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Buggy loved Shanks, but that love had passed; now he was happy, his eyes shining for his husband... but a possessive person will always be possessive.
Shanks attacks the couple because of his obsession, and ends up dead, but not before inflicting an incurable wound on Buggy.
Love is an ethereal dance of emotions, woven with threads of tenderness and passion, that transcends the barriers of time and space. It is like a fragrant garden in full spring, where each flower blooms with the promise of enchantment and beauty.
When love blossoms, it colors the world in more vibrant hues, like a golden sunset that sets the sky ablaze. It's a feeling that warms the heart, like the gentle warmth of a comforting embrace on a cold day.
Love is also a symphony of feelings, where each note resonates with the harmony of exchanged smiles and words whispered to the wind. It is a profound and captivating mystery that reveals itself little by little, like the stars that dot the night sky.
In simple gestures and intense glances, love manifests itself as a light that illuminates the dark paths of life. It is the force that propels us to be better, to care and protect, like a lighthouse guiding navigators through stormy seas.
Sometimes, love is like a gentle breeze caressing the skin, bringing with it the promise of serene days and inner peace. Other times, it is like an overwhelming storm that challenges and transforms, molding us in its own image and likeness. Sometimes this storm becomes everything, blinding even the strongest people, driving them to madness, adrift, carrying them to their end.
Shanks, unfortunately, was a person destined for destruction. He always saw his love as something tough and robust, capable of overcoming eras and eras. Even separated from his love, even following different paths, he knew that the compass in their hearts would always lead them back to each other.
He didn't know how wrong he was.
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Loving Shanks was easy. Easy as waking up in the morning with your face turned towards the sunrise, Buggy loved the feeling, the warmth he felt, that gas sparkling in his stomach when he was near the redhead, it was a young love, full of hope, full of novelty and promises.
He was with his beloved, whom he once called brother, that time was long ago. The two were lying together in a hammock on an island with Scopper Gaban, who had been looking after them after the disbanding of the pack. Although they knew how to fend for themselves, they were still learning to be alone, to cope with the world. They had each other and felt they needed nothing more, but they didn't know the basics of survival on their own. And Gaban was a good teacher, he had the patience to deal with their young and sentimental love.
"I want to sail with you, let's form our own crew" Buggy began to babble as he always did, a tender smile on his lips, not that Shanks could see, since he had his head resting on his lover's chest and was watching his own hand tracing random patterns on the redhead's stomach. "You'll be the captain, and I'll be your swordsman. With my Devil Fruit, my swords, and my Haki, I'll be unstoppable as your right-hand man."
"We'll be Emperors in no time" Shanks retorted, playing along as he always did. Entering into Buggy's daydreams was one of his favorite hobbies, he loved listening to him chatter about everything around him.
"And we'll travel the whole world, and reach Laugh Tale again, we'll be free" he smiles, carefully lifting himself onto the net to balance the weight so they don't fall, his passionate blue eyes meet Shanks's. "We'll be free forever" he says hopefully. That was the feeling Roger left them with, it was the legacy of the Pirate King running through their veins. They were the next generation, they were meant to follow in his footsteps. He might be imprisoned now, but still, no one would steal the freedom of the king, the freest person in the world.
"We'll be together and teach the next generation how to navigate the seas" Shanks echoes Buggy's story, returning his happy and affectionate smile. Nothing could spoil their passionate bubble.
The clown leaned in to kiss him, his lips moving calmly, the redhead's hands closing in the blue strands of hair where he loved to tangle his fingers. The younger man smiled and settled more comfortably, lying on top of his lover's strong body, it was safe.
Shanks hugged him tighter and snuggled closer, falling asleep in the peaceful atmosphere that had settled between them.
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The fights against Gaban were always pure humiliation, Shanks couldn't stand up to the older man, he'd just get his ass kicked and be sent to do some boring task somewhere. Buggy felt sorry for him, the old man was unnecessarily harsh on him, almost as if he didn't like the redhead, although the blue-haired man doubted it.
On the other hand, Gaban was easygoing with him. Was he strict with training? Yes, but he taught him the right ways to fight with two swords, taught him to use Haki in gentle waves so as not to wear himself out, taught him to refine it. Shanks still used raw Haki, purely force and intention, Buggy was learning to focus it, to condense it to have better control over it. He doubted that Gaban taught this to Shanks as well, so when the older man went out to drink and find a pretty girl in any bar, Buggy took the opportunity to train with his boyfriend, trying to teach him to condense Haki, but he wasn't a good teacher, he couldn't explain his point like the old man could.
The swords clashed with a dry, nauseating sound, so loud it left a metallic taste in the mouth. The strength of the two was evenly matched, even more so when Buggy wielded two swords against Shanks's mere one, the second blade compensated for the lack of power.
The blue-haired man jumped back, analyzing the gaps in his boyfriend's stance to take advantage of them. Shanks was pure brute force, but Buggy fought with his head working at the same time as he moved his hands.
The wind tugged Shanks' red hair back as he spun his training sword with irritating ease, his wrist rotating a few times, warming up and relieving the tension from the last clash.
"Slow down, Buggy" he teased, laughing "you'll end up tripping over your own feet" He smiled at his boyfriend, his shoulders slumped, leaving an opening above, but the blue-haired boy thought better of it. He had to be very quick, distract him with something to think about, to use his brain and forget about retaliating.
Buggy growled something unintelligible and lunged forward, taking advantage of the redhead's confused expression. He threw a sword from underneath, aiming for his shin, but his opponent dodged by taking a step back. His other sword in his left hand grazed Shanks' shoulder, close enough to elicit an "oops" far enough away not to hit him. Shanks took two leaping steps back, still smiling.
"Almost! See? It's getting better" he smiles, getting on guard, looking at the minimal damage to his shirt.
“Stop speaking as if he were my teacher!" Buggy retorted irritably, gripping his swords tighter, the armament haki turning everything black as he advanced with the calculated calm that Rayleigh and Gaban had always taught him, especially Raleigh, who had taught him to use his head in a fight. He could press a few buttons on Shanks to make him lower his guard, but that trick had never worked before, the redhead knew how to regain his composure and activate observation haki just in time to dodge.
