One Piece: Overlord Buggy

Having gotten just talking with Senco over with, we walked the path all the way through town and through the fields, still having less visibility thanks to fog.

"So... Buggy, you said you'd explain what you had talked about with Sensen?"

"Oh.. yeah, that."

'When did she ask? I already forgot when she asked! When was that?'

Rem spoke first. "Well, it's only fair. I guess since you got asked questions about what you talked about, you should ask us. Although Bugs did most the talking."

".... I did talk a lot."

'Now that I think about it....'

"Do I talk a lot?"

""Yes.""

"No hesitation, great to know now."

"Bugs, it's fine. You talk a lot when you talk, and you're absolutely quiet when you don't talk. That's surprisingly a lot of the time."

"Yeah."

"Ahem! Can.... can I ask what happened now?"

"Oh! Yeah, right! Yes, go ahead."

Xetalona became visibly, and very clearly, confused over the next few seconds, alongside Rem and Taki. Realizing what has transpired, I then smacked my forehead and spoke "Sorry. Just realized. He analyzed all of us from our looks, and I don't know what was going on in that.. oddly pale head of his, but he just went and assumed the three of us were children playing 'adventure' or something like that."

Xetalona then stopped, and the three of us continued for a few more steps before turning around to look at her.

Rem had asked first "Why'd you stop?"

"You... you aren't children?"

That question confused me more than I thought.

"What?"

'Did she also think we were kids? Wait.. I'm not a kid.. right? Noooooo... I think I was, or.. am.. around 16. Doing some quick math.. how old was Buggy during the original execution? I mean.. I've lived a year already.. so.. like 16? I don't even know my birthday.. so I'm just gonna have to ask Shanks the next time I meet him.'

"How old're you again?"

"Me? I'm 16."

"Then... I'm like... the same age... or around the same age as you..."

Rem stepped up to speak.

"... We're also stronger than children.. so... whaaaat?"

"Well, after seeing you three, especially you, Buggy, I just assumed children from the outside were really strong..."

The three of us were dumbfounded by this.

"...No normal kid is as strong as us..."

"...Especially someone who's very much not a kid, age wise..."

Rem nudged me in the arm before whispering in my ear "Didn't you say earlier you wouldn't talk about it?"

In an even quieter voice, I replied "I only said what's true, I didn't speak specifics. If that's not good enough, then sorry."

She looked at me like I was crazy before she whispered once again.

"Would Ro-Ro be okay with that?"

"... Probably not."

"Exactly! So please stop it!"

"I can't just change my entire behavior in the course of thirty minutes, so it may be a while before I can!"

"Uh.. excuse me, both of you?"

""What?""

We both turned our heads towards Xetalona, who was awkwardly standing there.

"Can.. can you tell me what else?"

Me and Rem glared quickly at each other before I continued "Well, we can, but I don't remember what I stopped on."

".... Sensen called you children...?"

"Oh, yeah that."

I motioned for everyone to get back to walking, which took a second, but we all continued nonetheless.

"So, we talked about.. immortality..."

I glanced at Rem before watching her roll her eyes, and I continued.

"..for some reason, anyways. We talked about..... quote, unquote, orientation, we told him we are treasure hunters at the moment.. and I think he doesn't trust us.. like.. at all. Especially after he got angry for not having a look at my blade here. He then proceeded to call us children.. again.. probably angered because he thought we could be reasonable, but just because he couldn't get a look at my sword, he let us go free."

Xetalona stopped once more.

"..Sensen wouldn't do that.. right?"

We all stopped once more, a few feet away from her.

"He never called me a child.. does he see me as an adult? I mean.. he called you three children, so he must see me as an adult, right?"

"Okay.. Lona? How about we get back to the workshop before you.. have an existential crisis?"

She didn't even answer before she started to mumble to herself, and no comprehensible words came out of her mouth as she started to walk once more. When she passed by the three of us, while we were still stopped for her, I could see a clear, yet small, smile of pure joy.

'Did I make her happy for some reason?'

I turned to Rem and Taki, who both shrugged before going to catch up to the already far Xetalona.

•

Already at the workshop, I was at Xetalona's side, guiding her as she was looking down with that same smile on her face.

As soon as we entered the building, Taki closed the door and locked it, while I, along with Rem, guided her into a chair, where once she sat down, an expression of bliss appeared on her face. She continued to ramble to herself, and both Rem and I just backed away from her, while she was completely lost.

