Chapter 19

Luffy, angry with Buggy's treatment of his hat and that he was calling himself a comrade of Shanks, begins to fight again. Back at the encampment outside the town, the villagers grow worried for their mayor, and decide to go and help. Buggy finally loses his temper with Luffy, and has a flashback about his relationship with Shanks. He remembers how different their opinion on treasure was, and he blames Shanks for causing him to accidentally eat a Devil Fruit. Back in the present, Buggy prepares to attack, but notices Nami has stolen his treasure and instead lunges at her.

The Jade Hunters

Devil Fruit

Luffy is still mad that Buggy said Shanks was his friend, but Buggy insists he can say what he wants about the pirate. Buggy begins to separate his body, but Luffy hits him to stop him. The Buggy Pirates lying on the ground cannot believe their captain is losing. Nami suddenly realizes she is caught up in watching the fight.

Back at the camp outside the village, the villagers are now worried about their mayor. When Poro decides to head into town to find him, he is supported by the others, and they all go.

Buggy claims Shanks is the one person who has angered him the most over the years. He has a flashback about their time as fellow pirates. Shanks and Buggy are fighting on a pirate ship about whether the North Pole or South Pole is colder. An unnamed senior member of the crew steps in and stops their fight by banging their heads together, telling them if they really want to find to prove which is colder, then they should go and find out themselves.

A lookout tells the crew that there is an approaching vessel, and they prepare themselves for a fight. Buggy is delighted by the thought of getting some treasure from the ship, but Shanks replies there is more to being a pirate than treasure, despite what Buggy thinks. During the fight, Buggy finds a treasure map to an underwater treasure horde. Buggy hides the map, so he can claim the treasure himself.

Later that night, Shanks leaves a wild party on the ship to ask Buggy why he is not joining in, and explains they found a rare treasure on the enemy ship. Buggy shows signs of guilt, leaving Shanks wondering what Buggy is concealing. Since Buggy is convinced his plan will succeed, he discusses his future with Shanks and talks about leaving the ship. Shanks says he might also leave, find a crew and travel around the world as a pirate. Buggy mocks his ideas, telling Shanks he's too naïve and innocent to ever make it as a pirate, and that if it wasn't for his crazy ideas, he would have him on his crew. Shanks declines on the grounds that their views are too different, and they agree if they ever meet on the sea they will fight to the end.

Shanks reveals that the party was because they had found a Devil Fruit; after telling Buggy the powers and value of the fruit, Buggy makes up his mind to eat it the next day. In front of the entire crew, he swallows the Devil Fruit whole. He tells the others the fruit had no effect on him, and they all dismiss the stories they've heard about the Devil Fruits. Unknown to them, Buggy had already switched the fruit with a fake, and plans to sell it. That night, Buggy plans to leave the crew and begin his dream of becoming a pirate. Shanks surprises him by appearing suddenly; in desperation he hides the Devil Fruit in his mouth and the map in his jacket. Buggy manages to get Shanks to leave, but as he lets out a sigh of relief, Shanks once again pops up behind him, startling Buggy and causing him to swallow the Devil Fruit.

Buggy is in complete shock at what he has done, but before he could finish yelling at Shanks, Shanks points out a fluttering piece of paper heading over the side of the ship. Buggy realizes this is his map and leaps after it; as he lands in the water, he discovers the story about the sea turning against Devil Fruit users is true, and he is unable to swim. Up on the ship, the crew gathers wondering why Buggy has not come up yet since he is a good swimmer, and Shanks eventually dives into the water after him.

After hearing Buggy's story, Luffy is relieved to hear Shanks saved Buggy's life. This infuriates Buggy, as his plans were set back ten years due to losing the Devil Fruit. Buggy notices Nami with the stolen treasure, and launches the upper half of his body at her.

Mission 4

It is now the day of the Eden Academy admissions interview. The Forgers arrive at Eden Academy among a crowd of parent and child applicants. As Loid Forger steps in through the front gate, he senses that someone is watching them and soon realizes that the gazes are coming from the faculty members of Eden Academy, indicating that the selection process has truly started. The observing faculty members fail various applicant numbers and greet Housemaster Henry Henderson as he arrives to observe the applicants as well.

