[Roger was amazing. He could stir up a crowd, inspire men and women to spend their whole lives chasing the One Piece, and he hadn't been any different to his own crew. But he'd had people on his side. People who'd have died for him, gladly, killed for him.
Even with his armada, Buggy feels like-- it's a matter of time before they realize he's nothing like Roger, nothing like Shanks. They'll see through him and see just how dim he shines.
There's a pout as he lets himself dwell on it, and maybe just the tiniest shift to lean in closer to Crocodile.]
[Crocodile is mostly of the same opinion, that it's only a matter of time. How much time is the real question. Most men on the Grand Line are nothing but sheep with delusions of grandeur, an opinion he's held for a long time that's only been proven by the clown's rise to real stardom. Who knows what it will take to sever that loyalty? Buggy is compliant, and that's the important thing; Crocodile could waste time, energy, and resources trying to divert the flow of an entire river, but so far it still seems to be carrying him in the right direction.
Although the question irritates him, it's not actually the first time he's considered it. There are perks to being the power behind the throne, after all... and Buggy has many excellent qualities for a puppet.]
If you were king, it would be because I made you one. [He's not drinking much, for obvious reasons, but it is pirate king liquor. He takes another sip, cigar balanced between two fingers near the rim of the glass.] I invested in you once and left you to your own devices - look how that turned out.
[Buggy is smiling like Crocodile just offered him the world, or assured him he'd actually ever accomplish that dream of being king of the pirates. Maybe it's mostly the alcohol talking, but the smile on his face is genuine. Not the exaggerated ones he puts on for show.
He's just scooting in closer. Any closer and he might be going in for a hug, however suicidal that is. To be fair though, drinking with Crocodile in any capacity s probably that.]
Think about it... all the riches would be ours. We could do whatever we wanted! People would have to respect me, and love me...
[It's clear Crocodile doesn't think much of Buggy's motivations for pursuing the same goal as the entire pirate population to one degree or another. He still has negative interest in helping Buggy reach the One Piece first (the world may be a chaotic and unpredictable place, but it's fiscally irresponsible to bet against Luffy at this point) but there are other ways of achieving a goal worth having.
Not that it's his problem either way. Buggy is free to waste his life chasing ghosts; it makes it easier for Crocodile to siphon his resources toward more sustainable goals.]
Earn some respect here by not drinking yourself stupid every time word about Red Hair comes in.
[He'll believe in his dream enough for both of them then! Crocodile can judge him all he wants, like so many other people have. They'll eat their words if he manages to pull this off!
He finishes off his glass and then pulls a little bit of a face.]
Who says I'm drinking because of that stupid Red Hair?! If he wants to go off being a flashy idiot, that's his business! And not my problem.
[He... might have definitely been drinking because of that red haired idiot. But he's trying to save some dignity here!]
[Crocodile decides to treat that like a rhetorical question. There's only been one element so far that's been able to rouse Buggy to any degree of resistance against Crocodile and Mihawk, and that was Red-Haired Shanks. Best not to let that crack spread any further.]
You've made it our problem. Did he pull your pigtails one too many times on Roger's ship?
I told you what that bastard did! How he betrayed me... and let down Captain Roger!
[There's a huff, frustration settling in all over again.]
He was happy to let me live in his shadow... thought I would dare serve under him. Well, I don't care! I'm going to show him how bright I can shine, then he'll regret all the little betrayals.
[... The fact that Shanks isn't just choosing to get drunk over messaging him is-- something endearing. Even if he tells himself it shouldn't be. He shouldn't even care!
Ah, Buggy! [Shanks is grinning when the door swings open. It's a smaller, more private room with pillows and throws. Shanks is alone with one empty bottle and several unopened ones, having made a nest for himself on the floor. It looks comfortable, if a little basic. It doesn't look like he's had a guest (or multiple) before.]
Well what's the point of opening it if we're not going to drink it? [Friends don't let friends get drunk alone and get entangled in a warm blanket making confused confessions to a lumpy cushion.
Or whatever they are, if Buggy doesn't consider them friends anymore.]
Have a seat! [Shanks is plopping down cross-legged on the floor, rolling some empty glass bottles out of his makeshift fortress. The noise outside is muted through the door and they have some false sense of privacy in here.]
[Has it ever mattered what he considers them? He used-- to think of Shanks as a friend. Probably his best friend.
But he's not so sure anymore.
He will come in for a drink though -- Buggy never turns down a drink.]
You're an emperor... why are you in a room like this?
[It's not very decadent or luxurious. It's quite the opposite, actually. Sitting down cross-legged in front of Shanks though, he does take it upon himself to take a swig from the freshly opened bottle before holding it out to the other.]
Ah... hmm. [Shanks takes another drink before relinquishing his bottle over to Buggy.] Well, I don't think I'm flashy, or extravagant... To me, it means I can do what I want to do. And right now I want to be in this room, with you. Is that okay with you? [Cue an admittedly slightly drunken looking grin and Shanks lifting his fingers from the floor to touch the back of Buggy's closer hand.]