He charged, slashing with his swords in opposite directions, forcing the redhead to choose what to defend, his head or his thigh. The redhead leaped back, and with a single forward thrust struck Buggy's hands, knocking both swords down at once.
"Damn it" the clown groaned, even more irritated, the older one assuming a guilty look on his face, ready to apologize. "Go fuck yourself" Call him a sore loser, he didn't care, he was furious at losing so humiliatingly to the redhead.
He turned and started walking away, already imagining how he would get revenge without sex for it, they did this same routine almost every day now. Rarely did Shanks let him win just to have the victory sex, although… Buggy had already figured out his trick and was getting grumpy when he won too.
"Wait. Love. Sweetheart. My life" the older man began calling as he chased his lover into the seaside cabin they were staying in. Buggy ignored him for the rest of the afternoon, only giving in when Shanks forced him to accept a blowjob… which led to sex on the living room floor.
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March 9th was a special day for Buggy. That morning he woke his boyfriend with his annual gift, a wake-up blowjob and lazy, passionate morning sex. It was his sacred ritual, a superstitious symbol of good luck, to ensure the year leading up to his next birthday would be good.
That year was no different, they were staying at a hotel in a village in the East Blue. Gaban had left them a few weeks earlier, saying they were ready since Shanks would soon be 17. But they knew that aside from the news of their captain Roger's execution date, he seemed more affected than he would admit, and the children were no different, but he would never allow himself to be vulnerable in front of them.
Shanks woke up with a silly grin on his face, a weak moan escaping his lips as Buggy's head moved up and down on his cock, sucking it like it was his last meal. He sighed again, his moans growing louder as he approached orgasm, Buggy was driving him crazy, so early in the morning.
He didn't take long, he was quickly coming in his lover's mouth, his hands gripping tightly in his blue hair, his nails digging into his head without him even realizing it.
"Damn... that's delicious, love" Shanks murmured, gazing lovingly at his beloved, who stood up wiping his mouth. He then climbed on top of him and lay down on top of him.
"Happy birthday, redhead" Buggy whispered, brushing his lips against the taller man's. They laughed, even more so when Shanks grabbed him and reversed their positions, passionately kissing his boyfriend. Every year was the best birthday ever, since he was 14.
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The square was too crowded. Too noisy. Too lively for what was about to happen.
Buggy could feel the knot in his stomach since dawn, but he told himself it was just nerves. That Roger always escaped. Always laughed at death. Always found a way.
Not this time.
The rain began lightly, almost respectfully. The chains on Roger's wrists clink, and yet he smiled, that huge, confident, unbearably calm smile. The smile that always brought Buggy a sense of calm, a feeling of protection… now it only brought dizziness, he wanted to vomit, he wanted to try some suicidal move to free himself from up there, but alone, or at least, just him and Shanks, they wouldn't be able to face all those marines and escape safely.
Buggy couldn't look for long. He was going to throw up! He was going to throw up! He was going to throw up!
"Don't be like that" Shanks said beside him, his voice tense but controlled "He knew this was going to happen. We knew it..."
"Shut up" Buggy replied without thinking. He didn't care if Shanks was in pain too, after all, he was his "father" as well.
Shanks turned his face away, surprised, it was difficult for the blue-haired man to actually growl at him. He swallowed hard, apprehensive, unsure how to comfort him.
“Bugs…”
"You don't understand!" Buggy spat out the words, his hands trembling, his face turned to the ground, his hair slowly becoming soaked and sticking to his face, hiding his expression "He shouldn't be there. He shouldn't die!"
Shanks took a deep breath, trying to keep a cool head as the world seemed to crumble around him, his father was climbing the scaffold, and his boyfriend was spiraling out of his mind.
“He chose this. He chose the end…”
Buggy laughed, a loud, broken sound that didn't match anything around them. Nobody paid attention to them, everyone was gathered in front of the platform. They were further away, afraid of being recognized, while at the same time wanting to stand out so that Roger would see them first…
"Of course you'd accept this" the younger one said bitterly "You always accept. You always go along with it. Always the favorite because you obey all the damn orders" He resented so easily, usually hiding this resentment for the sake of both of them, but now he was fed up. His father was being executed!
And he couldn't do anything...
"This isn't fair" Shanks retorted, finally raising his voice, exhausted and hurt as well "Not now" he pleaded desperately. Everything was falling apart!
The executioner raised the blade. The crowd held its breath.
Buggy felt something tearing inside. The nausea intensified, causing him to hunch over, but he managed to swallow before throwing up the entire contents of his stomach. He breathed a few times, shallowly.
"You've already decided, haven't you?" Buggy continued, his eyes burning with tears of agony "You've decided you're going to become a legendary pirate, that you're going to smile like him, that you're going to follow this damn 'freedom.' That's going to beat me in every damn battle. That's going to replace me when I'm no longer useful to you!"
"Buggy, stop!" Shanks grabbed his arm, stressed and anxious. He hated when Buggy spoke for him, hated when he belittled himself, and hated even more when he doubted his love.
Buggy pulled his arm forcefully.
"Don't touch me!" Buggy shouted in a thin, choked voice. No one heard him, the crowd froze in anticipation, their eyes so fixed on the figure atop the scaffold that they didn't even blink.
Then Roger spoke. His last words echoed through the square, igniting the crowd, transforming death into legend. The fight between the two drowned out the last words of their beloved captain in their ears.
The blade went down.
The sound was dry. Definitive.
For a second, there were no screams. No rain. No world.
Only emptiness.
Buggy froze at the dull sound of the sword piercing his skin, his head falling to the ground with a thud, then rolling away from his body, signaling the end of an era, signaling the end of his life. Buggy wanted to scream, utterly agonized. He would never forget that sound, he would have nightmares about it for years on end, he would relive the day thousands of times, some of them he would be the one on the scaffold, his head falling and rolling with that low but eardrum-bursting noise.
He fell to his knees, defeated, traumatized, desolate.
"He's dead" he whispered, as if only then understanding. The dizziness returned, and he forced himself to take a deep breath, even though he couldn't draw air into his lungs "He's really dead..."
Shanks stood motionless. His eyes gleamed, but there was something firm, almost decisive, about them. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, yet clear.
“He died as a free man.”
Buggy slowly raised his head.
"Don't say that" the blue-haired one says, disturbed but in a low, warning tone. "Don't talk as if all this is beautiful"
"It's the truth" Shanks said confidently. He hated arguing with his beloved, but they had differing opinions on a very important matter.
Buggy stood up mechanically, supporting himself on weak knees and forcing himself to remain upright even with his trembling legs.
"The truth for you!" the clown shouted, pointing his finger at the redhead's chest and pushing him "For you, this becomes inspiration. But for me…" His voice faltered, choked with tears that stung his blue eyes, now reddened "For me, it's just loss"
"I won't let this destroy us" Shanks said, stepping forward and holding his beloved's hand.disentangleshare.
Buggy laughed again, cynically, now with thick tears falling, mixed with the rain.
"You already left. The moment you decided to smile" he says deliriously, only to be immediately interrupted by his boyfriend, his… boyfriend?
"I'm not smiling" Shanks replied desperately "I'm trying to survive this!" That's what Roger wanted, damn it! Shanks didn't know how Buggy didn't understand that.
"Then survive without me" the clown roared furiously, his face wrinkled with anger, broken only by tears of pure sorrow. The words fell heavily between them.
"Buggy…" Shanks held out his hand, hoping he would immediately apologize, they had never fought to this extent. It was frightening.
Buggy took a step back. Then another.
"You're going to become just like him" the younger one said, his voice choked with emotion "a symbol. A captain. A dream too big for someone like me. And then I'll lose you too! And I'll have to smile at your funeral just because that's what you would want! I don't want to start our crew with that thought scaring me."
“I-I…” Shanks felt cornered, he wanted to remedy the situation, he was hurt by what his beloved had said so cruelly, he wanted to say that he wouldn't die so easily and that he didn't want Buggy to see him at that moment… Several thoughts crossed his mind, but what he stammered was a raw answer “I'm not going to sea now.”
"Wh… what?" Buggy asked coldly, the tears ceasing, the nausea long forgotten. The rain fell on him, harder now, he thought he'd misheard because of the muffled sound, but the redhead's wounded expression told him everything "You're going to be the king of the pirates… we're going to reach Laugh Tale…" he tried, only to see Shanks lower his head, avoiding his accusing gaze.
"We're still very young... maybe in twenty years... when we're more experienced..." Shanks stammers, unable to speak of his true mission, his problem with his origins, something he recently discovered and profusely hid from Buggy for fear of losing him.
Buggy didn't deign to respond, the redhead didn't even deserve to hear how disappointed he was. It wasn't worth it, it didn't matter. Their relationship ended that night, as did their lives together in every way. From then on, they were two strangers. At least… in Buggy's mind.
The rain was already pouring down when Buggy started to run. He pushed people aside, slipped on the wet ground, his heart pounding so hard it hurt. He didn't look back, there was no reason to.
Behind him, Shanks shouted his name once. Twice.
Buggy didn't stop. On that day, while the world was reborn under the name Gol D. Roger, Buggy was fleeing, not from death, not from piracy, but from the only place where he had allowed himself to love, from the only people he could call family. The loss opened a huge hole in his chest, he felt he would never be able to breathe again.
However, as the years went by, he began to breathe again, managed to establish himself alone, being a free but insane pirate, just as his beloved "children" loved him. He didn't allow himself to become attached to any of them, they were all replaceable, numbers in a lot, even those three who were his right-hand men, left-hand men, and favorite mascot. He refused to deepen the relationship beyond the cordiality of captain/sailor.
In the end, he was lonely, wearing a mask he painted on his face every day, like the brilliant clown, feigning smiles and spreading joy, while keeping deep inside all the resentment, all the anger he felt towards Shanks, something that never faded, it was as if… all the love he felt had turned into blind fury.
They never crossed paths again, though they shared the East Blue, they didn't know each other's whereabouts, and lost touch without realizing it. Buggy settled on an island with his crew, building a circus fit for a king, with the city destroyed beneath his feet simply because the captain told him to. Buggy had no desire to sail the seas as he had dreamed in another life, he lacked the spark, the charisma that Shanks possessed, so, acknowledging his insignificance, he gave up on his dream.
The years went by, and Buggy met someone, a guy who came seeking peace, but who sent back 10 of his men with serious injuries. The clown personally went to see who it was and what he wanted, it was another pirate, not even deigning to be called a captain, since he had no captains, he was simply a pirate.
He was dark-haired, tall like Buggy, carried that stupid sword on his back almost as big as he was, and, matching his eyes, a golden crucifix on his chest.
That same day, Buggy discovered how much he loved watching that crucifix dangling above him while the man was fucking him.
It had been years since he'd released some of his tension, and he thoroughly enjoyed the sex, wanting more every few hours, savoring every minute of the three days the man spent on the island with him.
However, Mihawk was a nomad, a free spirit, he didn't stay long on a single island, being moved by the calm tides to islands he wanted to discover if they were problematic or peaceful.
At their second meeting the following year, Buggy mustered the courage to ask if he knew Shanks, the redhead, to which the dark-haired man responded with an irritated grunt, a murmured "yes" mixed with a growl. Buggy didn't press the matter further, pleased that someone else disliked the perfectionist Shanks.
Just a few more days spent together, a season that could be likened to a mating season. Then, without ceremony, Mihawk left him back on his island, in his ornate circus ring.
Their arrangement continued for years, casual sex every time they met - every time Mihawk returned to his island - they were compatible in bed, their bodies fitting together like two halves.
Buggy lay on his side, the knee of his top leg almost touching his cheek, his ass sticking up where Mihawk was penetrating him, so deeply, yet without moving, just waiting. It was delicious, lazy sex, the kind that made Buggy long for his past life. The dark-haired man was breathing deeply through his nose, his mouth in a kiss against the clown's shoulder. He was affectionate as he fucked him, always concerned that he would also enjoy everything as much as he was.
“Hmmm” the captain sighed, the hardness inside him throbbing with hunger, but the man remained insistent on standing still, like a damned sadomasochist “you came here earlier than usual…” he commented, looking into the golden eyes that stared back at him with complete devotion.
He usually came once a year, generally around Buggy's birthday, around August/September, last year he came at Christmas, and now in March there he was again, coming to see him.
