"Wow, they're really fighting!"
The tavern fell into a tense silence. Patrons nervously set down their drinks, gripping their weapons in case they got caught in the crossfire.
"Pfft, ah hahahaha!"
Unlike the crowd, the Bellamy Pirates erupted in excitement, their faces glowing with savage delight.
"Bellamy, well done! You really live up to your name!"
Someone called out mockingly, half-joking:
"Hey, Bellamy! You even dare hit a guy whose companion claims to be fighting Admiral Kizaru? Aren't you afraid that monster will come looking for you?"
"Pfft! Ah hahaha!"
Bellamy sneered, glaring down at Luffy sprawled on the ground.
"Oh my, I'm so scared! Ahahaha—hmm?"
His laughter cut short. At some point, a blade had appeared at his throat.
Bellamy tilted his head slightly, noticing Zoro sitting at the bar beside him, Wado Ichimonji drawn and resting against his neck.
"Oh? Interesting!" Bellamy smirked. "What do you think you're doing, brat?"
Zoro's eyes were cold and sharp. His voice carried a dangerous calm.
"That's what I should be asking you."
Bellamy leaned closer into the edge of the blade, unfazed by the threat to his life. A menacing grin spread across his face.
"You're very interesting!"
"Wait, Zoro!"
Nami's voice cut in sharply. She had already noticed the Bellamy Pirates circling the tavern, weapons being quietly drawn, and her instincts screamed danger.
"Zoro, hold on! We haven't learned anything yet!"
Zoro didn't flinch. His sword stayed firm against Bellamy's neck.
"Less talk. He provoked me."
Bellamy chuckled darkly. "Good. You've got guts."
At that moment, Luffy pushed himself off the floor. His face was streaked with cuts from shattered wood, but his expression had hardened. He wiped the blood away and glared at Bellamy.
"So, you're ready to fight."
Bellamy had already slipped just out of Zoro's range, sneering as he faced Luffy again.
"Hahaha, you actually got up. Tougher than you look. Congratulations, you passed the first test of that esteemed person."
His smile twisted with mock anger.
"But you dared trick me just now. That I won't forgive. I'll teach you a lesson!"
Bellamy, blinded by arrogance, twisted Doflamingo's earlier words. In his mind, he was the Donquixote Family's chosen examiner, the one sent to judge if Straw Hat Luffy was worthy of joining Doflamingo's ranks.
The other pirates in the tavern leaned forward eagerly, hungry for a show.
"That Straw Hat kid actually dared to challenge Bellamy?"
"Fight! Fight!"
"Pirates are meant to fight!"
"Gum-Gum…"
Luffy crouched low, fists clenched, eyes burning with focus.
Bellamy laughed, sticking his tongue out mockingly.
"Come on, kid. Show me what you've got!"
"Luffy!"
Nami, desperate to shift the tension, suddenly shouted to the tavern owner.
"Mister! We want to go to Sky Island. Do you know anything about it?"
Her words froze the entire tavern.
"Sky Island?"
The owner gaped, stunned speechless.
Even Bellamy blinked at her in disbelief.
Around the room, every pirate fell silent. Some stared, wide-eyed. Others exchanged baffled glances.
"You've got to be kidding…" one finally muttered.
The Bellamy Pirates' navigator snorted. "Does she even realize what she's saying?"
Sarquiss's companion, Lily, sneered with open disdain. "This girl's an idiot."
The silence pressed down heavy on the Straw Hats. Luffy, Zoro, and Nami exchanged uneasy looks.
"Was Sky Island some forbidden subject here?" Nami wondered nervously.
"Mister," she pressed again, forcing composure. "Please tell us how to reach Sky Island…"
Bellamy cracked first, a snicker slipping from his lips.
"Pfft… ah hahahaha…"
Like a match to gunpowder, the entire tavern exploded with laughter.
"Wahahahahaha!"
"Hehehehehahaha!"
Pirates roared with mirth, pounding tables, slapping their knees, tears running down their faces.
"This is too much! She actually asked how to reach Sky Island!"
One collapsed onto the floor, rolling and clutching his stomach.
"Pfft hahahaha! Stop, I can't breathe!"
Nami's face flushed red with humiliation.
"W-what's so funny?!"
"The record pointer clearly points to the sky!" she insisted.
That only made them howl louder.
"Hahahaha! Did you hear that? She said the record pointer points to the sky!"
"If your log poses point to the sky, sweetheart, it means they're broken!"
Her cheeks burned hotter as their ridicule grew sharper.
"But… but what about the ships falling from the sky?"
"Hahahaha! Spare me!" one pirate wheezed. "Those were just wrecks caught by upward currents. Nothing more!"
Bellamy wiped his tears of laughter and sneered at them like they were clowns performing in a circus. His earlier anger had completely evaporated.
"No wonder. You bumpkins really don't understand anything."
His grin widened cruelly.
"You still believe in those old fairy tales? Sky Islands? Hahaha! The mysteries of the Grand Line were solved long ago. Upward currents send ships flying, then they crash back into the ocean. That's all."
He shook his head, full of contempt.
"And foolish navigators of the past, seeing ships fall from the sky, made up ridiculous legends about an island above the clouds. They spread their lies, tricking gullible fools like you into believing another world exists in the sky."
Bellamy leaned forward, staring right at Nami, then at Luffy.
"You call yourself pirates? Don't make me laugh. You're living in the past, chasing bedtime stories."
---