Henry scorns the applicants for their lack of elegance but spots the Forgers, noting some elegance in them. He becomes shocked as the Forgers salute the statue of the Eden Academy's founder, and he quickly gets the other faculty members to identify them. He is shocked by Anya's terrible test scores, and the staff wonders if their marriage is fake upon finding that it is Loid's second marriage. At the end of the screening, failed applicants are directed to Assembly Hall B, while the passed applicants are directed to Assembly Hall A, including the Forgers. Loid discretely warns Yor and Anya that they are still being observed.

On their way to Assembly Hall A, Loid notices a plump Eden Academy student crying out for help as he is stuck in a gutter and quickly realizes that it is obviously a test set by Eden Academy. The other parent applicants also realize this and keep their distance from the troubled student, fearing the mud from the gutter. Loid motions to Anya to take the initiative to help the boy, deciding that they simply need to pass the test. The Forgers approach the stuck student, checking on his well-being, and another family also approaches, offering their assistance to the Forgers. The stuck student pretends to struggle in the gutter, splashing and revealing filthy water in the gutter.

Although the other family is too fearful of getting filth on their clothes right before the interview, Loid puts a foot in the gutter and pulls the stuck boy through the air and splashes filthy water all over himself in the process, to the disdain of Henry, who instructs the faculty members to remove the Forgers. As the boy apologizes out of guilt, the Forgers once again shock the housemaster by revealing that they prepared an extra change of clothes and graciously make an excuse to spare the boy's feelings, moving Henderson with their elegance. However, Henderson is determined to expose Loid as the commoner he believes him to be.

The Forgers are suddenly interrupted by a stampede of animals that escaped from the school farm, and the other applicants panic, running away in a mad rush. Loid believes it to be another test, but the confusion of the observing faculty members reveals that the stampede is not intentional, and some of them are instructed to quickly put a stop to the crisis. Some of the parents are arguing to get ahead of the crowd, their negligence causing one of their children to trip and nearly be run over by a cow. Loid manages to grab the child before he is gored, the horns tearing off part of his suit. He returns the child to his father while Anya once again becomes dizzy from the panicking of the crowd.

Loid realizes he must bring down the cow leading the stampede but is reluctant to use his gun in public. Before he can do anything, Yor interrupts him and disables the cow by attacking its pressure points, surprising Loid and Anya, and scaring the other animals. Anya senses the fear of the cow with her telepathic abilities, and she approaches the cow, gently assuring it. The cow, now calmed by Anya, gets up and leads the animals home. Henry is moved by the elegance of their actions and runs out to thank the Forgers for their help, advising that they clean up their appearance and return to the assembly hall as they have shown their abilities for a place at the school. Loid shows gratitude for the Housemaster's consideration but reassures him with another change of clothes, shocking him.

King Arthur

It is often in the time of greatest strife, when a land and its people rest on the precipice of destruction, that a hero shall rise to deliver them from ruin. So it was in the ancient land of the Britons, a realm torn asunder by darkness and war, that the greatest king they would ever know would come. He was Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, King and Warden of Camelot.

His coming was prophesied by the great wizard Merlin, glimpsed in a comet burning though the night sky, herald of the monarch who would unite all Camelot and usher her into a new age of peace and prosperity. Though little older than a boy when King Uther fell and the mantle of ruler was passed down to him, Arthur would rise and take hold of his destiny as savior of his people. Benevolent and adept in statecraft, honourable and cunning in war, Arthur was the symbol of a new Briton.

In his hand is Excalibur, that mythic blade of divine power that only the most just of rulers may wield. Ever since the fateful day she first came into his possession, the sword has never left Arthur's side, and countless are the foes he has brought low with her, the blade's power amplified even further by his exemplary prowess in battle.

Arthur has withstood any foe who has sought Camelot's downfall, be it the numberless hordes from beyond the seas or the sinister plots of those from within his own house. No matter the scheme, or the enemy, with the aid of his mage Merlin and his knights, Arthur has prevailed, for so long as he draws breath, Camelot's lord shall not rest until her safety is won.

Now, the great King hears the call of Avalon, and answers.