Taki joined Rem and I as we watched Xetalona for a second. I crossed my arms, Rem put her hands together in front of her, and Taki stood there with her cloak on.

"So.. whatcha think she's so happy about?"

"I don't know.. maybe she's happy about Senco..? I wouldn't know why, but that's a POSSIBLE reason.."

"Well, whatever she's happy about, who cares?"

"We might need to care.. remember that we can't trust Senco?"

""Yeah..""

"Well, perhaps we really can't trust him. We don't know everything about him, especially since he was angry the whole time while talking to us, while openly showing other emotions than anger."

"We can't trust him.. because of... emotions?"

"Yes. If he can hide his true emotions, he can hide other things."

The three of us were silent for a minute before the silence was broken by Rem.

"Shouldn't we have talked quieter in front of Xetalona?"

"Probably."

"..."

"...."

"Why didn't we?"

"Because she's... in this.. weird trance.."

"She's mumbling to herself too.."

"I think she still could have heard us.."

"That would suck if she did."

"....."

"......"

"She's also smiling to herself..? I think she's too far into... whatever that is.. to have heard us.."

"You might be right."

"....."

"...."

"..."

".. Didn't you want my help earlier, Bugs?"

The silence, once again broken, by Rem, once again.

"Did I?"

It took me a second to contemplate what had transpired in the hours before.

"Oh right! I need your help with my eyes.."

I could feel Rem questioning what I meant just by the gaze that I felt drilling into the side of my head. Taki also had a laser-like gaze burrowing into my head as well, and so, I sighed.

"Taki.. Rem here.. hopefully.. can help with that eye changing thing.. at least maybe the bad part of it.."

"... Your purple eyes and your blue eyes seem to be okay.."

"Exactly, it's just the red that isn't cooperating."

"Cooperating?"

"Yes, Rem, well, no. I named Red as Lucifer.. because of what happened before.."

I took a quick second to remember just how brutally quick I was to kill when I let loose, coming back to reality to look at Rem.

"I think I said before that I have a weird.. multiple.. personality.. disorder. And I mean WEIRD. And I need your help with it."

Rem looked at me, questioningly, as if asking "what does weird mean?" With just a look.

"That.. is a psychological disorder.. not something I, well, we, had to deal with.. we very much read about it, alongside other things.. but never actually.. HOW to deal with it."

I shook my head.

"That's not what I mean. While, yes, you're right.. this has something to do with my soul. I think. No. Yes. Maybe? Actually, yes. Other me talked as if he had met him, so I can only assume that he has come into contact with the other me, somehow, some way. Which is where you come in, Rem. I need you to help me go into my soul, or my mind, or something.. I need to find him and ask, hopefully, what is wrong with him."

Rem continued staring at me, more and more confusion masking her face. Even Taki had gotten confused about what I just said.

"Eh?"

"What?"

".. what do you mean, what?"

".. so, you.. talked to you.. who talked to him.. who is also you?"

I had to think about that for a second.

"I didn't say he is also me, but that was implied, yes."

"That.. that's just more confusing now.."

I saw both of them were having a hard time taking in my words, so I waved my hands and said "Just forget that.. especially you, Taki. I don't need you to be confused about what I just said, so, forget it. You too, Rem, since you'll learn if it works."

"But.. I haven't used any.. soul powers.. before.." dejected, Rem looked down.

"I don't even know if it'll work.. you wanna do something with your own soul, through someone who doesn't know how to work with souls? I.. I can't.."

'Okay then. I need this to happen, and quickly before he comes again. I don't need people to fear me, yet at least.'

"Okay, Rem? I would like to ask you a question."

"Hmm?" She looked up.

"I was asked by Rosa to bring you along and let you see the world. On my crew, people will have roles. So far, there's me, the captain, a fighter, and Taki, a second fighter. I asked, and you have told me, just from a quick question, that you have a lot of medical knowledge, even if it's not the correct way to do it. So, you have been designated as a doctor, even if you don't have to do anything most the time. And technically, something is wrong with me, so I, Buggy D. Clown, am asking you, Rem Thallise, if you, as my doctor, would help me."

I reached out a hand to her, and with her looking up, and then at my hand, she repeated that a few times, and then turned to the clouds. She slowly reached out and grabbed my hand, squeaking out "I... I can try.." before looking at me, uneasy.

I smiled at her.

"All I really need is for you to try. If it doesn't work, I can figure something else out."