Chapter 23: Monet!
Two hours later, Dressrosa. Buggy arrived at this island which, a few years later, would become the Donquixote Family's stronghold.
Compared to its future, Dressrosa was currently a picture of tranquility, with people coming and going, smiles of happiness on their faces.
Walking down the main street, looking at the passersby, Buggy genuinely felt an impulse to go and warn King Riku.
Of course, this thought vanished in the blink of an eye, mainly because Buggy had no way to make people believe him. After all, Donquixote Doflamingo probably hadn't even made preparations to come to Dressrosa yet.
Finding a reasonably decent tavern, Buggy ordered a glass of rum and then sat in a corner, beginning to think.
The outcome of his previous Devil Fruit search served as a wake-up call for Buggy: even with a magical compass in hand, don't get happy too soon. Being able to find it doesn't mean being able to obtain it. The consequence of being overly optimistic could very well be a wasted trip.
Rather than searching blindly, it might be better to wait a bit and then look for the ability user who had obtained that Devil Fruit. That might not avoid a battle, but it would definitely be much less troublesome than running all over the world.
After carefully recalling the information about the fruits he needed, Buggy decided to settle the matter of companions first.
Thinking of this, Buggy drained the rum in his glass in one gulp, then stood up. After leaving money for the drink, he walked outside.
"Uncle, I've brought back the food you asked for!" Just as Buggy reached the tavern entrance, a clear voice rang out.
Accompanying the voice was a little girl with green hair.
"Got it. Monet, move the things to the back, then go to the kitchen and see if there's anything to eat. I remember there are some leftovers; Vic will give them to you," the owner replied in a very indifferent tone after hearing the girl's words.
Stopping in his tracks, Buggy looked at the green-haired little girl walking towards the back kitchen.
Turning around, Buggy walked back to the bar counter: "Boss, that little girl called Monet just now isn't your child, is she?"
"You must be joking, sir. Whether she was or not, I couldn't possibly be so cruel to a child. But this Monet is an exception." The owner certainly understood what Buggy was asking, and his reply was also very direct.
"There's a story, can you tell it?" Buggy asked with a smile.
"Actually, it's nothing special. It's just that some time ago, pirates attacked. Somehow, it stimulated Monet. Since then, that child has been a bit abnormal, especially interested in pirates. If you go to the little hut she lives in, you'll understand. It's just behind my tavern," the owner said, then went to attend to other customers.
Hearing this, Buggy, intrigued, walked to the back of the tavern, to the window of a dilapidated hut.
Peeking inside, Buggy was genuinely a bit stunned. It was different from what he had imagined. The dilapidated hut didn't have any pirate-like symbols; instead, the entire room was plastered with wanted posters issued by the Marines.
Taking a closer look, all the wanted posters featured captains, and their bounties were, surprisingly, not less than one hundred million Beri.
"Hey, you red-nosed guy, what are you doing outside my house? I won't give you my wanted posters! I had a hard time getting those," amidst the sound of light footsteps, Monet came up behind Buggy and said warily.
"Hehe, little one, your name is Monet, right?" Buggy turned around, lowered his head, and asked Monet.
"Yes, but I won't give you the wanted posters! Also, your red nose is too funny. Is it natural?" Little Monet laughed and retorted.
"It's natural." Rubbing his nose, Buggy once again considered getting rid of this nose in the future.
"By the way, Monet, why is your room full of wanted posters? Do you want to be a bounty hunter when you grow up?" Buggy asked with great curiosity.
"Of course not! I collect wanted posters to recognize these captains on them. When I save enough money to go to sea, I'll go find these captains. I want to join the most promising one among them and become a crew member of the future Pirate King!"
After hearing this idea, Buggy finally understood why the tavern owner looked so displeased with little Monet.
The current Dressrosa, after experiencing the pirates' abduction of Princess Scarlett, had absolutely no favorable impression of pirates. To encounter such a strange girl who wanted to be a pirate, and even wanted to be a subordinate of the Pirate King, the tavern owner's kindness in giving her a meal was already quite commendable.
"Oh, so that's how it is! I didn't expect you to be so ambitious at such a young age," Buggy said, rubbing his chin.
"Of course! But even if you praise me, I won't give you the wanted posters." Although praised, Monet remained cautious.
"I don't want your wanted posters. I just have one more question for you. Monet, it's not easy to get on the Pirate King's ship. Do you have any special skills?"
"What's a special skill?" Little Monet didn't understand Buggy's question yet.
"A skill you're good at, something others can't compare to, that's called a special skill," Buggy patiently explained.
"Something others can't compare to?" Muttering to herself, little Monet's brow suddenly furrowed.
"Does delivering things count?"
Buggy smiled and shook his head.
"Does drawing count? I drew those."
Following Monet's gesture, Buggy discovered some things on the floor of the hut that looked like scribbles.
"What are those?"
"My nautical charts."
Alright, Buggy was quite struck dumbfounded by this answer, because he couldn't see any resemblance between those things on the floor and nautical charts.
"Doesn't count. Nautical charts like these only qualify as a beginner's work. Let alone a Pirate King's crew, even an ordinary pirate crew wouldn't want a navigator who draws charts like these. Anything else?" Buggy still shook his head.
"Then I don't have any. Can't I be chosen if I don't have a special skill?" little Monet retorted.
"An ordinary pirate crew might make do, but if you want to join the Pirate King's crew, you must have a special skill. Right now, you're not qualified enough." After speaking, Buggy straightened up and turned to leave.
However, before he could take a step, little Monet grabbed him.
"Big Brother, can you tell me how to become qualified?" little Monet asked.
"Before I answer you, let me ask you first, Monet, aren't you afraid I might trick you?" Buggy was very curious about this.
"No one else will talk to me about pirates. Big Brother is the first, so you won't trick me."
Looking at her trusting eyes, Buggy nodded.
"To gain qualification, you must choose one of these positions and become the best in it. Only then are you qualified," Buggy turned back, squatted down, and said to Monet.
"Several positions?"
(End of this chapter)