High Priestess of Elune

A peerless hunter and Leader and Queen of the Night Elves by moonlight and the chosen of the goddess Elune, Tyrande Whisperwind has led the night elves in war for ages.

Tyrande was born thousands of years ago and grew up in the company of Malfurion and Illidan Stormrage. She answered the call of the Sisters of Elune, followers of the night elves' Goddess of the Moon, and became a novice priestess, while the Stormrage brothers followed different paths. Their destinies merged anew when the Burning Legion arrived on Azeroth.

Tyrande and Malfurion grew close and battled against the invading demons together, but Illidan pursued a darker path, feigning allegiance to the Burning Legion and succumbing to the temptations of power. After the defeat of the Legion and the Sundering, Tyrande and Malfurion helped rebuild elven society; Illidan was imprisoned beneath Mount Hyjal.

The couple could not remain together for long; soon after the night elves settled near Mount Hyjal, Malfurion and the other night elf druids were needed in the Emerald Dream. While Malfurion slept in the Dream, Tyrande commanded her people, forming the Sentinels – the night elven army – to guard their lands and allies.

During the Third War, Tyrande sent her Sentinels to deter the advances of the Horde in Kalimdor, but ultimately ended up working with them to battle the armies of the Burning Legion, an effort that also forced her to awaken the druids, including Malfurion, from the Emerald Dream. Their time together was cut short when the elder Stormrage suffered from the corruption of the Dream, but Tyrande joined her lover to defeat the menace, and they both returned to Azeroth, where they protected their people (and the other races of the Alliance) from the destruction caused by Deathwing and the advances of Garrosh Hellscream in Kalimdor.

Part 4

You remember me, don’t you? We’re good friends by now. I’m Guchie Jinglepocket of Smokywood Pastures, bringing you the tale of how a miserly undead financier named Ebonizer Scrounge woke up and smelled (well, sort of) the soothing aroma of Smokywood Pastures Green Garden Tea.

So far, Scrounge has been visited by two of our ghostly associates hoping to teach him the value of spreading holiday cheer by purchasing our bevy of fine products. Let’s continue our story and find out what happens next, shall we?

Scrounge was feeling a bit put out by the ongoing interruptions of his Winter Veil eve. His age-old tradition of relaxing by himself with his gold had been derailed by spirits—not the fun and festive Steamwheedle Fizzy Spirits, of course, but the insufferable show-you-unpleasant-things-to-try-to-teach-you-a-lesson kind. Now he just had to wait for the last spirit and he’d be left alone to bask in the fire-lit glow of his hard-earned gold.

Scrounge had just begun to settle into the plink plink plink rhythm of stacking his gold into neat little piles when he heard a strange, hushed whispering. He was used to sounds being a bit muted—his senses just weren’t the same after, you know, dying. Then undying. I’ve heard it’s a very disconcerting experience. One day you’re alive, then you’re dead, then you’re not dead, but you’re not alive. . . . Anyway, there was something all too familiar about this particular sound.

Scrounge looked toward his bedroom window and could just make out a figure silhouetted in a silvery light. The strange whispers seemed to wrap around it, echo and slip into his mind. He squinted against the harsh light to bring the figure into focus.

If Scrounge could have sighed, he would have, for this spirit was one he was well acquainted with. Everyone in Azeroth had seen a Spirit Healer a time or two in their life—some a few more times than others. Scrounge was probably in the 95th percentile.

She didn’t speak a word as she alighted in his room, not even to recommend any of Smokywood Pastures’ fine and festive treats (such as the Holiday Cheesewheel). Frankly, I’m not sure why we keep her on staff.

“Are . . . are you the spirit of Winter Veil yet to come?” Scrounge stammered as he remembered the first time he died—before he became Forsaken. The echoes of his group’s Priest shouting something like “DON’T STAND IN THE FIRE!” and “USE YOUR HEALTHSTONE!” or some other such gibberish still haunted him.

Scrounge shook his head in an attempt to dislodge the memory, but instead, a dust bunny and two silver coins fell from his ear. The bunny sneezed twice then promptly hopped away. Scrounge sneered at it. At least that explained the strange thumping in his ears as of late. And hey, free coins, right?

His thoughts went back to the spirit before him. She nodded her head—or at least he thought she did. It was really hard to tell the way she sort of wavered in and out of his vision.