It was precisely during a dark time in Buggy's life, on a specific day when gray clouds hung over his head all day long, and that day would be the following day.
"I felt like spending my 37th birthday with you" the dark-haired man said against the wet skin from the kiss they had shared, his hand moving up to caress the knee and exposed thigh beside him.
"When's your birthday?" Buggy asked, feeling a little nervous, as if he could feel the tension in the clown's skin. Mihawk moved slowly, only pulling away slightly before burying himself inside the man again, making his head spin and a sharp sigh escape his lips.
"Tomorrow... March 9th" the swordsman said between soft kisses on the captain's tanned skin. He couldn't tan as much as he did, even after spending all day in the sun.
Buggy looked at him as if to judge whether it was a prank, but the golden eyes held nothing but hunger and devotion for him. He chuckled softly and put his arm around the brunette's neck.
"Then get that ass moving" the blue-haired one whispers, as if confessing a secret he'd kept for years.
Mihawk began to thrust, the position was difficult, but deep, just as Buggy liked. His head fell back, but he couldn't take his eyes off the golden ones, even when he saw the drop of sweat trickling down the side of his face, captivating his attention. The thrusts were firm, short, and slow, without any rush to pursue orgasm, they had already done that when they saw each other again a few hours ago, now they could afford the luxury of laziness.
"Come see me every year on your birthday" Buggy whispered breathlessly, leaning forward to kiss him. Mihawk confirmed with a deep sound in his throat and threw himself forward to kiss him back, the pressure of their embrace intense connected getting even bigger. He started thrusting his hips, deepening without moving much outside, always thrusting deeper and deeper, as if he could force his way inside.
Mihawk didn't know what awaited him, he went to sleep exhausted, clinging loosely to the captain. He didn't know how to react, not naturally, to being awakened by a blowjob from Buggy's skillful mouth. He cursed and didn't know whether to stay lying down or sitting, where to put his hands, whether to moan or not. He was lost with the remaining sleepiness, and this was definitely new to him.
He came in the blue-haired man's throat shamefully early, plucking a delightful laugh to hear in the morning, along with the warm sun streaming through the bedroom window, a comfortable and familiar atmosphere. Buggy hated how familiar it all was, but putting his mask back on, he climbed onto the dark-haired man's body, truly looking at him. It wasn't Shanks, not the red hair, not the red eyes, not the sunburnt skin, this was the pale man with golden eyes, hair as dark as night. The contrast was enormous, and Buggy preferred this nighttime version.
"That was good…" Mihawk murmured breathlessly, still embarrassed.
"Your birthday present... and it's not over yet" the blue-haired man smiled and lowered his head, bringing his mouth close to the older man's ear, enough to send shivers down his spine, exciting him again with a simple breath in his ear. "Now I'm going to sit on you until you come inside me again... I won't stop until you get me pregnant" He chuckled softly, feeling the hairs on the other's body stand on end at the promise.
So every year, Mihawk would come to see Buggy on his birthday, eager for the ritual the clown performed with him, spending the whole day in bed like two lazybones, just talking about everything and nothing at the same time, with hot breaks for sex, and occasional pauses for snacks or trips to the bathroom.
Even after the swordsman became a Shichibukai, he never stopped visiting him, he was his top priority. When he confessed this to Buggy, it shocked and upset him greatly. They argued for the first time, the clown's insecurities growing over the feelings that were slowly blossoming, feelings that weren't yet strong enough, or at least, hadn't been noticed, processed, or accepted.
For the clown, accepting his feelings meant betraying a conviction that had long been ingrained in his mind, he didn't want to, or didn't have the strength to, destroy it alone, and he would never accept help from anyone, not even the handsome dark-haired man.
Mihawk didn't argue with him, not to the point where the "conversation" as he called it, turned into a shouting match. When Buggy started raising his voice, he gave up, approached him, and hugged him. Even with protests, punches, and pinches on his arms, he continued holding the smaller man firmly until he calmed down. Then he took him to the bedroom and tamed him with his penis, leaving him drunk with pleasure before continuing the conversation, which was resolved much more calmly.
Buggy still didn't like knowing he was a priority in the brunette's life, but he accepted it when he said that after years together, it was impossible to deny what they felt for each other. Even with the clown profusely denying it, Mihawk knew about his feelings, he saw them in his eyes, he saw the fear and the pain, but he also saw the affection.
They made no promises that day, no changes to their routines, their worlds, their plans, the confession was merely a tender gesture between them.
Then everything went up in smoke a few years later, Buggy ended up being arrested, he was in Impel Down, nobody knew him, everyone underestimated him, regrettable, a clown always saved his best tricks for special moments, nobody knew he had a Devil Fruit, nobody knew he knew the three types of advanced Haki, or that he wielded swords with both hands with mastery.
He sat in his cell at night, trying not to think about anything, but his thoughts always led him back to a dark-haired man with golden eyes and a temperament that seemed indifferent to everyone but him. Silently, after days of madness in that hellish prison, he vowed that when he got out, he would never again deny his feelings for the man.
Somehow, he didn't know how, he found himself free, falling from the sky with straw hat and the confused little group he'd gathered. The war was chaos, he was tossed from one side to the other, he started a live stream and presented that madness to the whole world, then momentarily encountered Mihawk, a glimpse they could barely savor.
Then his happiness at seeing his beloved was completely replaced by agony upon hearing that loud, desperate cry from the straw hat, reminding him of the day he lost his father and his "brother" on the same day, he threw the boy in a catatonic state and what he thought was a warm body for a madman in a submarine who called himself a doctor of death, or something like that, he paid no attention.
Jinbe followed them, and when Buggy turned around again, the adrenaline that had been subsiding began to rise again. He saw Shanks, who could stop the war with just his presence. The bastard hadn't seen him yet, so Buggy floated away to Crocodile. He was close to Mihawk, and the two monsters would protect him from the redhead, he hoped.
Somehow, without knowing how, Buggy once again found himself being called upon to be a Shichibukai, alongside Mihawk. He smiled much more genuinely now, he had his crew with him again, including new members, brutish escapees from Impel Down, eager to expend energy. Buggy sent them on missions in his place, only going himself when he could do the missions as a duo with Mihawk.
In his most relaxed state, he gradually accepted that yes, he was strong too, he could demonstrate it without fear. When he began to defeat novice pirates with ease, he wondered, if he had fought Straw Hat at full strength, would he have won? Because at that time he was ashamed of his weakness, and believed in it. He refused to fight using Haki and replaced his swords with daggers, more harmless. He attacked cautiously and blocked it out of fear, always afraid.
Mihawk helped him overcome this, fighting him as an equal, not letting him win just to have "victory sex" without mocking him or trying to teach him with disdain in his voice. He was kind, praising his Haki, even though it had been dormant for a long time. They fought until the score was tied, then they bathed together, with hugs and... words of affection. The dark-haired man didn't advance to intimate touches unless the clown initiated them at those moments, somehow knowing exactly his greatest fears and anxieties.
Several times during those two years, Mihawk called Buggy to move to his castle, to his island. He wanted to settle down with his beloved, but the clown was adamant. They had their own island, another poor island decimated so that Buggy's circus could be built. He didn't want to be annoying, he didn't want to hurt the swordsman, but they had this agreement for a long time, he was used to it, and there was the whole issue of his "children" coming and going all the time. It wouldn't be private, it wouldn't be theirs anyway.
So, two years after becoming a Shichibukai, the navy dismisses his privateers and begins hunting them down. Mihawk receives a call before meeting with Buggy, a plan formed with Crocodile that had remained in the shadows all these years.
The plan was good, to join forces so they wouldn't come after them, and their stage/hideout became Buggy's island, since Mihawk's castle was destroyed and Crocodile didn't exactly have a place of his own.
The situation was tense, everyone's adaptation was complicated, since the lord of the desert was a little crazy tyrant, well, for almost everyone, Mihawk was on cloud skies, waking up every day next to Buggy was like a dream, training with him as much as he wanted, walking on the beach hand in hand, having lunch and dinner together, even watching him coordinate a show in his circus, everything was fascinating.
The clown was happy too, he felt relaxed with the dark-haired man nearby. Although his confidence had increased, he still didn't feel ready to face big fishes in the seas, and Mihawk knew this, making sure to put Crocodile in his place when he started to grow too big for his lover.
They were sitting on the beach pier, their legs dangling in the darkness of the water, Mihawk holding Buggy to his chest, hugging him from behind while showering kisses on his neck and shoulders. One thing he loved about these days together was that he could have all the touch he wanted, give as many kisses as he felt like giving.
“I…” Buggy bit the inside corner of his mouth, he had been thinking about this for some time, the happiness in his chest was so great that it made him have these silly thoughts, dark thoughts because he was drunk with love.
"Yes" Mihawk encouraged him, rubbing his snout against his warm skin. The sun was setting in the distance, they had been there for at least half an hour, their bodies warm from the last rays of the day's sun.
The clown didn't want to face him, not to say what could surely hurt his beloved, it was the truth, however. He debated a little more whether he should really speak or invent an excuse, nobody wanted to hear those words…
A kiss on the nape of her neck gave her strength, he knew why he was doing this, they needed to have this conversation.
"I was thinking... I'll throw myself into the sea if you die" Buggy turned his face slightly, without looking back, just enough to lay his head on the dark-haired man's shoulder, hiding his snout in his neck, which smelled like home "I mean, I trust your strength, and I know that not just anyone can touch you, but if it happens... you've made me so in love, so needy for you, that I can't imagine a life without you"
"Don't say that" Mihawk says in his distraught tone, his eyebrows furrowed as if he couldn't understand the words.
"I've been through this before, and it destroyed me… I don't want to go through it again, I don't want to lose you" a solitary tear of anxiety and nervousness escaped his blue eyes before he took a deep breath. The dark-haired man felt the wetness, but said nothing about it, he waited for more, his boyfriend always spoke more "I can't… I can't do this alone. I'm totally dependent on you. So take responsibility for this."
"I promise I won't die" Mihawk said after reflecting for a moment. He didn't want to frighten his beloved "You'll die first, and I'll follow you. I'll take my dagger and plunge it into my heart" He imagined the most sensible response was to confide that he would do the same, it would bring relief to the clown's heart and mind. A promise to be together even in death.
"Thank you…" Buggy murmured, slowly kissing a part of the older man's neck.
The peaceful days turned more turbulent as the announcement was made that they would be sailing the seas in search of the One Piece. The news that Buggy was now one of the Emperors also brought surprise and turmoil. His sons were causing a huge commotion. Crocodile, on the one hand, liked the security against the Navy that this could bring, but he and Mihawk just wanted to sail without further problems, something that younger pirates loved to bring it up to them.
Mihawk quickly dispatched them all, rocking Yoru with a calm, fluid movement, and then the opposing ship sank into the sea, drowning the unfortunate sailors.
He turned to Buggy with a small, sideways smile, the clown always got excited watching him, it was a sexy sight, watching the movement of his muscular shoulders as he moved Yoru in precise cuts through the air, his posture fixed and heavy, stable.
The captain ran to him and threw himself into his lap, his legs closing around the dark-haired man's firm waist, his hands gripping the lapel of his coat as he stole his breath with a passionate, hot kiss.
Mihawk carried him to the room they shared, and worshipped his body as he had been doing for months on end, religiously every day.
They sailed for several mornings, and one day, a lazy day on a spring island where they anchored to synchronize their log pose, Mihawk couldn't hold back any longer, that idea had been on his mind for months, and this was the perfect place.
Beneath enormous jacaranda trees, a sea of lilac flowers at his feet, Buggy stood in the middle of the enchanting place, his hair full of the small flowers that Mihawk had thrown on him like a beautiful and delicate rain. He laughed like a child, making the swordsman's heart flutter with the thought of what he was about to do. The moment was perfect… he didn't want to ruin it.
He didn't want to ruin the peaceful and loving memories they had created together. But he found himself unable to hold his tongue, and for the first time, he began to stumble over his words, stammering his marriage proposal amidst the surprised tears on his boyfriend's face.
"Yes" Buggy whispered breathlessly, his hands trembling as he grasped his lover's face and pulled him into a fierce, passionate kiss. They stumbled and fell, but the blue-haired man didn't stop kissing him, desperate to lose himself in the kiss, which tasted salty with tears.
