Chapter Text
One hour. Two hours. Four hours have passed.
Kneeling before the cockpit’s closed doors, Meg and Torres are shooing away an irritated Allen from a small box. When Ava appears behind their back, her voice startles them:
“There you are! What’s going on?”
“Shhh!” Torres hisses, alarmed.
“Give the stethoscope back!”
Allen is throwing himself at the box; a quick quarrel and Meg snatches the instrument away from him, pushing it back against the doors’ metal.
“Shut your holes, everyone, they picked up.” the woman whispers.
They all gather around a tiny screen on the doctor’s stethoscope: it’s showing a dark control room. There, a slim guy with black hair and headphones is connecting a Den Den Mushi to a computer; a woman with glasses and a blue-haired man nervously pacing around him. As the snail's eyes light up, a croaky voice comes out of it.
“You fucking son of a bitch, where are you?!”
Inside the cockpit, Sir Crocodile’s voice explodes with all his wrath.
Buggy runs to the radio “Hey, handsome! Long time, uh? Did you get the papers?”
“Come back to Karai Bari! Now!”
“I will…Eventually.” the jester sweats nervously, his voice lowering and rising again. “Meanwhile, could you read those papers? Pretty please!”
“You’re in no position…you…and…where… Not now, Hawk, I'm on the phone!” The snail turns to the side, mimicking the scarred man's anger as he seems to be talking to someone far away. “He sent what?! Buggy, loan’s the last word your filthy mouth should utter!”
“Oh, Crocky. I know our previous ventures weren't all sunshines and rainbows, but you gotta trust me, my Egghead pals did the math this time!” A malevolent grin darkens his face. “You heard me right. E-g-g-head.”
The radio snail falls silent, paper rustling coming from the other side.
“A device flying across the Grand Line? Clown, they’re scamming you.”
“No scam, sir.” Romi joins in, her voice stone cold. “I’ve been working on The Drifter for years. I'm Romi Hodges, mechanical engineer and…former Labophase trainee.”
“I see.” The Den Den sneers. “Well, Miss Hodges, would you be so kind as to follow the Yonko on his island? I'd like a word.”
“Nice try!” Buggy pushes Romi away “I'm the one who does the talking here, all you have to do is sign the contract.”
Then, slapping the slug shell vigorously, the pirate hangs up.
When the radio rings again, the computers all around it wake up, papers falling on the ground, spitted out of a beeping printer.
“I can’t fucking believe I’m doing this.” Crocodile growls “Miss Engineer, you sure of your numbers? They seem over-optimistic, to say the least.”
“Enough with the boring stuff, we’re gonna own the Grand Line!” Buggy shouts enthusiastically. “Not even celestial assholes can touch us, it’s all legal!"
“Needless to say, clown, that your interest will be sky high, this time. You're not fooling me twice.”
“Oh, c'mon Crocky, help a friend out.”
“And I expect my share, first day of each month.”
“Ugh, deal. But I'm staying here on the Egghead ship.”
“That’s the funniest joke I've heard from you.”
“I mean it. Tell Galdino to make a wax dummy or something, no one will even notice.”
“You out of your fucking mind? Bug-”
The pirate hangs up again, a nervous smile on his face. “Hey, navigator. Back to the Belts, quick.”
At Romi's light touch, the man adjusts his headphones and rapidly types his commands on a keyboard.
“Thanks, JoyJoey. And apologies for the loudness.” The Captain gently pats the man's shoulder as she reaches for a lever switch.
When the cockpit’s doors slide open, the upset faces of the rest of the crew startles her.
“What have you done!” Meg cries out. “Dealing with the Cross Guild?!”
“Crew, lunchroom meeting in five.” The Captain states.
“They will eat us and spit us out!”
“Enough with the shouting in here. Go, it's an order.”
The whole crew reaches their meeting point, no words uttered but dirty looks speaking volumes.
