Chapter 376: Bribing a Clown

Chapter 376: Bribing a Clown



"This is a really simple matter, really. All you gotta do is keep your mouth shut about what you just saw, then rake in the benefits of being a good pal, you see." Cherry said.

"Er, what benefits are those?" Buggy asked, trying to look submissive but failing to keep the greed and anticipation from his eyes.

Cherry put a hand in a pocket that wasn't there before and turned it inside out. A deluge of gold coins, gems, jewelry, and other treasures poured out like a waterfall onto the floor.

Buggy's eyes got wider and wider as he saw the pile grow higher until it was taller than him himself.

"That ought to cover it, I think," Cherry said. "Don't you think so?"

Buggy shook his head up and down comically fast and wiped the drool from his mouth. He didn't concern himself with how he was going to explain all this newly acquired wealth that came from seemingly nowhere.

"Great. Now, where am I?" Cherry asked.

"Huh?" Buggy was confused.

"Where in the New World is this place? How far is it from, say, Totta Land?" Cherry asked again.

"Totta Land? There's no way I'd set up shop anywhere near Big Mom's territory, are you crazy?" Buggy snapped. "This is Karai Bari Island, nestled safely between that red haired bastard's turf and Whitebeard's territory, where it's nice and safe from the other two emperors."

"Oh, that sounds smart. You and Shanks go way back, I've heard, and Whitebeard wouldn't care what you do so long as you don't challenge him." Cherry rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Exactly! These dunderheads actually think I mean to attack both at the same time. Crocodile and Galdino are the only ones who really get it." Buggy felt a small relief to be interacting with someone else that didn't worship the ground he walked on.

It was very nice most of the time, don't get him wrong; but sometimes those guys run their mouths off and he has to play damage control while also maintaining his image. It was a really tough job!

"Galdino?" Cherry asked.

"The candle guy." Buggy clarified.

"Ah, yes, him..." Cherry really didn't care for the man. She briefly considered playing a 'prank' on the man before she left, but decided it wasn't really worth her time, at least not right now.

"Maybe I'll come by sometime and give you some pointers. You won't be able to keep that Crocodile under control with just your chop chop fruit, but if you're in a pinch then water will work wonders." Cherry said.

"Oh, yeah, yer right. Guess we can blow 'em to smithereens. That's always fun to watch." Soon-to-be-dead goon number two corrected himself.

"No, no, the best way to kill a Kuja, or anyone for that matter, is to sink them out at sea. The oceans are the great equalizer; it isn't just deadly for devil fruit users," Cherry said.

"Now that's a good idea! How'd you think of that one, Jules?" Goon two asked.

"It wasn't my idea..." Goon one said.

Both of the goons turned to see a woman holding their ship's den den mushi in one hand, and

her other hand raised in a fist.

"Hey, don't I know... What's that sound?"

*thump thump* *Thump Thump* *THUMP THUMP*

"Have a nice bath~!" Cherry spoke as her heart roared like thunder in her chest.

*BOOM!!!!!*

Cherry skipped through the air away from the quickly sinking front and back thirds of the Big

Mom ship. The center third had been reduced to mulch.

She bounded up higher into the air so that she could see much farther.

"Oh, there it is!" Cherry spotted her birth place in this world, Boulder Island, on the distant

horizon.

Well, not exactly distant for Cherry. It took barely a few minutes to cross the distance, and even then that was purposefully moving slower than sound to prevent a shockwave. Cherry touched down on a dock, a few people giving her strange looks. Pebbleton was somewhere between a small and large town, so it wasn't the sort of place where everyone

knew everyone.

Of course, the island was home to a marine base, so naturally there were some marines milling about the docks. All of whom immediately recognized her, remembered what happened to the marines who confronted her last time she was here, and wisely decided that this was clearly a case of mistaken identity.