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While the official release of One Piece chapter 1082 is scheduled for May 7, 2023, major leaks are already circulating. Based on the spoiler summary, the chapter will focus on Cross Guild, the new organization co-founded by Dracule Mihawk and Crocodile.
Not interested in becoming an Emperor, but rather preferring to alienate any unwanted attention from himself, Mihawk decided to use Buggy as the figurehead leader of the group.
Believing in the facade, the World Government declared Buggy one of the Four Emperors. However, for Buggy, this grotesque accomplishment is not an arrival but a starting point, as he aims even higher.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1082 and reflects the writer's personal views.
Early spoilers for One Piece chapter 1082 reveal Buggy's renewed ambition, and it's something big
One Piece 1082 will focus on Cross Guild
The Cross Guild was first introduced in chapter 1056 of One Piece. The organization allegedly included Crocodile and "Hawk Eyes" Dracule Mihawk, two former members of the Seven Warlords.
Given Mihawk's immense status as the World's Strongest Swordsman and an individual who is at the very least peer to "Red Hair" Shanks, fans immediately wondered how such a powerful character could ever become an underling for Buggy.
One Piece 1058 revealed the truth. After the disbandment of the Warlords, Crocodile proposed Mihawk to create a company with the intent of hunting down Marines for bounties. To fund the new organization, Crocodile went to Buggy, who owed him a massive debt.
Crocodile became furious after discovering that Buggy could not repay it. However, the latter's underlings misunderstood the scene and thought that Buggy had Mihawk and Crocodile as his subordinates, having summoned them to deal with the Marines who were besieging his island.
They spread the word that Buggy was the leading member of the Cross Guild. To appease Mihawk and Crocodile's rage at the news, Buggy offered to work freely for them, providing his resources and previous organization to help kickstart the Cross Guild.
Preferring to live without all the fanfare that would come with such a status, Mihawk didn't want to be considered an Emperor. Hence, he suggested that they put Buggy as a figurehead leader to stave off any unwanted attention from them.
As such, Buggy started the farce and announced Mihawk and Crocodile as the Cross Guild's executives. In a continuous comedy of errors, Buggy's underlings mistook his fear over his future fate for the joy of having gained such powerful men as his subordinates.
The Cross Guild was immediately recognized as a dangerous organization. The group's supposed leader, Buggy, was declared to be one of the Four Emperors, given his alleged status as a man who could recruit Mihawk and Crocodile to work for him.
The Cross Guild's battle might and political influence allowed the organization to issue bounties on Navy officers. From hunters, the Marines became hunted, now worrying not only about pirates but about attacks from bounty hunters and even civilians.
Indeed, One Piece 1082 revealed that Marine Rear Admiral T-Bone was killed by someone who wanted to collect the bounty that the Cross Guild issued on him. Sengoku and Tsuru discussed the event, remarking on the group's rising threat. T-Bone's killer will receive money from the Cross Guild, and become a member of the group.
Buggy's comical yet determined exploit in One Piece 1082
Based on the spoilers, Crocodile declared that he would like to use Cross Guild to complete his previous "Utopia" plan, which involved building a military nation that no other force could ever threaten. However, Buggy contested Crocodile's plan, declaring that a real pirate won't do such a thing.
Buggy started having a flashback about the day when he and Shanks parted ways. Both Buggy and Shanks indeed started their pirate careers as apprentices in Roger Pirates.
Twenty-four years before the current narration, Shanks and Buggy were in Loguetown to assist in Gol D. Roger's execution. Buggy asked Shanks if they were going to seek the One Piece, as they had already programmed before.
Shanks rejected the proposal, but offered Buggy to join his future crew, something the latter angrily refused, declaring that he would never work under him. In truth, Buggy knew that he could never compete with Shanks, and hoped that the latter would take after Roger and become the next Pirate King.
Disappointed by Shanks' change of mind, Buggy decided to cut ties with him. Back in the present, Buggy got mad after hearing the news that Shanks had finally decided to partake in the rush for the One Piece.
Unexpectedly, this move fired Buggy up. He yelled that, regardless of how such a thing happened, he now bears the title as one of the Four Emperors like Shanks, and thus he wants to compete for the crown of Pirate King.
More excited than ever, Buggy took a microphone and spoke to all the employees of the Cross Guild:
"Are you satisfied with your current life? Do you remember the reason you went out to sea in the first place!? The day has arrived! LET'S GO TAKE ONE PIECE!!"
Fired up by Buggy's words, people immediately started cheering him on. Comically enough, Crocodile and Mihawk couldn't help but be shocked and angry at the same time.
Nobody does it like Buggy, unironically
Buggy never ceases to surprise fans, standing out as the most entertaining antagonist in the series. Despite not even being remotely as powerful as other villains, his unpredictability makes him enjoyable.
Although the abilities of Chop-Chop Fruit as well as his various weapons make him a decent fighter, Buggy's achievements don't come from his strength, but thanks to his ability to take advantage of the situation in an unforeseeable and at times hilarious manner.
Buggy possesses a ridiculous amount of dumb luck. No matter how terrible a situation apparently becomes for him, he somehow manages to survive and even gain some unexpected benefit.
Buggy has a cowardly nature, but his words and actions are often misconstrued as indicators of power. Factoring in his luck as well as a certain degree of cunning, Buggy uses others to build up his public image as a dangerous and influential pirate.
During the massive breakout from Impel Down, he managed to recruit many major outlaws from the infamous Sixth Level as his subordinates. In the Paramount War, Buggy was mistaken in the eyes of the world as an equal to the mighty Whitebeard.
This led the World Government into offering Buggy to become one of the Seven Warlords. He exploited the situation to act with impunity and promote his business. He created the pirate dispatch organization "Buggy's Delivery," becoming famous as the "Genius Jester."
After the abolition of the Seven Warlords, the World Government sent a Marine fleet to capture Buggy. The latter's plan was to escape by using some of his subordinates as scapegoats, but the sudden arrival of Mihawk and Crocodile changed everything.
Completely misunderstanding the events, the World Government considered Buggy to be an extremely dangerous pirate, whose achievements consist of:
- Being the mastermind behind the Impel Down mass escape
- Being treated as an equal by Whitebeard
- Being treated as an equal by Shanks
- Being the leader of the Cross Guild
- Having recruited Dracule Mihawk and Crocodile as his subordinates
While none of this is even remotely true, it is apparently in the eyes of the World Government and the Navy. As such, they decided to declare Buggy one of the Four Emperors, the greatest pirate captains who rule the seas.
The event marked the peak of Buggy's ability to get out of trouble and even increase his influence through comical and yet opportunistic behavior.
Final Thoughts
Most readers expected the upcoming issue to feature the struggle of the Straw Hat Pirates on Egghead, or the clash between a portion of the Blackbeard Pirates and some Marine officers, led by the legendary Monkey D. Garp.
However, after a one-week break for the Golden Week, One Piece's return with chapter 1082 left fans surprised, as the new installment mainly involved the Cross Guild. Since its introduction, it has been speculated that the organization would play a major role in the future of the series, and it looks that way.
Featuring a flashback of Buggy's past with Shanks and the reveal of the former's current plans, One Piece 1082 revealed that the "Genius Jester" really aims high, considering that he wants to partake in the rush to become the next Pirate King.
Buggy's ability to take advantage of misunderstandings and sheer luck to increase his public image as an influential pirate reached its pinnacle. The question is how much longer will Mihawk and Crocodile keep their patience and comply with Buggy's ambitions.