Sinking back into a chair, Meg breaks the silence first:
“Let me get this straight, Romi: a pirate comes along suggesting we join his pirate alliance and you accept without flinching. So much for years of laying low!”
The woman inhales deeply, rubbing her glasses against her shirt.
“It was a tough call, actually: two weeks ago, we used our last savings. I've been racking my brain these days, trying to find a way to spare you the bad news.”
“Romi, we're in this together.” Allen says softly
“And then food supplies were running out too!” the Captain continues. “Having extra people on board, never touching land…it blew up my forecasts.”
She puts her glasses on again. “Abandoning the Drifter is not an option, nor is it to let my mates starve. If I'll have to deal with pirates to keep us going, so be it. I take full responsibility.”
Buggy's hand floats around the room, handing Meg a bunch of paper sheets.
“There. Read it yourself.” the pirate says “And have a little trust in your captain's big brains.”
The Challengers take a seat around the table and immerse themselves in the reading. They all discuss the fine lines under Romi's attentive glaze, asking questions and passing the papers around.
Ava is trying her best to conceal a huge smile that’s been stretching her cheeks since leaving the cockpit. She gets up first, lost in thoughts.
“At the end of the day, I’d be mixed up with Cross Guild anyway.”
The woman moves next to Buggy, nudging him playfully with her shoulder.
“Still here? Your men must be soaking their facepaint in tears.”
“Someone insisted I go back to crafting but…no labs in Karai Bari.” the jester winks.
Eventually, papers and numbers are replaced by food and drink on the dinner table, printed sheets crowded in a corner far from the plates.
“By the way.”
Buggy is pointing his fork to the crew, his mouth full: “You think nobody would notice a fucking rocket flying over their heads? Everyone in the Grand Line will want a piece of that cake.”
Romi nods vigorously “Damn right. The Navy will knock on our door no doubt, and y’all know they don't ask nicely.”
“Say no more. To Captain Hodges.” Meg makes a toast with a bittersweet smile and everyone raises their glasses.
“To Captain Hodges!”
As the tension of that morning gradually melts away, everyone’s thinking about the upcoming projects and how to spend their future money.
Romi's sitting between Buggy and Ava, a glass of ale dangling from her fingers.
“We better make the Drifter fly asap.” She clincks her glass against theirs.
“Ava, how about you move into my room now? You’d have my data archives at hand while Mr. President here gets his private quarters.”
The blonde stares at Romi for a hot minute before stuttering an answer. “It seems…uhm…convenient.”
Buggy clicks his tongue.
“Bad idea. This one will annoy you in the middle of the night with the most random questions.”
“Come again?” Ava smirks, leaning forward on the table.
“Terrible roommate.” The pirate continues “A ruthless hair brush thief who only leaves chaos and destruction behind her. I'll spare you this horror, Captain.”
He mimics a toast before chugging his ale.
Romi takes a sip and rolls her eyes. “Whatever guys, nevermind.” she mumbles, her words echoing inside the glass.
That morning, the crew rallies inside lab 01.R
Romi paces back and forth in front of her mates, rehearsing aloud every detail of what is about to happen. Her eyes shine in anticipation and excitement, her heart pounding in her chest: it’s test day.
“Everyone in position. Get the data collectors going. Jester, the floor is yours.”
On a large platform, the Drifter lies dormant. Buggy approaches the vehicle, placing a metal box on the ground; he snaps it open and digs his hands into some soft material. A transparent sphere comes out with a bold ‘x’ painted on its surface; a glowing, dense liquid sloshing inside as the ball moves.
“Let's put this baby to use.” the pirate grins. “This time it's gonna work.”
“Six time’s the charm.” Ava chuckles, while keeping the Drifter’s tank open for him.
As soon as the glowing sphere rolls into the vehicle, Romi saddles up and starts the ignition sequence. A low grumble comes from the thrusters and the dashboard animates under her fingers. Goosebumps all over, she observes the front hollow wheel drawing a shiny ring of light. One high-pitched hiss and the Drifter gets off the ground.