[Shanks pouts and with some reluctance, draws his hand back so he can take the bottle. Although he doesn't drink from it just yet. For a clown he can be very mercurial and very unhappy... although Shanks doesn't want to set Buggy off so he doesn't point that out.]
I'm not making you stay if you don't want to. But I would like your company, if you would like mine too. There's no titles here - just me and you. [Old friends or... whatever it is they are.]
[And if Shanks wants to see him nicer and happier, he'll need to let him toss a few more drinks back. Not his fault if Shanks makes him a tad grumpy after all.]
So, Red Hair, beyond your altruism, how else have you been entertaining yourself?
It wouldn't kill you to be kind, every once in a while. [Although at the mention of his 'altruism', Shanks does scoot over and show Buggy his hand. It's clearly been hard at work with little cuts and scratches. There's some bruising on his forearm, too.]
Look at this! I don't think I'm cut out for all this hard work... You know I nearly lost my hand to this rusty nail. It's going to be so hard to sail with no hands. [Because that's clearly the main concern when you almost Jesused yourself.]
Kind pirates are dead pirates, one way or another. You would think you'd have learned this. Or was the arm not enough to teach you? [Despite his words, there's obvious concern when he sees the state of that hand, reaching out to take it in his own, carefully running a thumb over some of the bruising.]
Are you an idiot? What were you thinking! [Honestly. Idiot red head.] Stop trying to lose things behind my back!
[Yes, clearly, Shanks lost his left hand to spite him. Don't try to tell him otherwise!
His thumb rubs over the palm of his hand, soothing gently.]
[Shanks sulks but otherwise doesn't say anything that might risk Buggy taking his attention off of his hand. Looks to him like Buggy is showing him a little morsel of kindness right now. And Buggy is very much alive. (So is Shanks - for now at least. Ask him later when he's drunk and fallen in a ditch somewhere.)
Why does everyone think that he lost his arm just to spite them...]
Sorry... [Don't mind him while he grins sheepishly and takes the opportunity to move in closer until he can rest the side of his head against Buggy's shoulder. He doesn't smell nearly as drunk as he's acting, but. Semantics. He's always some state of disheveled and moves like a heat-seeking missile.]
[Once he's satisfied that Shanks' lone hand isn't about to fall off from infection or something, he seems content to just hold on for a second. At least until he has a red head flopping on to his shoulder. He pauses, arching an eyebrow as he looks at Shanks from the corner of his eye.]
What are you doing? [Besides using him as a pillow, that is.] If you invited me up to be your pillow, you could at least make sure I'm comfortable first...
Hmm? Aren't you comfortable? [Shanks practically made a bed on the floor. They might not be sitting on a mattress but it's almost pillow fortress level comfort.]
Here, finish it. [He drags the bottle of booze over, nudging it in front of Buggy. Let it not be said that he plies unsuspecting friends with alcohol... but hopefully finishing the whole thing will temper Buggy's irritable mood and get him to relax a bit. Enjoy this moment with Shanks.]
They'll let us spend the night here, so. Don't worry about getting drunk. [Because it's safe to assume Buggy has no life and no plans for the rest of the week, right?]
[Why are they on the floor, anyway! But fine, whatever. He takes the bottle of booze and takes a deep swig from it. He'll never turn down booze, after all.]
If you insist. [Alcohol does usually brighten his mood a little.]
Are you trying to get me drunk, Red Hair? [HE huffs out a laugh.] Maybe I should have been a little more suspicious of your motives!
[Shorter distance to fall if they're already on the floor, of course.]
I'm trying to get you to relax. It's different! [Shanks cracks a grin and invites himself to lie down, rest his head in Buggy's lap even though he could be using any number of pillows instead.]
Were you having fun down there? [Shanks might reconsider, if Buggy would rather be back downstairs. He didn't seem to mind drinking alone up here without him. But he does seem to want the company, even though Buggy won't let him say it without threatening violence or getting himself into hard and tight twists.]
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sandsand; tfln
Of course not. You don't do it alone...
[Roger was amazing. He could stir up a crowd, inspire men and women to spend their whole lives chasing the One Piece, and he hadn't been any different to his own crew. But he'd had people on his side. People who'd have died for him, gladly, killed for him.
Even with his armada, Buggy feels like-- it's a matter of time before they realize he's nothing like Roger, nothing like Shanks. They'll see through him and see just how dim he shines.
There's a pout as he lets himself dwell on it, and maybe just the tiniest shift to lean in closer to Crocodile.]
Would you stay with me? If I were king?
thanks for relocating!
Although the question irritates him, it's not actually the first time he's considered it. There are perks to being the power behind the throne, after all... and Buggy has many excellent qualities for a puppet.]
If you were king, it would be because I made you one. [He's not drinking much, for obvious reasons, but it is pirate king liquor. He takes another sip, cigar balanced between two fingers near the rim of the glass.] I invested in you once and left you to your own devices - look how that turned out.
