Devlin and Buggy sat together at a nearby bar, enjoying a hot meal. Devlin had offered to pay in an attempt to apologize to the pirate. She was surprised at his quick to anger attitude when it came to his nose.

"So, what's your plan on getting the ship? From what you've told me, you wouldn't be capable of getting me a piece of wood from that yard." Knowing what he was hinting at, Devlin nodded. "Yes, I'll need you to help me get them."

"How do you plan on getting the ship? From what you've told me about it, I'd say you'd need more than just us to get in and take one." She nodded her head. "I'll be relying on you to take us over the yard. We can get them as long as we move fast and fly high enough."

He pretended to not notice the 'them' in that sentence. As long as he got his, whatever else the girl picked up along the way was just a means to an end. Soon enough they had devised a plan.

After they finished their meal, the two would fly over the ship yard, pick a ship and sail away. As they planned this, Devlin made side plans to get her own ship out of the yard. She wasn't lying when she talked about the fishing boat's fragile state.

Buggy placed some money down on the table and left. Walking back to the ship, to Devlin's confusion, Buggy explained that to fly he had to leave his feet on the ground somewhere safe. Hence, the need to walk back to the boat.

Soon after leaving his feet safely on the boat, the two were moving through the clouds above the line of ships below.

One by one they went down the line examining each ship and debating the possible faults. And each ship had one major disadvantage that Buggy couldn't overlook. They were all too large. Each ship needed at least twenty people to operate at the minimum capacity. Buggy was only one person. There was no way he'd be able to sail away safely with any of these ships.

And like that, they had all but exhausted their options until the last boat came into view. Compared to the large ships that came before it, this one was significantly smaller.

"That one right there. It's perfect." Descending from the sky and landing roughly on the boat, Devlin had to brace her legs for the hard landing. Buggy had forgotten about his passenger in his excitement until a kick to the shin reminded him. "Ah!" He cried out in surprise and slight discomfort. She hadn't kicked hard enough to actually hurt him.

After trading half-hearted glares, they split up to search the ship. Buggy knew there was no one else aboard. He never failed to appreciate how handy his observational Haki was, especially when one knows how to wield it effectively.

The first stop on the tour of his new ship was where the nobles themselves stayed. He was aware that this was a noble's ship the moment he laid his eyes on it. The design of the figurehead was something Buggy had seen on several other noble ships that had crossed paths with the Oro Jackson in the past. He'd recognize it anywhere, even if he was unsure of what the figurehead was supposed to be.

Buggy moved about the ship taking in what he saw. The area he was in appeared to be the rooms for the nobles to spend their time in. There were odd trinkets decorating the shelves and fancy ornaments and decorations littering the walls. Buggy shuddered as the room gave off the feeling of entitlement.

What disturbed him the most was the framed photos of odd looking men and women, not just in the way they dressed, spread out on each wall. 'Looks like this will all have to go. In fact, this entire room will need to be redone. Can't be my ship with the faces of privilege and tyranny decorating the walls.'

After evaluating the state of his new ship and the measures he wanted to take to shape his new home into something that was truly his, he suddenly remembered that he was not alone. That the girl was still somewhere on the ship as well. 'I hope she isn't breaking anything of value.' He was hoping to be able to sell off some of the nobles' junk.

Returning to the deck he saw that the cargo bay doors were open. 'She must've gone down there.' He thought. Reaching the opening but pausing at the smell of filth he developed a vague idea of what would be down there. He sighed as he braced himself for what he might find down there.

He closed the doors behind him not wanting to attract attention from any returning crew members. It was unlikely they would reappear, but it was a risk he wasn't willing to take.

Buggy walked down the steps with a heavy heart. He would not delude himself from the truth. To deny what was going on would be to participate in validating the actions of the nobles. Something Buggy would never lower himself to do for not even he would sink that low to maintain personal comfort.

Reaching the bottom of the steps he could barely see in the dimly lit room. He waited a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dark before he was able to make out the figure of the girl he was with earlier. He'd try to get her name once they left this despot of despair. But for now, he was focusing on grabbing her and the others and getting out.

'Why is she kneeling?' His question was answered almost as fast as it was asked. His passive observational Haki had just detected two people that were close by. The girl was kneeling in front of one of them. 'Only two? So much for a full crew.' He had expected more than just two of them.

From the moment he realized that the ship belonged to nobles, Buggy had planned on recruiting them. He'd take anyone who wanted to go home back to their families and keep the ones who wanted to stay. But with only the two of them, the plan might not go as smoothly as he expected it to.

Moving towards the girl from behind, he could see part of her face. She was crying. And while it wasn't noticeable from far away, Buggy had noticed her body was shaking slightly. Not really knowing what to do, he walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. She leaned into him, seeking any form of comfort she could find.

After several minutes of holding onto him, she let go and tried to move towards the cage. Buggy's grip on her shoulder suddenly tightened. Looking at him with uncertainty she watched him shake his head.

Devlin watched as Buggy took a step forward and gripped the door's lock. His hand turned black as he wrenched the lock off of the cage door. Going inside he sucked in a breath of air. On the floor lay a sickly looking Fishman in tattered clothing and covered from head to toe with injuries ranging from dark, swollen bruises to deep gashes.

Curious to see what Buggy had been shocked by, Devlin started to walk towards the cage as well. Feeling her approach from behind he held up a hand to wave her back.

"Just stay back. Turn around if you can." He said to the approaching girl. 'A kid shouldn't have to experience such a gruesome sight.' He heard a weak 'humph' from behind him. "I'm an adult...I...I can handle it." She sniffed, trying to even out her breathing.

Buggy looked over his shoulder skeptically. "Ehhh? You? An adult?" He snorted. "Yeah, ok." He heard another 'humph.' One filled with more confidence than the first. 'Good. She's distracted. Heh, kids are easy.'

She looked at him with narrowed eyes and asked with a suspicious tone "How old do you think I am?" Buggy took a moment to think it over. "Uhh, I don't know…nine or ten?" 'I thought girls didn't like talking about their ages. Maybe Scopper was wrong about that.'

She face planted. "I'm…I'm not a kid….I'm grown. I'm sixteen dammit!" Buggy turned around completely to find Devlin on her hands and knees banging her fist on the floor. 'She's not...No. She couldn't be. Could she?'

"A little small for sixteen, aren't we?" Buggy mused to himself. Buggy is suddenly jerked forward as Devlin somehow teleports next to him grabs his jacket. They're suddenly nose to nose. 'Shit! Did I say that out loud!?'

"What was that, Buggy? I'm a little what for sixteen? Hm? Hmm?" At that moment Buggy couldn't help but be unnerved at how detached her smiling face and cheerful voice were from her eyes. Eyes that promised Buggy pain. Just as Buggy had issues with his nose, Devlin had issues with her height.

He turned to avoid her penetrating stare and but was then met with the sight of the Fishman still laying on the ground. His fear melted into concern, as did Devlin's anger. 'Right. We still need to deal with our new friends.'

It was no secret that celestial dragons were monsters. Stories of their cruelty had spread to nearly every corner of the globe. There were even some islands that had evacuation plans in case a noble decided to 'grace' them with their presence.

To hear stories is one thing, but to see their handiwork was something else entirely. Buggy walked forward and maneuvered the larger man into his arms. After a few seconds of shifting the man into a comfortable position, he managed to hold him without any trouble.

He turned once more to face Devlin. "There's a clinic near where I'm staying. Come on."

Devlin looked at the scene with slight awe. Buggy didn't look like he could lift anything heavier than himself. But there he was, lifting the giant shark man without so much as breaking a sweat. They were nearing the stairs when Buggy suddenly stopped and put the man down against the wall.

Walking away into the darkness he quickly disappeared from sight. Devlin wasn't too happy being left alone in such a terrible place. Several minutes later Buggy came back out of the darkness with a large bundle of cloth in his hands. It looked to Devlin as though someone may have been inside. 'Are they dead?'

Walking past Devlin without so much as a word he picked the man back up and carried both out onto the deck.

As they reached the deck Buggy looked Devlin and told her to wait inside the ship for him to come back. 'As small as she is, I can't carry another person. Hopefully, no one comes back. I need to hurry. 'He flew into the air and in the direction of the town.

Devlin watched until Buggy was out of sight before aimlessly wandering the ship. Eventually, she found the Captain's Quarters, as well as a comfortable bed. Maybe some sleep would help her to feel better. What she had seen in that hold was too much to take in at the moment, and she'd never slept in such a beautiful bed before. She quickly succumbed to sleep.

Buggy flew through the air as fast as he could. Quickly finding himself above the town, he dove down and landed in front of his hotel. Quickly navigating through the streets, he found the clinic and barged inside.

Buggy flew until he reached the hospital, which was more like a small clinic. The door was locked, but he sensed two people still inside. He knocked on the door repeatedly for several minutes before they came to open it.

After several nasty exchanges with two of the most reluctant doctors Buggy had ever met, it was a struggle to get them to treat a patient after hours, he sat in the corner of the room watching as they treated the Fishman and the woman in the bundle. From what he heard, the Fishman would be okay. Most of his wounds would heal with time and care; as would his malnutrition. However, he would not be waking up anytime soon.

It seemed someone had hit him hard enough on the head, apparently the wound was delivered not too long ago, to leave him in a comatose state. When he would wake up was anyone's guess and until then, he would need to be cared for. Buggy was going to need a list of instructions or guidelines to guide him. 'Maybe the doctors can help with that.'

The other patient, the woman in the bundle, was more of an issue than the Fishman. Apparently, she was blind, battered all over, and was suffering from malnutrition. Buggy felt an intense anger burn in the pit of his stomach. 'What in the hell did they do to these two? Fucking nobles...'

Buggy sat in that seat for what seemed like forever. After an hour of examinations, the woman was given medicine and re-wrapped in the cloth. Likewise, the man was also given medicine for the wounds.

Finally, the doctors approached him with two sheets of paper. Both of which were written instructions on how to follow the regimen they'd assigned the Fishman and the woman.

Similar to how most would react, Buggy was shocked that they'd treated a Fishman just like they would any other person. He'd traveled the world and met many people unwilling to even look in the direction of a Fishman for fear of being infected with some imaginary fish disease. It was these people Buggy looked down on the most.

So even though he found their bedside manner to be as horrible as their people skills, he was thankful they didn't discriminate. So much so he was willing to pay them instead of skipping out on the bill like he planned to do.

The doctors had given the two medicine to keep them asleep for a few hours. But it was likely to be longer as their exhaustion was also coupled with sedatives. Buggy thanked the doctors for their help, paid them, and carried the two back to the ship.

As he was on his way back, he thought of their future. Not just as ex-slaves, but also as possible future pirates. It would take a bit of planning but he was sure he'd be able to make it happen, he had to. For what is a captain without his crew?