"Woohoo!"
Romi cheers loudly while the crew’s excitement grows by the minute. She fumbles with the commands and steers the vehicle towards the exit, its engines revving full force.
Everything is going exactly as planned when a sudden, scorching heat wave reaches the woman's back, followed by the unmistakable sound of an explosion. Panic spreads as black smoke fills the room.
"Goddamnit!" Allen shouts “Is everyone ok?”
The doctor grabs his medical kit and runs to the rest of the crew, his ears ringing painfully.
He reaches the Captain first: bent over on the floor, she's punching her tights, tears down her furious face. She’s screaming, out of control.
"Breathing is ok. Motility looks fine.” Allen rattles off the essential checks as fast as he can.
“Doc, help!”
He jumps on the platform, following the jester's shrieks.
The pirate has not one scratch on him but Ava, on the other hand, is resisting the Drifter’s weight, her face covered in blood.
Buggy and Torres are trying to lift the wrecked vehicle away from her, but she’s holding on to it, shouting into the smoke:
“Romi it's ok! We'll fix it!”
“Let go, idiot!”
Buggy is shoving Ava away when the Drifter's bulk in his arms suddenly feels heavier.
“Torres, what the fuck you're doing?”
“No, no, no, no…” The man mumbles, his amber eyes fixed on Ava's face.
“Don't you dare drop it!” the woman shouts
“Y-your face!”
“It's nothing, I'm fine!”
“I need to throw up…”
“You were in the Navy, for god's sake!”
“And why do you think they made him a sniper?” Meg snarls, helping them lay down the Drifter slowly.
As the dense fog begins to dissipate, the doctor lets Torres run away, focusing on the others.
“Romi was lucky. Just bruises and a nasty headache.” His tone is reassuring. “This young lady, on the other hand…”
“Ouch!”
The second he touches Ava’s face she cries out on top of her lungs. Her nose is getting swollen and black, cheeks and chin covered in blood.
Allen opens his kit and cleans her face while Buggy moves frantically around him.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” He whines, peeking out from the doctor’s shoulders. His floating hands hold Ava still as a metal strip gets applied on her bended nose.
“This will do for now.” the doctor smiles. “Wait a little for the painkillers to kick in then go get some rest. I'll check on you in a couple of hours.”
Allen gathers his tools and reaches Meg, who's carrying a miserable Romi on her back. With the doctor's assistance, the three of them leave what's left of lab 01.
Watching the sad spectacle, Buggy reaches for two desk chairs then turns them upright.
“Come sitting.” He orders in a flat voice.
“I'm good.”
“Doc said you need to rest. Sit.”
Ava throws herself into a chair, puffing. “How about we use the purple paste instead? Like, a tiny crumble.”
“That’s a great idea… if you want to send your nose on the fucking moon.”
Buggy sits in front of her and falls silent for a bit. “I really thought it would have worked this time, you know.”.
“We’re almost there: it’s just a matter of fine-tuning, at this point.”
“It blew up in our faces, Ava! I’m out of my league, I'm afraid.”
“Well, so is Romi with her Drifter and, frankly, so am I when I get my hand on any cable in here. We’re all learning as we go.”
“How romantic. Sadly, Croc’s breathing down my neck kinda ruins the vibe.”
“Oh, forget about that buttface: one day we'll build a gigantic robot and seize his gold! ” Ava giggles “It will destroy him! While spitting fire.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Buggy leans forward, laughing.
“We'll name it RingMaster, Mark One!” the woman continues, chasing the jester's chuckles as the bad mood seems to leave him.
In the middle of that rambling, though, her smile fades away.
Those clear eyes, his childish grin…Ava finds herself weak, once again.
“It must be the adrenaline. The painkillers, probably.” She thinks, as tingles start running under her skin.