No problem!
He's just scooting in closer. Any closer and he might be going in for a hug, however suicidal that is. To be fair though, drinking with Crocodile in any capacity s probably that.]
Think about it... all the riches would be ours. We could do whatever we wanted! People would have to respect me, and love me...
[What a dream...]
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[It's clear Crocodile doesn't think much of Buggy's motivations for pursuing the same goal as the entire pirate population to one degree or another. He still has negative interest in helping Buggy reach the One Piece first (the world may be a chaotic and unpredictable place, but it's fiscally irresponsible to bet against Luffy at this point) but there are other ways of achieving a goal worth having.
Not that it's his problem either way. Buggy is free to waste his life chasing ghosts; it makes it easier for Crocodile to siphon his resources toward more sustainable goals.]
Earn some respect here by not drinking yourself stupid every time word about Red Hair comes in.
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He finishes off his glass and then pulls a little bit of a face.]
Who says I'm drinking because of that stupid Red Hair?! If he wants to go off being a flashy idiot, that's his business! And not my problem.
[He... might have definitely been drinking because of that red haired idiot. But he's trying to save some dignity here!]
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You've made it our problem. Did he pull your pigtails one too many times on Roger's ship?
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[There's a huff, frustration settling in all over again.]
He was happy to let me live in his shadow... thought I would dare serve under him. Well, I don't care! I'm going to show him how bright I can shine, then he'll regret all the little betrayals.
nonki; tfln
[... The fact that Shanks isn't just choosing to get drunk over messaging him is-- something endearing. Even if he tells himself it shouldn't be. He shouldn't even care!
But well--
Here he is, already heading up the stairs.]
Open the door, Red Hair.
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Come, come. You must help me with this bottle.
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Drinking it or opening it? [He huffs out a sigh.
... He's drinking it either way.]
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Or whatever they are, if Buggy doesn't consider them friends anymore.]
Have a seat! [Shanks is plopping down cross-legged on the floor, rolling some empty glass bottles out of his makeshift fortress. The noise outside is muted through the door and they have some false sense of privacy in here.]
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But he's not so sure anymore.
He will come in for a drink though -- Buggy never turns down a drink.]
You're an emperor... why are you in a room like this?
[It's not very decadent or luxurious. It's quite the opposite, actually. Sitting down cross-legged in front of Shanks though, he does take it upon himself to take a swig from the freshly opened bottle before holding it out to the other.]
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What does that mean? Being an 'emperor'. Does it mean anything to you?
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[He could probably live like royalty if he so desired... so why sit on the floor, downing probably cheap booze?]
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Who am I to tell the emperor how to spend his time, hm?
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I'm not making you stay if you don't want to. But I would like your company, if you would like mine too. There's no titles here - just me and you. [Old friends or... whatever it is they are.]
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[And if Shanks wants to see him nicer and happier, he'll need to let him toss a few more drinks back. Not his fault if Shanks makes him a tad grumpy after all.]
So, Red Hair, beyond your altruism, how else have you been entertaining yourself?
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Look at this! I don't think I'm cut out for all this hard work... You know I nearly lost my hand to this rusty nail. It's going to be so hard to sail with no hands. [Because that's clearly the main concern when you almost Jesused yourself.]
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Are you an idiot? What were you thinking! [Honestly. Idiot red head.] Stop trying to lose things behind my back!
[Yes, clearly, Shanks lost his left hand to spite him. Don't try to tell him otherwise!
His thumb rubs over the palm of his hand, soothing gently.]
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Why does everyone think that he lost his arm just to spite them...]
Sorry... [Don't mind him while he grins sheepishly and takes the opportunity to move in closer until he can rest the side of his head against Buggy's shoulder. He doesn't smell nearly as drunk as he's acting, but. Semantics. He's always some state of disheveled and moves like a heat-seeking missile.]
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What are you doing? [Besides using him as a pillow, that is.] If you invited me up to be your pillow, you could at least make sure I'm comfortable first...
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Here, finish it. [He drags the bottle of booze over, nudging it in front of Buggy. Let it not be said that he plies unsuspecting friends with alcohol... but hopefully finishing the whole thing will temper Buggy's irritable mood and get him to relax a bit. Enjoy this moment with Shanks.]
They'll let us spend the night here, so. Don't worry about getting drunk. [Because it's safe to assume Buggy has no life and no plans for the rest of the week, right?]
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If you insist. [Alcohol does usually brighten his mood a little.]
Are you trying to get me drunk, Red Hair? [HE huffs out a laugh.] Maybe I should have been a little more suspicious of your motives!
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I'm trying to get you to relax. It's different! [Shanks cracks a grin and invites himself to lie down, rest his head in Buggy's lap even though he could be using any number of pillows instead.]
Were you having fun down there? [Shanks might reconsider, if Buggy would rather be back downstairs. He didn't seem to mind drinking alone up here without him. But he does seem to want the company, even though Buggy won't let him say it without threatening violence or getting himself into hard and tight twists.]
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