Buggy had never been happier than at that moment, perhaps second only to their wedding day itself. Two days later, because they were in a hurry, Crocodile married them in a traditional pirate wedding, with a huge party under the purple flowering trees, plenty of food and drink, dancing until dawn, and a show by his circus performers.
It was perfect, Buggy looked radiant in his white clothes, as did Mihawk, who wore a variation of his normal clothes, but in white, and without exposing his entire chest to everyone, with a few buttons underneath fastened.
They slashed their palms with the dagger the swordsman carried on his chest and let thick drops of blood fall into goblets of rum, then switched cups and drank, the essence of a permanently inside each other. They laughed like children, without any fear of showing what they were really feeling, without caring about their masks at that moment, the only thing that mattered to one was the other.
Their swords were crossed with even greater seriousness, a promise made to always protect each other from any adversity, they would fight for one another, wielding their swords for each other. Every cut, every thrust, every movement, every intention, would be in the name of the other.
Mihawk tucked a strand of blue hair behind his lover's shoulder as he spoke of his promises for the future, Yoru in his other hand, blade pressed against Buggy's twin swords, a gift he himself had given him, two of the 12 sacred swords, twin sisters that had reacted very well to their owner.
Buggy had a determined look, a resolute fire in his blue eyes, affection and devotion were his greatest feelings for Mihawk. He loved him, a solid love, without frills, without games, without fuss or misunderstandings. They molded themselves together, there was nothing left to shake them.
-----------------
The rumor reached Shanks like the worst news, casually, thrown into the air, without any care whatsoever. His sailors gossiping around the table where he was distractedly drinking.
"I heard the Clown got married" one of them says to the other, neither of them noticing the captain's reaction.
The glass of rum stopped halfway to his mouth.
Shanks didn't react immediately. He continued smiling, continued listening, as if it were just another absurd story from the sea, his men weren't paying attention to him, thinking he was simply enjoying his drink and the calm of the sunny day at sea.
"He got married" Hongo repeated, laughing "It was in the newspaper and everything Shanks didn't read newspapers, but he'd look for that edition…" He married Mihawk on a beach on the Grand Line. They said it was in typical pirate style, the photo on the cover is of them crossing swords.”
The surrounding sounds seemed to fade away. The laughter. The wind. The sea.
He got married…
Shanks set down the glass too slowly, the glass cracking under the pressure of his fingers.
Mihawk…
Something old and poorly healed stirred within him, reopening a wound that never truly closed. Years. Decades. More than two now. And yet, the image came too clearly, Buggy laughing loudly to hide his fear, his shame. Buggy running in the rain, laughing joyfully and dancing with him. Buggy with tears in his eyes, mingling with the raindrops, turning his back without looking back, walking away from him.
"He chose…" Shanks murmured, more to himself than to the others, who still hadn't paid attention to him, "him…"
But the phrase didn't bring peace. It never did.
He knew about his lover's choice, fought against it for years, and when everything became public, he pretended not to care, that he wasn't torn apart inside, pretended not to hate his rival, convinced himself it was temporary, like when you get a new toy, you play with it for a while until you get tired of it…
That night, Shanks didn't sleep. The anger didn't come as an immediate explosion, it came like a high tide, heavy, inevitable. An unfair, possessive feeling that he refused to name.
He moved on.
Without me…
When the ship anchored days later, Shanks had already made his decision.
-----------------
The moon was too big that night. Low in the sky, heavy, bathing the open field in a silvery light that transformed the grass into a still sea.
Buggy walked slowly, his coat hanging loosely from his shoulders. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, it was comfortable. Beside him, Mihawk followed at the same pace, precise steps, attentive to the world without seeming tense. They didn't speak. They didn't need to. Their hands were clasped, the younger one swinging them like a happy child, he was happy.
The clown broke the silence first.
"It's strange… husband" he murmured, calling his lover as if to remind him of the word, of what they were to each other, something that always made Mihawk smile slightly "I've spent my whole life thinking nights like this were made for ambushes. The full moon illuminating a worryingly silent calm…"
"They still can be" the swordsman tilted his head slightly as he replied "but not today"
Buggy smiled slightly, that small smile that almost no one saw, genuine and simple, a smile that would come easily if Mihawk were the one prompting it.
Then the wind changed. A gust struck them both, throwing the swordsman's feathered hat to the ground and causing Buggy's cloak to swing violently from side to side. His stomach churned with a bad feeling.
Mihawk was the first to feel the presence of the raging Haki approaching on his skin, it was close, as if it had awakened in a furious second. His hand released Buggy's hand and went to Yoru's handle quickly, his muscles tensing as he assumed an offensive stance.
"Husband…" the clown called, also feeling the peak of oppressive haki intensify even further around them, turning the previously cool atmosphere into a dense and heavy one, making it difficult to even breathe. Buggy didn't like where things were going.
"Don't move" the swordsman said, drawing his legendary sword, his eyes fixed on the source of the haki explosion approaching them as it climbed the hill, flowers and small weeds being crushed by heavy, violent feet.
A silhouette. A dark cloak, red hair blown back by the wind, a posture too relaxed for someone who represented extreme danger. Buggy retreated behind Mihawk, not out of fear, but not exactly comfortable in the redhead's presence, his feelings were still too strong to know how to deal with the man.
The moon illuminated the pirate's face as he approached the couple. And there was no smile there, which was so characteristic of the Emperor.
"So this is how you live now" Shanks said, his voice low, heavy with anger and bitterness " walking calmly in the moonlight... as if the world had no memory"
Buggy felt his stomach drop. He was talking to him, directly.
"Of course it had to be you" the captain murmured without leaving his husband's side. He also grabbed his swords strapped to his back and released his wrists, ready for a possible fight he wouldn't win. Luckily, Mihawk was there, he would win for them.
Shanks ignored the comment. His eyes were fixed on Buggy, as if Mihawk were merely an inconvenient shadow in front of him.
"You broke my heart…" The enemy captain had a tired look, as if he hadn't slept in days, yet manic, with a glint in his eyes as if he'd lost his sanity along with the hours of sleep "You didn't have that right…"
"I should tell you to leave and leave us alone, redhead" Mihawk said. He didn't want to get involved with the man, they had met before, only loose barbs exchanged on both sides, a tacit agreement not to confront each other.
"I'm not leaving until you come with me" Shanks said, still looking directly at Buggy, who stared back at him with pure disgust.
"You made your choice a long time ago, you chose to lie to me, you chose to trample on my dreams, on our future. You deserve nothing! And I will never go with you!" the clown shouted, clenching his fist around the hilt of his swords.
Mihawk glanced over his shoulder at his husband, he didn't know about this, he and Shanks… he made a note to ask him about it later.
"I had to do it, it was Captain Roger's last request" Shanks shouted back at him, his gaze becoming even more unsteady.
Buggy seemed to swallow hard, Mihawk realized this was new information for him, and only hoped it wouldn't change anything between them.
"It doesn't matter anymore…" his clown voice sounded more broken and drawn out than ever "I don't love you anymore" he said, looking down at the floor. The explosion of haki flowed even more oppressively than before.
"I won't accept that. You won't live if you're not going to stay with me!" Shanks threatened, Buggy's haki clashing against his, matching the redhead's in strength and intensity.
He also knew how to play.
"You won't touch a single hair on my husband's head" Mihawk slowly raised his sword toward the redhead's chest.
There was no warning. No final provocation.
Shanks advanced.
The ground gave way beneath his feet the instant the sword left its sheath. The air split open with the impact of the first blow, blocked in the same second by Mihawk's black blade. The sound of steel echoed across the open field like a contained thunderclap.
"So that's how it is..." the dark-haired man says, his voice too serene for someone who had just stopped an attack capable of splitting an entire mountain "you chose violence."
Shanks smiled, a crooked, wounded smile. His firm hand held Gryphon against Yoru, the two swords sparking as they clashed.
"I always choose when I'm left no alternative" the well-known pacifist Shanks says with a manic look, his deep, low, erratic voice.
"Bugs, I'm going to win" Mihawk said firmly, but between the lines, in his tone, a tenderness could be found. The clown stepped back a few paces, offering a good luck prayer for his beloved.
They separated in a short leap, just enough to charge again with redoubled force. Shanks attacked with brute strength and instinct, wide blows charged with Haki, each movement pushing the world around them back. The grass flattened, the earth split open. Some trees on the horizon were already on the ground, split in half by an attack from one of the two.
Mihawk did not back down.
He read. He calculated. He answered.
He didn't have Conqueror's Haki, but it was worth it with strategy, striking in the right places, exploiting openings, his observation haki more advanced and sharper, his sharper blade cut through the air with fluid movements.
His sword moved with surgical precision, deflecting, parrying, cutting the space between Shanks' attacks at impossible angles. Each defense was a counterattack contained by choice, not by inability.
Buggy gnawed. Their lips trembled with fear, the battle was fierce, evenly matched. Shanks was relentless, but Mihawk continued with the same intensity. The two moved swiftly, destroying everything around them, everything within a few hundred meters.
Mihawk was thrown backward when Shanks delivered a blow that was too strong, sliding several meters before plunging his sword into the ground to stop. The impact ripped a long fissure through the earth. A crater formed as he propelled himself upward and forward.
Shanks advanced again, too fast for ordinary eyes to follow. The blades...they foundIn the middle of the field, locked together, vibrating with enough energy to make the air hiss.
Face the face. They locked eyes, both furious and convinced they were going to win.
"You took him from me!" Shanks growled furiously, his sword hissing close to his face.
"No" Mihawk didn't look away, he had something to fight for, something to protect. He thrust his sword against Shanks's, throwing him several meters away "I stayed when you left him" he kicked, a little lost in what their relationship had been. He didn't care, it was in the past, a very distant one.
The haki clash was violent.
The madness is even more evident.
An invisible wave spread, bending trees even further in the distance, lifting stones, making the moon seem to tremble in the sky. The field turned to ruins beneath their feet, trembling from Shanks's timed strike.
Shanks took a step back. Just one. But enough to give him away, he stepped back to deliver a powerful blow.
Mihawk made the first move, before his opponent could quickly gather energy for his attack.
His strike was clean, direct, almost elegant, a black line cutting across the space where Shanks' neck had been a second before. The red hair was severed, a few strands falling slowly. The nauseating sound of the redhead's neck snapping could be heard even amidst the hiss of the wind and the clash of blades.
The pirate captain roared and attacked with everything he had, the blow he had been preparing ready to be delivered, the words stuck in his tongue.
The subsequent blows were swift, violent, a whirlwind of steel and willpower. Each impact made the world tremble, Buggy could barely stay on his feet amidst the tremors in the ground. Each defense sent sparks flying that glittered like stars falling under the moon, one of these sparks struck a patch of dry grass and began to catch fire.
Then, in an instant, Mihawk dodged half a step to the side, Shanks had aimed to hit Buggy instead of him. He blocked the attack, his sword spinning on his wrist in an unnatural motion.
His stance became open, he noticed it in a fraction of a second, but he wasn't quick enough to avoid his opponent's blow.
He saw his destiny through observation haki, viewing his next few seconds in a fraction of a second. The sword approached his head, the sharp blade gleaming in the moonlight as he glimpsed what would happen.
There was no way to avoid it… There wasn't even a way to say goodbye…
The blade touched his skin, the world was in slow motion, he heard an agonized scream from his beloved's beautiful lips, but he could do nothing to comfort him. How he wanted to comfort him… give him one last kiss to say goodbye.
A final gasp escaped his throat before it was ripped open in a clean, but extremely violent cut.
Buggy was horrified, dropping his swords as the world was once again suspended, just as it had been two and a half decades ago.
The blade cut horizontally.
The sound was dry. Definitive.
For a second, there was no rain. No world. This time there were no screams —or the lack thereof— to haunt his nightmares. They were alone, amidst the wreckage of a hill, and… this time it wasn't just one person he loved, it was his whole world. All that remained…
Only emptiness.
Buggy froze at the dull sound of the sword piercing skin, the head falling to the ground with a thud, then rolling away from the body, signaling the end of an era, signaling the end of his life. Buggy wanted to scream, and he screamed, uncontrollably, utterly agonized. He would never forget that sound, just as he had never forgotten the sound of Roger's head falling.
He took one step forward, then another, as if his body were lagging behind his mind. As if his body wasn't responding to the madness in his mind.
"Mi…hawk…?" the voice came out weak. Wrong. Buggy felt nauseous again, this time he couldn't hold it in. His head snapped and he ran away, falling to his knees and vomiting up the entire romantic dinner he had with his husband, their last dinner together…
Vomit mixed with tears and snot, agonized screams and gasps could be heard from the victorious redhead… His hands gripped the grass and the earth, wanting to anchor himself to some feeling of comfort, as he fell into a desperate spiral.
There was too much noise, the wind cutting across the field, the distant echo of branches shattering with the lingering scent of haki, his own heart pounding in his ears. He blinked once, as if the world had lost focus. And it had, tears blurred his vision that was making him even more agonized. He couldn't stop, he was convulsing, his whole body going into shock, his nervous system shutting down.
“You promised…” Buggy’s mind screamed at him, reminding him that his husband had made a promise to win…
Liar!
Liar!
No… Shanks… he deserved to pay!
Buggy's eyes, which had previously darkened at the corners, on the verge of collapse and fainting, were now red with pure, raw rage. He turned his head to face Shanks, the man standing in front of… Mihawk's body —it was difficult to look at— he was smiling and cleaning the red blade of his sword, swinging sometimes.
The clown stood up, his legs, which should have been weak, remained firm, even more so when he took a step forward, he balanced his weight between his legs, keeping his center of gravity low. The lessons Rayleigh taught him in his childhood coming to a coldness coursing through his veins.
He released his hands from her wrists and with reverent care grasped Yoru's handle, lifting it and bringing it close to him as their hands reconnected on his arms.
Buggy felt filthy, yet empty at the same time, he had lost everything, everything…
Memories of an afternoon on his island's pier made him hesitate for a second, unsure whether to attack his opponent or himself. Another broken promise… Mihawk had said he would die after Buggy…
He moved forward without thinking, without strategy, without fear. There were no more tricks, no spectacle, just a body in motion driven by pure desperation. The blade in his hand gleamed with the nauseating blue light reflecting from the moon, its parts separating, spinning in a tornado around them both and returning chaotically, erratically, as if Buggy were disintegrating along with reality itself.
"Now we can finally be together, my love. Let's go in search of the One Piece now, together, finally together" Shanks murmured, his arms open, ready for a hug he had longed for for so long, he had missed the warmth of the smaller body against his immensely.
He was trapped in his perfect world, only by pure reflex did he dodge a body part that was coming too fast towards his stomach. The redhead jumped back and blinked, truly looking at his beloved, or at least, at what he could see of him, his head, a hand that still held Yoru, and his shins and feet, everything else was in a whirlwind of fragments around them.
The field turned into a whirlwind. Earth ripped from the ground as pieces ricocheted and fell, ricocheting again and flying even more furiously, air cut by blows that followed no logic whatsoever.
Buggy fought neither like a pirate, nor like a clown, nor like a captain.
He fought like someone whoI had nothing left to lose.
"Stop!" Shanks yelled, backing away, trying to get out of the eye of the storm. He felt more and more parts flying towards him, trying to hit him. "That's not you!"
Buggy laugh.
A loud, broken, manic, and hysterical laugh.
"No…" the clown replied, his voice echoing from all sides at once, as if reverberating in the wind “This is what's left of me”
Then Buggy began spinning the black-bladed sword in the whirlwind as well, the speed was too much to keep up with, even Shanks couldn't figure out where to focus his attention, he took two steps forward, getting close to Buggy, who was standing between him and Mihawk's body, as if protecting his corpse.
"Bugs, love... everything will be alright, we'll get through this. You and i, let's go home" the redhead said while trying to focus on a part to grab. He managed to grab a thigh strap for two seconds before he slipped and started spinning furiously again.
"Don't call me that!" Buggy yelled. Only Mihawk could call him Bugs, only he could touch him, only he could love him!
He flew its with an empty hand, he escaped the whirlwind, grasping her beloved's crucifix from his still-warm chest. And he began to spin again, both blades gleaming with the moon's reflection.
Shanks didn't notice the second weapon, he was focused on Yoru and blocked it with his only arm, high up, when Buggy brought his hand down towards Shanks.
He simply hadn't anticipated the second attack, the clown's extra hand descended even faster than the one holding the sword. He always lowered his guard in front of his love, happy memories of his adolescence racing through his eyes, filling him with nostalgia and hope.
Shanks blinked, stunned, not understanding what he was seeing, feeling…
There was…
A dagger blade plunged into his heart, which pumped its last beats around the strange object.
He choked on blood and spat it onto the ground, his hands rising and closing around Buggy's hand on the dagger in his chest. He was dying, yet he still caressed his beloved's soft skin, happy to feel him one last time, for it was the last thing he would see.
Buggy felt nauseous again. He ripped the dagger from his Mihawk's from the disgusting chest. He watched him fall and couldn't care less. He turned his back as he gathered himself back together, finally having the courage to face his husband's body. He was there, lying on the ground, a pool of blood oozing from his neck, running down the grass and into the cracks in the ground.
With his whole body trembling, the clown fell to the ground, weak.
His ears barely caught a faint groan, a final warning of Shanks' impending death.
“Mi…” Buggy gasped, the crying starting again, this time more restrained, more resigned, yet still very painful. He looked at the head a few inches out of reach of his hand, he couldn't see his beloved's face, he was turned away, leaving only his dark hair for him to see. Somehow, it was more comforting.
With trembling hands, he pulled the body closer, embracing Mihawk's chest one last time, unwilling to let go, unwilling to believe he would never again see his smile, see the gleam in his eyes whenever they met, never listen to hours of lectures about wine brands, nor feel those hands touching his body.
He settled the body in his lap and began to rock back and forth, clinging to his husband, a pathetic attempt to overcome the excruciating pain that tore at his heart.
"I hate you" he murmured, not knowing to whom, he was alone, eternally alone "I hate this world. I hate…" his voice faltered, choking him, his throat closing with emotion "I hate loving someone."
The moon watched everything, enormous and indifferent.
Bathing the final vestiges of battle in its nauseating blue light.
In that devastated field, Buggy wept until nothing remained, no anger, no pride, no love, no humanity.
Just a broken man, clinging to what remained of the only happiness he dared to believe would be permanent.