Three weeks after the destruction in Baldimore, which was termed the "Nightmare of Baldimore," the ones responsible for it arrived at a Summer Island.
Though this island was a summer island, it was not an extreme place, and the weather here was actually quite pleasant.
The Blackstar Crew was elated when they saw the lively place that awaited them. It was what they needed the most right now as they had spent the last three weeks training themselves into utter physical and mental exhaustion.
All of them needed a break, and they needed to fill up the kitchen supplies, too.
Since the crew had left their next destination up to the Log Pose, they did not know where they were. But what awaited them was a bustling seaside town, and they could already see several ships docked here, adorning the black sails that left no doubt about who they belonged to.
"There are lots of Pirates here." Kuina frowned as she looked at the town that was only half a mile away from there.
"Yes." Sin devilishly smiled, and when Kuina glanced at him, she had a very ominous premonition in her heart.
And Sin was not the only one who was wearing a devilish smile. Bonney was grinning as well.
"It will be fun ransacking the Town and robbing all these Pirates" She commented, and Kuina saw all her hopes for a peaceful and relaxing day come crashing down.
"Looks like we have been recognised." Sin suddenly spoke and raised his hand, signalling to the crew that they would be anchoring here.
He had already picked on the voices on the Island, and he was excited as it was going to be really fun once they step on the land.
Soon everyone got to work, and within a few minutes the sails had been tied up and the anchor was dropped in the water.
Augur was keeping an eye on everything that was happing at the docks, and since he had not raised any alarm, it meant that no one was planning on coming their way to cause trouble.
The Blackstar Crew gathered in front of their Captain, and just like the last time they had visited an Island, Bonney had aged up Nami and Nojiko, but this time, they did not seem too thrilled about it.
Being in a bigger body seemed unnatural to them, and they had concluded that being small had its perks. Especially since men would not give them weird looks that made them feel uneasy, and they could express their excitement too without catching too much attention.
"Bonney." Sin smiled at the Pinkette. "Don't worry. