One Piece: Luffy's Vice Captain wants to be a Marine

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The battle was over.

Except for Captain Buggy, all members of the Buggy Pirates were tied up with ropes by Ikki. He then used a Den Den Mushi to contact the Marines in Shells Town to come and take them into custody.

Ikki wasn't like Luffy, who would simply leave after a fight. Pirates were pirates. If they weren't dealt with properly, they might return to Orange Town and take revenge on its citizens.

The only regret was that Buggy himself had managed to escape.

As Ikki finished tying up the remaining pirates, an old man dressed in makeshift armor arrived with a group of townspeople.

The group froze in confusion when they saw the Buggy Pirates' hideout in shambles, with all the pirates bound and incapacitated.

"Who are you? Did you do this?" the mayor asked curiously.

"Oh! We're the sea—"

Luffy started to blurt out that they were pirates, but Ikki swiftly covered his mouth. "We are a private Marine force dedicated to serving the people!" he declared.

"I heard there were pirates causing trouble here, so we came to deal with them."

Ikki then produced an official-looking letter of appointment as proof of their legitimacy.

Hearing this, the townspeople's doubts quickly vanished, and they erupted into cheers. Orange Town had long suffered under the Buggy Pirates' rule.

Not only had they been extorted for money and goods, but Buggy would occasionally fire his signature Buggy Balls into the town just for fun, wreaking destruction and terrorizing the people.

Now, with the Buggy Pirates defeated, it felt like a dark cloud had finally lifted. The townspeople were overjoyed and quickly began preparing a celebratory bonfire at the pirates' hideout.

In the world of One Piece, whether Marine, pirate, or civilian, no one could resist the allure of a banquet.

Luffy, of course, joined in wholeheartedly. For him, this was what it meant to be free—traveling the seas, fighting battles, and celebrating wherever he went. It reminded him of the banquet in Shells Town, which had been just as lively.

But Ikki, ever mindful of their cover as private Marines, knew they were skating on thin ice. If it weren't for his quick thinking and official papers, they might have been run out of town instead of celebrated.

"I'm going to be the Pirate King!" Luffy suddenly shouted, his voice ringing out over the festivities.

The lively banquet went silent in an instant.

Ikki's heart sank. He quickly raised his voice to cover for Luffy's slip. "That's right! Luffy's going to be the One Piece's man!"

Luffy didn't notice anything strange about Ikki's phrasing. To him, it sounded perfectly natural—after all, he was going to be the Pirate King, no matter what anyone thought.

The townspeople, however, exchanged puzzled glances. Slowly, they seemed to accept Ikki's explanation, though their expressions remained skeptical.

Meanwhile, Zoro, who had been drinking nearby, spat out his sake in shock before doubling over in laughter.

Nami, ever quick-witted, pointed at him and declared, "And this guy's going to be the world's greatest swordsman's man!"

Zoro glared at her, his face turning red. "Oi…"

Despite the awkward moment, the banquet resumed, the night filled with laughter and celebration.

By the next morning, Luffy and his crew were ready to set sail, leaving behind a town that was finally free of the Buggy Pirates' tyranny. 

Just like in Shells Town, the townspeople of Orange Town prepared an abundance of food for Luffy and his crew as thanks.

Luffy, ever generous, declared that all the money Buggy had extorted from the townspeople would be returned to them.

Luffy had no real concept of money. In his mind, it simply made sense to give it back to its rightful owners.

Nami, however, was furious at his decision. "Do you have any idea how much that treasure was worth? Millions!" she exclaimed, still fuming over the loss of such a fortune.

Meanwhile, Ikki reflected on his accomplishments. He'd hoped that defeating the Buggy Pirates in Orange Town would yield more justice points than their previous victory in Shells Town. However, to his disappointment, he only received a thousand points for his efforts.

Between those points and the ones earned from defeating Buggy himself, Ikki's total came to just over 1,100 points. It was enough for a round of ten silver draws in the lottery system he used—but Ikki had a bigger plan in mind. He decided to save up for a batch of golden draws instead.

Back aboard the ship, Ikki began examining the items he had received from his earlier draws.

First, he pulled out a sea bicycle. True to its name, it was a bicycle designed for travel on the ocean. It featured floating boards on either side and a propeller attached to the rear wheel, powered by pedaling.

The speed wasn't anything impressive, but it was perfect for leisurely rides.

Curious, Ikki decided to test it out. The feeling of gliding over the waves with the ocean breeze against his face was surprisingly pleasant. It was no wonder Admiral Aokiji was known for using a similar bike.

Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement when he saw the sea bicycle.

"Whoa! That's so cool!"

Smiling at Luffy's enthusiasm, Ikki handed him the bike and moved on to his next items.

The next two items he retrieved were the Toyako Bokuto and a sake gourd.

Ikki strapped the Toyako Bokuto to his waist, then focused his attention on the wine gourd. This item was particularly intriguing—it could transform any liquid poured into it into wine.

Curious to test its abilities, Ikki poured some seawater into the gourd, gave it a good shake, and opened it. A rich aroma of wine wafted out.

Zoro, who had been napping nearby, sniffed the air and immediately sat up, his eyes fixed on the gourd.

Ikki took a small sip of the transformed wine but immediately spat it out—it was far too strong, likely over 40% alcohol.

Before Ikki could react, Zoro appeared beside him, his face inches from the gourd. He sniffed it deeply and grinned.

"That's some top-quality wine! Did you conjure this too?"

"Yeah," Ikki replied, handing the gourd over.

Ikki had already explained to the crew that his unique abilities allowed him to produce strange, magical items.

Zoro took a long swig from the gourd, his expression lighting up with approval.

Meanwhile, Nami glanced over from her navigation charts. "A wine gourd? What's the point of that? Why not conjure up something useful, like gold?" she muttered.

Ikki shrugged. "Gold might be possible someday. But this wine gourd? It's got its own value. It can make us a fortune!"

Hearing the word fortune, Nami's attention snapped back to Ikki. "What do you mean? Is this thing worth a lot of money?"

She was already plotting ways to "acquire" the gourd.

"This gourd can produce unlimited high-quality wine," Ikki explained, grinning as he snatched the gourd back from Zoro. He emptied its contents into the sea, much to Zoro's dismay.

"Oi! Don't waste it! You could've at least let me finish that!"

Ignoring him, Ikki demonstrated the gourd's ability. He filled it with seawater, shook it, and opened the lid again. The seawater had transformed into fragrant wine.

"With this gourd," Ikki declared, "we can turn the whole sea into wine. Imagine how much money we could make!"

Both Nami and Zoro were stunned by the gourd's capabilities.

Nami quickly regained her composure and began scheming ways to capitalize on it, while Zoro's focus was elsewhere. Taking the gourd back, he took another long drink, his eyes gleaming.

"If that's the case," Zoro said with a grin, "then I'll never run out of wine again!"