Buggy's eyes widened in momentary surprise when Zoro appeared—his infamous bounty and the intimidating trio of swords making his presence impossible to ignore.
"Tch," Buggy spat. "You again. You sword freaks always ruin my party!"
Zoro stood firm, swords in place, muscles taut like coiled rope. "You call this a party? You're about to regret inviting me."
Buggy sneered, then raised a hand theatrically. "Bring out the BIG ONE!"
Behind him, his crew scrambled. From under a tarp came the unmistakable shape of the cannon—no, the cannon—Buggy's most prized artillery piece, reinforced and enchanted with all the pirate-grade modifications one could steal.
Luffy blinked. "That's a huge cannon."
Nami's eyes widened. "MOVE!"
Buggy cackled, pointing at Zoro. "Let's see if your precious swords can block THIS! FIRE!"
BOOM!
The thunderous blast ripped through the square. The cannonball screamed through the air with deadly force, flames and smoke trailing behind it.
Zoro's hands gripped his swords, but even he knew—this wasn't something he could parry. Not at that distance. His foot moved back instinctively, preparing to dive for Luffy and Nami instead.
And then—
FLASH!
A blur of black and crimson stepped into the shot's path just a moment before it could hit.
CRACK—SPLAT—THUD!
The cannonball collided with something solid… yet soft. The impact sent a shockwave rippling across the ruined plaza. Dust and wind exploded outward in all directions.
"—ALEX!!" Zoro roared as the dust cleared.
There he was.
Alex stood in front of them, arms slightly spread as if shielding the others.
But his midsection—his abdomen—was gone.
A gaping, smoking hole had been punched clean through his body, the size of a cannonball and edged with scorched, blackened flesh. Blood poured out in thick streams, staining the ground beneath him.
Nami gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "No… No, no, no—"
Luffy's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Alex…?"
Alex stumbled back one step, then another. He looked down at the massive hole in his torso, almost in curiosity. His sword clattered from his grip, falling uselessly to the dirt.
Then his knees gave out.
He collapsed to the ground with a dull, final-sounding thud.
Zoro rushed to his side, falling to a knee. "Hey! HEY! Don't you DARE die on me now!"
•••
"Hey! HEY! Don't you DARE die on me now!"
Zoro's voice rang with urgency as he dropped to a knee beside me. His eyes were wide, a rare flicker of panic breaking through his usual stoicism.
I groaned, then pushed myself up slowly.
"Die? Who said anything about dying?" I smirked as my body began knitting itself back together. The gaping hole in my torso—clean through the ribs—was already closing, skin and muscle regenerating rapidly with a faint shimmer.
Zoro took a step back, stunned. "What… the hell?"
"I knew you were not going to die that easily." Luffy said.
Buggy, still levitating parts of his fragmented body, floated in place and narrowed his eyes. "You… You ate a Devil Fruit, didn't you?"
I gave him a lazy glance. "Do I have to answer that?"
His teeth clenched. "Tch!"
I turned to Zoro, brushing the blood off my clothes. "Take Luffy and get out of here. He's still stuck in that damn cage."
Zoro hesitated. "What about you?"
I rotated my shoulders, the last traces of my wound fading beneath the torn fabric of my shirt. "I'm going to fight him."
"Are you sure?"
I raised an eyebrow. "To beat him? Yeah, I don't need help."
Zoro looked at Buggy, then back at me. "Alright. You'd better not get another hole in your chest."
"Appreciate the concern." I gave him a nod. "Just wait for me at the boat. I'll catch up once I'm done here."
He glanced at Buggy one last time, then turned and bolted toward the town square.
Buggy sneered. "Letting him go? That's not very pirate-like of you."
"I'm not your kind of pirate," I replied calmly.
"Then what are you?"
I smiled faintly, my grip tightening on my sword. "The kind that ends the show."
Buggy's grin twisted into something more dangerous. "Let's see if you can back that up."
He launched forward, his body splitting apart mid-air. Blades whirled, limbs darted, and his floating head cackled wildly.
I stood my ground, eyes narrowing, timing every movement.
This wasn't going to be a challenge.
•••
By the time I reached the boat, Zoro and Nami had already pulled Luffy from the cage and loaded him into the vessel. He was grinning like he'd just had the best nap of his life.
"Took you long enough," Zoro called out as I hopped aboard.
"You try dodging cannonballs and babysitting a clown," I shot back.
Luffy stretched. "Did you beat the red-nosed guy?"
"He won't be bothering anyone anymore," I said simply.
Nami glanced at me. "You're injured?"
"Was. Not anymore," I said, brushing off the last traces of dirt from my clothes.
Luffy beamed, completely unfazed. "Cool! You're super tough!"
Zoro, however, wasn't about to let it go. "Hey, I saw that hole in your chest. You were almost split in two. How did you survive that? Did you also eat a Devil Fruit?"
I gave him a smile that was just a little too calm for the topic. "Oh, Devil Fruit? I don't have one."
Zoro narrowed his eyes. "Then what was it?"
Before I could answer, Luffy turned toward Nami, casually throwing his arms behind his head. "Oh, by the way! She's our new navigator. Her name is Nami!"
I turned to her and extended my hand politely. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Alex."
~~~
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