One Piece:

SWEET TOOTH

The stories from the Old World series

by Lucynda Raciak

| Sweet Tooth |

Buggy umped into the water after the map. He was so happy when he found it. Among Roger Pirates existed a rule that you took what you found for yourself. The only time they would have to give their treasure away was when the crew as a collective needed something particular and part of monetary treasure would always go for their supplies. But other than that, anything one of them considered a treasure could become a property. They could, later on, do whatever they wanted with it.

There were a few times when Buggy found something that was other crewmember's interest and give it to them but treasure maps were Buggy's! He loved to solve the mystery that was behind the map. The treasure was a bonus that also went nicely with his paranoia of having funds.

He tricked the others to think that the Devil Fruit was fake. In many other pirate crews, this would be considered treason, but if one of Roger Pirates discovered the trick, they would only complement Buggy for being a sneaky little shit.

The moment Buggy's body hit the water he felt his bones becoming heavy and muscles turning into jelly.

'No!'

He felt his mouth open up on its own in a silent scream and his lungs filling up with water.

'I cannot swim!' he realized panicking now completely. He was always an amazing swimmer, one of the best on the crew second only to Sunbell and Rayleigh.

And now he was drowning.

His eyes filled with tears that immediately blurred with the ocean.

And then there was nothing.

Buggy woke up in the infirmary. He blinked a couple of times till his vision became sharp again. He looked to the side where Crocus was making medicine in a mortar.

"Cr- khe khe!" the moment he decided to call ship doctor's name the caught silenced him.

"Buggy!" yelled the man as he came to him with a glass of some liquid and helped him sit up on the infirmary bed "Here lad, drink it up."

Buggy took the glass and poured the content into his mouth. The liquid left a strange half-sweet half-bitter taste in his mouth end left his tongue tang but the relief was almost immediate.

"How are you feeling, lad?" Crocus asked as he smoothed Buggy's back.

"Tired. My head hurts." he said softly and immediately felt as if he was about to cough again.

"Try not to say anything, lad. Your throat is sore. You also have a temperature. If you need to go to sleep again and don't overstrain yourself."

Buggy nodded his head and lay back down.

"You swallowed a lot of ocean water" explained the doctor "And now that you're Devil Fruit User it will irritate your lungs and gullet more. As long as salt particles are in your body, you'll feel weak and your immune system-"

But Buggy was no longer listening.

He was a Devil Fruit User.

He would never be able to swim again.

He felt the anger overwhelming him.

It was all because Shanks startled him!

It was all Shanks' fault!

If the idiot didn't sneak behind him it would ever have happened.

Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew it was all not true. That he was just as guilty because if he didn't decide to prank the crew he and Shanks wouldn't ever be placed in that situation but now the only thing Buggy could do was rage.

Because if there was something Buggy loved more then treasure, more then solving mysteries, more then the crew and Roger it would always be the sea.

And now his greatest love hated him instead.