Chapter 2: Red Nose

Kaminari devised a simple and feasible plan.

Tonight, he would sneak into Tom's quarters and assassinate him.

Tom, being an ordinary fighter like many others on Buggy's ship, didn't garner much attention. Kaminari didn't believe that he would have any defensive measures while sleeping.

However, Kaminari was about to take a life, not to kill a chicken. If he succeeded in killing Tom, Buggy would undoubtedly investigate. Everyone on the ship knew about the extremely hostile relationship between Kaminari and Tom. So, after Tom's death, the pirates on the ship would most likely suspect him, and he would inevitably face a grim fate—execution as a warning to others. After all, someone like Kaminari was worth less than the life of an ant, and there was nothing worth lamenting about his death.

Therefore, Kaminari planned to take Tom down with him. After killing Tom, he would end his own life.

If he continued to live in such humiliating conditions, there was no hope whatsoever.

With these thoughts in mind, Kaminari set his plan in motion. As a lowly shipworker, he was not provided with any weapons like a katana or a European sword. So, he found a rusty boning knife and a square sharpening stone with a missing corner in his work area—the dim and gloomy lower deck.

The boning knife was said to be used for removing bones, but it had been abandoned and lay untouched in a neglected corner for years, covered in rust.

Kaminari took a basin of seawater and began sharpening the knife on the grinding stone.

The boning knife made a screeching sound against the stone. In Kaminari's eyes, this long-forgotten piece of rusty iron had transformed into a blade of vengeance!

This statement was not entirely wrong because after sharpening, the rusty iron had gained a bit of sharpness and a menacing edge.

Kaminari didn't possess superhuman strength, so he could only resort to this method.

He was not someone who would passively endure. If he had to continuously endure such treatment, it would only mean that he was a coward, and he would despise himself for that.

"The humiliation I've endured will be repaid with your blood," Kaminari muttered to himself as he looked at the sharpened boning knife.

However, just as he was preparing to carry out his plan that night, an incident occurred at noon that dispelled his thoughts of revenge.

To be precise, he no longer needed revenge.

Buggy's ship was headed for Orange Town in the East Blue. Buggy had obtained the sea chart for the East Blue and the Grand Line, and he received information that Orange Town was a remote place where the Marines had little presence and was relatively prosperous. So Buggy decided to attack Orange Town and establish it as his base.

For the powerless civilians, it would be a one-sided and brutal massacre.

But that's a story for later. Let's return to this afternoon. Buggy already considered Orange Town as his own, so a feast was held on the ship.

Speaking of feasts, they were the favorite activity of the pirates. Despite their violence and cruelty, deep down they longed for a life of freedom and recklessness. The feast served as the best diversion from their usual routines.

The feast began, and various types of sea creature meat, cooked by the ship's chefs, sizzled and emitted a mouthwatering aroma. Unidentified vegetables and fruits were casually arranged on the dining tables. But the most important part of the feast, of course, was the fine wine.

It was precisely because of the wine that Kaminari's hatred for Tom dissipated.

Speaking of Tom, not only did he enjoy bullying the weak, but he also had a fondness for heavy drinking. Whenever he had spare time, he would grab a bottle of alcohol and drink to his heart's content. Moreover, his tolerance for alcohol was particularly poor, and he would go crazy when he drank too much.

In summary, when these two interests were combined, the first and foremost victim was naturally Kaminari, the weakest person on the ship. Especially when Tom was in a bad mood, he would go and beat him up after getting drunk.

It was precisely because of this interest that brought Tom disaster.

Captain Buggy raised his glass excitedly and drank heavily with everyone. Cabaji performed acrobatics on a unicycle to entertain everyone, and the most excited of all was Vice Captain Mohji's hilarious lion, Richie. It devoured the meat on its plate voraciously, and the food disappeared in just a few bites.

The sailors and fighters also raised their glasses, cheering excitedly for Captain Buggy's plan to conquer Orange Town. The musicians on the ship played the violin to liven up the atmosphere. Meanwhile, Kaminari and some other low-ranking ship workers were forced to carry trays of food and fruit plates.

Everything seemed harmonious until Tom's words shattered the scene.

"Our red-nosed captain is finally leading us to seize a stronghold!"

Tom had also consumed a considerable amount of alcohol today, nearly two pounds of brandy. As the saying goes, "Liquor emboldens the coward." He drunkenly uttered a word that he would never dare to say under normal circumstances.

As soon as these words were spoken, the lively and noisy ship instantly fell into a chilling silence!

Most of Buggy's subordinates slowly put down their glasses.

Tom's words were loud, reaching the ears of everyone on the ship, including Kaminari. Even he knew that Tom's fate was sealed.

The pirates, in unison, looked at Buggy. They saw his originally comical and ridiculous clown face gradually turn pale.

"Tom, you... What did you just say?" Buggy said, his mouth noticeably twitching.

It was a twitch of extreme anger.

Upon hearing Buggy's words and seeing his ferocious expression, Tom suddenly realized the gravity of what he had said and sobered up halfway.

He had caused a huge disaster!

Sure enough, Buggy's face turned dark, and he coldly ordered, "Bring him and tie him to the crucifix!"

His subordinates immediately followed the order and bound the bewildered Tom to a wooden crucifix.

Cabaji held the unicycle in his hand, seemingly aware of what would happen next, and watched with keen interest...

As Tom was being moved to the bow of the ship while bound to the crucifix, he finally snapped out of his daze and pleaded, "Captain Buggy, I was wrong! Please spare me, spare me!"

Listening to his feeble cries, the clown Buggy remained unmoved.

Anyone weaker than him who dared to call him "red-nosed" would incur his merciless revenge.

All the crew members knew that it was a taboo, except for Tom, who, of all times, blurted out that word while drunk.

As the saying goes, "If you court death, you will find it."

For Tom, who was now bound to the crucifix, a horrifying hell was about to descend upon him.

And Cabaji, who enjoyed watching torture, eagerly anticipated this "splendid" performance...