"One Piece: I, the Strongest Intern of the Roger Pirates"

"Hey, hey… I don't think your captain told you to do that, did he?"

Shanks quickly stepped forward, speaking to Fang Yi, clearly nervous after everything they'd just been through. He was still on edge from their terrifying ordeal.

Strangely enough, though, Buggy, who was currently being threatened by Fang Yi, didn't seem scared at all.

"Relax, I'm just giving him a little scare," Fang Yi said with a grin as he withdrew his dagger. "Look at your red-nosed buddy over there—he doesn't seem nervous in the slightest!"

Fang Yi was in an excellent mood. He'd just scored a lottery spin from Buggy through the system. If these two kids ended up joining the crew, wouldn't he be able to rack up five lottery spins every day?

Shanks glanced at Buggy after hearing Fang Yi's words, but remained silent.

Of course, Shanks knew the truth—Buggy wasn't unafraid. He was simply so scared that he'd gone stiff. Shanks could see it.

"You bastard! Who are you calling red-nosed?!"

Suddenly, the terrified Buggy snapped out of it, shouting angrily at Fang Yi.

"Uh… hahaha! What a funny guy!" Fang Yi was stunned at first, then burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. He found Buggy even more entertaining than Shanks.

"I'm Fang Yi, an intern on this pirate ship! Looks like you two will be staying here from now on as well. As newcomers, you'd better stick with me!" Fang Yi said with a wide grin.

"You? As if! I'm not about to follow some brat around!"

Buggy scoffed, clearly unimpressed.

Shanks didn't say anything, but from his expression, Fang Yi could tell he felt the same.

"No problem… we've got plenty of time," Fang Yi chuckled. "Trust me—you'll willingly follow me soon enough. Heh heh…"

Not long after, Captain Roger and the others returned to the ship and ordered everyone to set sail.

"You two, come here!"

On the deck, Roger waved to Shanks and Buggy.

The two boys obediently walked over, knowing this man was the captain of the ship, the one who'd crushed the pirates that attacked them. They dared not act out in front of him.

"From now on, you two will stay on this ship," Roger said. "Just like Fang Yi, you'll be interns. Fang Yi, I'm putting these two kids in your care. Any objections?"

"No problem, Captain!"

Fang Yi grinned, stepping forward and raising an eyebrow at the two boys.

"I refuse! There's no way I'm following him!"

Buggy immediately objected.

He already had a terrible impression of Fang Yi. Working under him would surely mean getting bullied nonstop!

"Captain Roger, we don't mind staying aboard and becoming pirates," Shanks spoke up, though more politely than Buggy. "But… isn't he about the same age as us?"

Though Shanks hadn't directly objected, his meaning was clear enough.

"Aiya~ What a hassle… Looks like I'm being underestimated!"

Fang Yi chuckled as he stepped forward. "Captain, mind if I take it from here? Let me give these two brats a little lesson."

Roger laughed and nodded. He wasn't about to stop something like this.

The nearby crew members, sensing a show coming, gathered around excitedly.

"Go get 'em, Yi! Just don't embarrass yourself!"

"Hahaha! Show these brats what a real pirate is like!"

Ignoring the cheering crew, Fang Yi looked at Shanks and Buggy. "It's fine if you don't want to follow my lead. But now that you're pirates, let's settle this pirate-style—with a fight! Whoever wins calls the shots. Any objections?"

Shanks hesitated. Fang Yi's confidence meant he wasn't just bluffing. Shanks could tell that accepting this challenge wouldn't be so simple.

But Buggy didn't care about any of that. He immediately jumped out and shouted, "Don't cry when I beat you, brat!"

"Know how to use a longsword? If you want to switch weapons, now's your chance!"

Fang Yi casually tossed a longsword to Buggy, smiling playfully.

"This will be more than enough to deal with you!"

Buggy caught the sword confidently.

But before he could finish speaking, Fang Yi suddenly appeared right in front of him, landing a punch to his stomach and pressing a dagger to his throat.

"You dirty cheater! You ambushed me!"

Buggy shouted in frustration.

"Heh… Red-Nose, what do you think pirates are? Playing house?" Fang Yi sneered. "The moment you pick up a weapon, the battle has already begun! Still… since I want you to fully accept it, I don't mind teaching you another lesson."

Fang Yi withdrew his dagger with a grin, drawing loud laughter from the watching crew.

Buggy's defeat, paired with the crew's mocking laughter, made him furious. In a burst of anger, he grabbed his sword and charged, shouting, "Who are you calling red-nose, you brat?! You said it yourself—don't blame me if you die!"

Clang!

Buggy's sneak attack was easily blocked by Fang Yi, who seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. Fang Yi's dagger parried the sword effortlessly.

"Trying to sneak attack? You're too green for that!"

With a smirk, Fang Yi kicked Buggy hard, sending him flying.

"Buggy!"

Shanks quickly ran over to help him.

Cough, cough…

Buggy clutched his stomach, groaning in pain.

"Why don't… the two of you come at me together?"

Fang Yi smiled provocatively at the two boys.

Shanks and Buggy exchanged glances before nodding. They spread out, attempting to flank Fang Yi from both sides.

"Oho? You know how to coordinate? Not bad. But… against absolute strength, all your tricks are just child's play!"

Fang Yi chuckled.

"Oh yeah? You'll find out soon enough!"

Shanks glanced at Buggy, then rushed straight toward Fang Yi.

"Not bad speed!"

Fang Yi easily tilted his head to dodge Shanks's first strike.

But Shanks wasn't done yet—he jumped up, swinging a powerful kick at Fang Yi midair.

"Brat, never jump in battle… because the moment you do, you lose all ability to change your moves!"

Fang Yi grinned darkly, crouching low and bracing himself on the ground with one hand. Then, with a swift kick, he sent Shanks flying.

"Buggy! Now!"

Shanks shouted midair.

"I'm on it!"

Buggy, thrilled, charged in with his longsword, yelling, "Here's your advice back at you—never jump in battle, brat!"

Shanks suddenly had a bad feeling. He noticed Fang Yi's wicked grin just as he seemed to fall into their trap.

Bam! Pow!

Wham! Bam!

Unfazed by Buggy's incoming slash, Fang Yi firmly pushed off the ground with one hand, sending himself airborne. He kicked Shanks again midair, using Shanks as a stepping stone to spin through the air. Then, with a quick strike, he kicked Buggy's wrist, making him drop his sword, and landed another kick to Buggy's face, sending him flying too.

Both boys were sent crashing into the ship's railing, unable to get up for a while. Fang Yi hadn't held back much—neither of them could stand.

"So then… any more objections to following me?"

Fang Yi casually stood up, dusted himself off, and smiled down at them.

"… No objections."

Shanks gritted his teeth and answered.

As for Buggy, he just lay groaning on the deck, clearly too beaten to say anything.

"Well done!"

Yamon grinned and said, "Kid, you're starting to remind me of my younger days!"

"Haha, thanks for the praise, Teacher! But compared to you guys, I've still got a long way to go! I'm only good at bullying these rookies for now!"

Fang Yi scratched his head shyly.

Jabba had been about to say something, but stopped after hearing Fang Yi's words, simply smiling instead.

In truth, Fang Yi had learned most of his close-combat techniques from Jabba. But since Yamon had already praised him, Fang Yi wisely kept quiet. Even Jabba didn't object—what more needed to be said?

Unless something major happened, Yamon was pretty much the boss among the Roger Pirates—well, unless something big did happen.

After settling things with Shanks and Buggy, Fang Yi was in an excellent mood.

He'd earned two lottery spins from those two today, and from now on, he'd be able to get two extra spins every day. Originally, it took him over three days to gather enough points for a ten-spin pull—now, he could do it every two days. No wonder he was in such high spirits.

Still, ever since returning from the merchant ship, Roger and Rayleigh had been deep in discussion. As a lowly intern, Fang Yi had no right to ask, but since everyone now saw him as part of the crew, no one hid anything from him.

He overheard some discussions about Wano Country and the samurai, leading him to suspect that Roger might've already learned about someone from Wano who could read the ancient script.

"Hey! Come fight me! Today, I'm going to beat you!"

The next morning, Buggy came looking for Fang Yi, challenging him to a duel.

Fang Yi had agreed yesterday—in good spirits—that whoever could beat him would become leader of their trio.

Yes, the three of them had officially formed an "Intern Trio" yesterday, with Fang Yi as their current leader.

Of course, the other two weren't happy about it. They set a rule: whoever was strongest would be the leader, and anyone could challenge for the spot anytime.

"Heh heh…"

Fang Yi grinned at the sight of Buggy once again lying flat on the ground, then turned to Shanks and asked with a smirk, "You want to try too?"

"No need. I know I'm no match for you right now."

Shanks shook his head.

"Hmm, not bad! You know your limits."

Fang Yi patted Shanks on the shoulder with a satisfied smile.

He couldn't be happier—he'd already gotten two lottery spins from Buggy and Shanks first thing in the morning! How could he not be pleased?