alex. They had climbed aboard his boat, hoping for safety.

But when those pirates threatened Nami again, Zoro drew his swords and beat them senseless, forcing them to row as punishment.

Then Cabaji showed up with more men. Zoro, spotting another sword user, took the fight personally. Cabaji's flashy, circus-style swordplay initially annoyed Zoro, but he quickly lost interest and cut Cabaji down.

This detour delayed them even more.

As for Nami—when she saw Alex and Luffy knock each other out earlier, she gasped, thinking of running off alone to find Alex. But she hesitated. He had lied about being a pirate, and she'd been angry ever since their accidental kiss.

Though she worried, Nami didn't know if she wanted to face Alex yet.

She had been moved when she saw Luffy fight to recover Chouchou's last bag of dog food, and her view of pirates had begun to shift.

Still, when she found out the legendary pirate hunter Zoro had joined Luffy and Alex as a crewmate, she was stunned. But she remained conflicted—especially over Alex hiding his identity.

Part of her felt betrayed. And that betrayal stung even more because she cared.

She even thought to herself that if she'd known from the start Alex was a pirate, she might've tossed him overboard to feed the fish.

From Alex's perspective, though, he didn't see it as lying. Nami had approached him with a business proposal, never asking about his background. They simply teamed up to steal a Grand Line chart from Shells Town.

Nami never could've imagined meeting a pirate like Alex—the guy had literally popped out of a treasure chest their first time meeting. She'd robbed plenty of pirates, but none quite like him.

After defeating Cabaji, Luffy and the others headed to find Alex. But somewhere along the way, they realized Eugene had vanished.

Luffy guessed the old man had gone to challenge Buggy alone. So he sent Zoro to find Alex while he and Nami went after Eugene.

Zoro immediately agreed... and then promptly got lost.

So when Alex finally regained consciousness, no one had come to check on him.

Back at the bar, Buggy's disembodied hand still gripped Eugene by the neck, hoisting him into the air.

"Painful, isn't it? That's what you get for challenging me!" Buggy sneered.

"This... is nothing!" Eugene choked out, face twisted in agony. Struggling to breathe, he used both hands to pound fiercely against the hand strangling him.

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