Grand Line, Mock Town.
Located on the western coast of Jaya Island, this town has long remained outside the jurisdiction of any government. Over time, it became a gathering place for all manner of lawless individuals. Some travelers have dubbed it a "pirate town filled with violence and crime," a description that is largely accurate.
After years of development, the town's civilians and pirates have formed a symbiotic relationship akin to crocodiles and plover birds. The local civilians make money off the reckless spending of pirates, while pirates use their plundered wealth to obtain high-quality services from the civilians.
Here, being a pirate does not alarm the residents. On the contrary, the higher your bounty, the more respect you command. A higher bounty signifies greater strength, making you not only harder to provoke in this pirate-filled town but also a more successful raider who has amassed substantial wealth.
In this town, status is not determined by identity but by Beli.
The Navia Kingdom expedition team finally arrived at this renowned pirate town after two months of sailing.
Their purpose in visiting Mock Town was to compare it to White Pine Town, the free trade zone within William's sphere of influence in the East Blue. They wanted to see the differences between a pirate town in the East Blue and one in the Grand Line.
However, upon reaching Mock Town, they were greatly disappointed.
From the number of pirate ships docked at the port, it was evident that the pirate traffic here exceeded that of White Pine Town. After all, this was the Grand Line, attracting pirates from all five seas. But upon closer inspection, it became clear that Mock Town was far more chaotic and rundown than White Pine Town.
The haphazardly constructed buildings were no better than the slums of Kalmar City. The walls were riddled with damage, crudely patched with wooden planks of various colors, leaving them uneven and unsightly.
The winding streets were littered with garbage and discarded bottles. Edmond, Harden, Selkirk, Kuro, and Krieg ventured into the town to observe and purchase supplies for their ship. However, what they saw along the way made them frown. They witnessed no fewer than ten fights and skirmishes, and the sounds of cries for help, curses, and gunfire were so frequent they had lost count.
Most of them had been to White Pine Town before. Although it was also a pirate town, it operated under an unyielding order—because in White Pine Town, William was in charge.
Despite being a free trade zone for only a year or two, White Pine Town was already more prosperous than Mock Town, which had existed for an unknown number of years. Its entertainment industry was flourishing, with gambling and arenas gradually becoming local specialties. Some daring civilians from other regions even traveled there specifically to experience its reputation firsthand.
"What a dump," Edmond muttered, frowning as he watched a drunken pirate urinate against a building wall in broad daylight. "Filthy and chaotic—who would willingly come here?"
Selkirk, who had experience sailing the Grand Line, shrugged indifferently. "This is a place without laws, catering to many pirates' tastes. It's famous as a pirate town, so plenty of pirates come here for the name alone."
Edmond sneered, "Pirate town? More like beggar town."
"There are luxurious spots here too, but you have to go deeper into the town. In Mock Town, if you're willing to spend money, you can enjoy almost any service," Selkirk said, glancing around. "But you're not entirely wrong. I didn't notice it before, but comparing this place to White Pine Town now, it's indeed chaotic and rundown. Someone really ought to clean up this mess. Even a pirate town shouldn't be this disordered."
Suddenly, a drunkard staggered out of a nearby tavern and began vomiting by the roadside. He was close enough to Harden that the splattered vomit nearly landed on his boots.
Harden stepped aside with a look of disgust, cursing under his breath. "Let's buy our supplies and Log Pose quickly and leave this dump. I don't want to stay here a second longer. I used to think the Grand Line was prosperous; now it seems it's worse off than the East Blue."
The drunkard's companions chased after him from the tavern, supporting him as he finished vomiting. As he straightened up, he overheard Harden's curse and comment. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he sneered, "What's the matter? Can't handle Mock Town and the Grand Line? Only real pirates thrive here. This place doesn't welcome cowards—especially cowards from the East Blue."
Edmond and the others stopped in their tracks. Harden turned his head, glaring coldly at the drunkard.
Now they could see the man clearly. Despite his earlier disheveled appearance, he was tall and muscular when standing upright. His dreadlocks were tied back with a headscarf, and his face bore eerie tattoos.
His companions varied in height but were similarly tattooed and armed, fitting the profile of pirates in this lawless town.
More composed than his companions, Kuro adjusted his round glasses with a smile. "We're not pirates."
Before Kuro could finish his sentence, Harden, with a different focus, grinned wickedly and asked, "Got a problem with people from the East Blue?"
"Not pirates? Not locals either? That makes you easy prey," the drunkard said, licking his lips before responding to Harden. "The East Blue is the weakest of the five seas, bowing to the Marines and the World Government like sheep. Am I wrong? I'm short on booze money, so hand over whatever you've got. This is Mock Town—there's no Marine to protect you. If you don't want to die, be smart about it, East Blue folks!"
To the drunkard's surprise, Edmond and the others showed no fear. Harden, ever defiant, cracked his neck before pointing at the drunkard and turning to Edmond. "You're right—this place really is a beggar town. These are Grand Line pirates? Pathetic. I almost feel sorry for them."
The drunkard and his companions froze, then erupted in fury.
...
Bang!
The tavern door suddenly burst open as two figures crashed through it. A pirate who had been about to leave stumbled and fell to the ground.
He was about to curse but fell silent when he saw the scene before him.
The door had been smashed open by Harden, who was now half-kneeling on the ground. Beneath him lay the bloodied, barely recognizable drunkard, his mouth frothing with blood and his chest heaving faintly—proof that he was still alive.
Harden grabbed the pirate's collar, his face twisted in fury. "What's your pirate crew called?"
He leaned in close as the pirate weakly muttered a few words. Then, with a forceful shove, he slammed the pirate's head against the floor.
Standing up, Harden pulled out a revolver from his coat and shot the pirate in the head without hesitation.
Unfazed, he raised his head, scanning the tavern full of pirates who had turned their attention to the commotion at the door. Harden showed no fear as he coldly shouted, "Who here belongs to the Berg Pirates?"
At the same time, Edmond and the others pushed open the tavern door and entered. Through the open doorway, several fresh corpses were visible outside.
The tavern patrons instinctively turned toward one corner, where several burly men sat. The tallest among them, towering over two meters like a giant, stood up and glanced at the corpse at Harden's feet. He then asked coldly, "Why are you causing trouble for us?"
Harden grinned widely. "No reason—except we wanted a drink but didn't have booze money!"
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