And then suddenly, Scrounge was wrenched through time and space once again—and the next thing he knew, he and the spirit stood in the presence of Madam Goya and her staff, who appeared to be sorting through some new acquisitions for the Black Market Auction House.

“What did we get?” asked Madam Goya.

“A hat, some old keys, a Savage Crate of Battlefield Goods, some mounts, and some slightly used bedclothes.”

Madam Goya paused in thought.

Scrounge realized that the objects looked familiar to him. Those old keys used to be on his keyring, but he had lost them sometime in the last couple of years. The bedclothes looked familiar as well, but the hat . . . the hat is what really caught his attention.

“Spirit, is that my hat? Someone’s stolen my hat! Was it a Rogue? I hate Rogues. Too . . . stabby. I demand it be returned to me at once!”

But the spirit just floated in the air, staring at him. The odd whispering was unnerving.

“We’ll sell it all,” said Goya. “In fact, put it in one of those ‘unclaimed’ crates we’ve been selling so many of. You never know what will fetch a copper these days. Besides, old Scrounge won’t have any use for it anymore where he is.”

If Scrounge could have still perceived cold, at that moment he would have felt a chill so bone-deep it would have reached his very soul . . . unlike you! Warm up your soul with another fine product from Smokywood Pastures’ proud Winter Veil sponsors!

Take a fiery little Waving Cinder Kitten home for the holidays! He’ll warm your heart and possibly your house, too, but don’t worry—there’s insurance for that. Get this fiery little rascal now and warm the hearts of everyone in your life this Winter Veil.

Now back to Scrounge, who obviously had more questions for the spirit, though she wasn’t much for conversation.

Scrounge wasn’t pleased at what he had seen this day. Sadly, it seemed our last spirit was having trouble conveying the most important lesson of the holiday season: “Smokywood Pastures—buy some or else!” We think it has a nice ring to it. Just wait ‘til you hear the jingle. You’ll love it!

Once again, the scene around Scrounge changed—and now instead of the Auction House he stood in a graveyard. “Spirit,” he said. “What are we doing here? I am Forsaken, I can’t possibly get any more dead. What poor sap is here?”

He looked at the spirit, but still she just stared, that creepy whispering sound swirling in the air. Scrounge quickly realized he’d have to figure out his own answer, so he began to wander about until he found a gravestone that bore a familiar name and read the epitaph.

“Here lies Bob Bigheart—his heart was so big that an ogre ate him. May what’s left of him rest in tiny, delicious pieces.”

Scrounge shook his head, his expression filled more with disgust than sadness. “Ugh. Slacking off, yet again. No worry, I’ll have him reanimated and back to work in no time.”

He turned back to the Spirit Healer. If this was supposed to be some sort of lesson, it certainly wasn’t coming across.

“Look, is this how this is going to go all night?” he asked, sure he wouldn’t get anything more for an answer.

As expected, her only response was more of the creepy whispering. Scrounge elected to wander around the graveyard a bit more, and stumbled upon a most peculiar sight: a grave marker with his name on it, and a casket-sized hole gaping in the ground before him.

“Is this supposed to scare me? Didn’t you do any research about me at all before you came?”

He peered into the hole, where he saw tarnished pieces of gold and decaying Smokywood Pastures labels surrounding something that looked like his own -- quite unanimated -- corpse.

“Wait, how can I possibly be dead? Is there such a thing as dead-dead? Re-dead? This makes no sense at all. And what of my beautiful precious gold? Why is my body covered in Smokywood Pastures labels? Why do I keep bothering to ask you questions you clearly are never going to answer?!”

His questions were met only with a whoosh of sound and color, and then he was back in his bedroom once more.

We hope we didn’t frighten you too much with this one. That Spirit Healer is one scary dame. Join us Winter Veil morning and we’ll wrap this story up while you unwrap your gifts from Greatfather Winter!

Oda Eiichiro

Kazu-sensei, Mizumoto-sensei, congratulations on your new serializations! We used to drink a lot in the past, but from now on we're comrades in arms!!

かず先生、水元先生、新連載おめでとうございます！昔よく飲みましたが、これからは戦友だあ!!

Chapter 20