Squinting, Buggy takes some time to inspect the dark metal strip on the blond’s nose.
“Does it hurt?” he asks.
She feels her cheek burning as her gaze tumbles down to his chin.
“I feel nothing. Just a bit light headed.”
“Friggin’ Egghead stuff.”
A slight tilt of her head and a kiss lands on Buggy's lips. A long shy kiss, followed by another peck, and then another.
The jester is stunned: Ava's skin smells too good, her lips, her hands on his jaw, too soft, too inviting. Suddenly overwhelmed, he does not move a muscle.
“Lord, no.” His heart is pounding out of control, dark thoughts crowding in his mind.
“Please, make her stop.” Buggy falls into pure panic. “It had to be fake! She swore to part ways!”
The vivid image of Croc and Hawk laughing flashes before his eyes, he could almost hear them: “you should thank us, clown.” And Ava, clinging to his arm with her shiny wedding band. He'll be stuck with her, forever.
As Buggy snaps out of his visions, he pushes the woman away. She stands up, distraught, her big green eyes darting left and right. “I…I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me.” She whispers in a shaky voice. Lowering her head, Ava dashes out of the room.
Buggy’s head pops off, falling into his hands. “Shit!” He shrieks “Shit! What was that?!”
Hoping to calm his inner chaos, he runs hiding in the chemistry lab for the rest of the day.
It’s been dark for a while when he eventually takes courage and heads back to his room.
“You go straight in there as if today never happened.” The man rehearses. “No kaboom, no smooches, nothing. Just good ol’ chatting.”
As he opens the bedroom’s doors, Buggy sighs in relief. Ava seems to be…not there.
He takes off his clothes and paint, hurrying under the shower, planning to be asleep before his roommate comes back.
The jester dives on his pillow and shuts his eyes: ears pricking up, he expects the sound of her steps at any moment.
Buggy waits for hours on end, wakeful, but no one comes in that night. Staring into the dark, he feels his heart sink.
The pirate rolls over in his bed, massaging his face vigorously after a long nap. “How long was I out?” he wonders, as warm sun rays are coming in from the window.
Too tired to get up, he stares at the room: Ava's side is neatly ordered, bed made, shelves empty.
“She must have stayed at Romi's yesterday. Again.” The jester sleepily scratches his belly. “It's always Romi and her tests, or those marines’ training or Doc needing help with this and that.” he scoffs. “If you don't want to be around me just fucking say it.”
The speakers on the ceiling turn on.
“Oi, you up? We're waiting outside.”
Buggy gets up and gathers his boots on the floor, exhausted at the very thought of what awaits him: that blonde idiot avoiding his gaze, his fuel failing again in front of everyone.
Zipping up his gray coverall, he growls at Ava's bed: “She fucked everything up.” He thinks. “Why did she do it?!”
Gritting his teeth, Buggy stomps upstairs and gets through a huge bulkhead door. He's out on the weather deck, blinded by the light.
“Jester!” Romi shouts. “You took forever! Get the fuel, quick!”
Slowly, Buggy walks towards her: she's mounting on the Drifter, wearing a thick padded suit and a weird helmet on her head.
Behind the Captain, Ava's running the final checks. Their crewmates step back and she places her thumb on the vehicle's dashboard: it switches on, its tiny icons lighting up. As the blonde feels Buggy's cold stare on her, she turns around to greet him with a faint smile.
They both traffic around the Drifter, clumsily trying not to get in each other's way.
“Ok, all ready.” she announces, as the pirate locks the cycle’s tank.
The Drifter’s engines power up with a loud hiss and the reflections of its spinning wheel dance throughout the deck.
“I’ve got a good feeling this time.”
Ava looks up at Buggy, his face tired and tense in anticipation.
“Or I messed up again and everything’s about to blow up.” the man snaps “You’re not coming to the lab anymore, you can't know.”
“What?”
“Coward.”
A sudden burst of wind startles both of them.
In a blink of an eye, the Drifter cuts through the air, its engines roaring loud as it runs through the deck before surpassing the edge of the ship. Fast and steady, the cycle flies over the sea and climbs up high.
Buggy can't stop looking at that scene: over their head, Romi is floating, spinning, darting through the orange sky of the Belts. They did it.
He did it.
A few minutes later, the Captain descends back on the ship while the crew cheers and shouts.
She gets off the Drifter and throws her helmet away, running to hug everyone.
“Best feelin’ of my entire life!” Romi screams, eyes sparkling in pride.
“That’s just the beginning, babe, buckle up!” Buggy sneers.
The Challengers come flocking around their Captain.
“That was crazy!”
“Please don’t break your helmet.”
“Screw you Labophanse! Ah, ah!”
“I want to fly too!”
“Hell yeah, we'll take turns!” Romi laughs while freeing Ava from her arms.
Soon after, Torres returns from the lower deck with a handful of glassware and a dusty bottle of liquor.
“Time to party!” he shouts as everyone takes a dented glass.
A couple of rounds and Buggy is alone with an empty bottle.
“Hey! If you’ve taken all the booze, I'm feeding the Drifter to the Sea Kings!” he cries out.
Shaking out the last drops, the jester notices Ava, walking towards him with two tumblers filled to the brim.
“Gimme that! You don't even like it.”
“They're both for you.” she rolls her eyes as the man snatches the liquor from her hands. “I figured you could use a little extra to unwind.”
“Well, it never hurts.” Buggy wipes his mouth on his sleeve. “For your information, though, I’m perfectly chill.”
“Almost icy. At least with me.”
“Oh, pardon me miss.” The pirate shrugs. “But you see, I’m not quite myself lately, ‘cause a good friend of mine has disappeared. One day we're all fun and games and then…puff, gone! Like a magic trick!” His fingers float around. “I wonder what happened to her.”
“I was uneasy around you after the lab, ok? That's what happened.”
“Mh, I think I had a hunch…from how fucking weird you've acted these days!”
“I’m sorry but I needed a little time! I didn't know why I did that, it was embarrassing.” the woman sighs. “And I felt awful.”
The jester bites his lips. “I guess I was a bit harsh too, back then. Do you, uhm, need more time?”
“Honestly, I don't think it matters. It's just making things weird.” Ava scratches her neck, ignoring the knot in her stomach. ”I'd rather we go back the way we used to be, so… no more talking about the lab.”
“Yes ma’am!” Buggy grabs his second glass, a huge weight lifting from his chest.
While the Challengers run below deck, he walks with Ava, filling her in with his recent adventures at the chemistry lab.
“It burned up?” the woman frowns. “I don't recall any alarm.”
“I asked JoyJoey to disconnect it.”
“You silenced the fire alarm?!”
“Hey, keep it down!” The pirate slides one arm across Ava's shoulders and pulls her close. Giggling, he whispers in her ear: “It kept going off! JoyJoey was fed up too.”
The celebrations continue in the lunchroom with fresh food and loads of drinks, courtesy of Crocodile’s money.
Torres and Ava are cheering on their tipsy Captain, who's running around the table, while Meg and Buggy are pulling a reluctant young man inside the room.
“Leave the kid alone, you two!” Allen laughs, “Poor JoyJoey.” His happy voice is drowned out by the aggressive music playing from the speakers.
Hours later, a terrible headache forces Buggy to slow down.
“Does this fucking song ever change?” he thinks “It’s just hammering and hissing over and over again…ugh. ”
He’s leaning against the kitchen cabinets, looking around the room with a glass in his hand, when his gaze falls on his female crewmates. They’re all in the middle of a conversation, making gestures at each other.
Smiling behind a sip of his drink, the jester feels at peace. “Who knew the science gang would be this fun. Lady luck must be back on my side.” he thinks.
His eyes are fixed on Ava. Hands dirty with black grease, metal on her face: a perfect Egghead specimen, always plunging headlong into the weirdest things. So different from the bland creature who sailed off Fugu, ashamed of eating in front of anyone but him.
The thought of her kiss floods Buggy's mind.
Gripped by a confusing yearning he dares not name, the pirate looks down and sprints out of the lunchroom.
“Damn, get a grip. You’ve had too much to drink and too little sleep, that's all.”
Walking down the silent corridor isn't giving him any relief, his mind crowded with loud thoughts.
The jester gets back to his bedroom and sticks his face under the bathroom’s cold tap water.
“Hey, let’s be real for a sec.” He talks to the man in the mirror, black water running down his face. “You know wasted and this is not wasted. Not even close.”
“What's the big fucking deal? You enjoy a little yapping with your roommate who happens to be tolerably good to look at…so what! It's nobody’s fault if that bloody charm of yours makes them all fall for you.”
“Big words for a clown who’s been spit upon for years.” Frantically, the man messes with his hair, fighting the snarky inner voice creeping through his mind. “No wonder you lost your shit at first fucking touch.”
Buggy paces back and forth in the room, trying to escape that familiar voice that's haunting him, making his stomach twist: there's a whole island out there, swarming with minions who worship him like a god, but the only thing he’s ever felt among them is misery.
“Fine. I guess I am feeling some umh… fondness. What then? Should I settle for a constant reminder of Crock’s boot on my neck? Even on my wedding day? Fuck no!”
Buggy freezes as the room's doors slide open.
A bulk of blankets and papers walks in whistling, dropping knick-knacks all over the floor.
“Hello!” Blonde hair is peeking out behind the beddings.
“You just stepped in and it's chaos already!” The jester shouts, his arms open wide.
Ava throws her things on her bed, then kicks her boots away and climbs inside Buggy's module. Legs crossed, she stares at the starry sky outside the window.
“You still haven't told me what's inside the fuel. Oh, and I have some juicy gossip.” the woman says happily.
“I’ll show you tomorrow.” Buggy hops next to her, adjusting the shirt under his half-unzipped suit. “What's this late night tea?”
“Torress…and Meg.” Ava winks at him.
“No fucking way he's into older women!”
“Well, the heart wants what the heart wants, I guess.”
“Heart?” he sneers “It’s just the sailors’ loneliness giving him that itch.”
Gasping loudly, the blonde shoves him by the jaw and Buggy bursts out laughing.
Just like that, a sort of clarity dawns on the pirate: in small, petty moments like that, Croc and Hawk are not in the room with him. Actually, since Ava came around, he’s been doing nothing but laughing and singing and digging his hands in gunpowder. All things happiness is made of, as far as he can tell.
If this is the miracle he kept asking for in Karai Bari…Maybe he should trust his luck one more time.
Ava's heart skips a beat.
She hasn't noticed Buggy getting closer and now his head is sinking in her neck.
“Umh, about the lab thing.”
She struggles to process the man's muffled words as his arms are sliding around her waist, blue hair tickling her cheeks.
“Shall we try again?” he whispers.
Before she could even face him, Ava gets pushed back by a rough, hungry kiss.
She's overwhelmed by the jester desperately pressing on her lips, his coarse chin scratching her skin with every deep breath.
She meets his kisses with equal zeal as she tastes the faint bitterness of his faded face paint.
Hastily, they both get handsy and the blonde stops to observe Buggy trafficking with her coverall’s zipper.
Pulling back, she whispers against his parted lips: “If it's just for tonight, I want to know.”
“Tonight, tomorrow, Friday morning, next month,…” The pirate stutters incoherently while Ava places lingering kisses on his gold earrings and down his neck.
The woman nuzzles his nose and falls back into the mattress with a teasing smile.
Whatever the jester is up to, she doesn't care anymore: at that point, he’s an itch she’s dying to scratch.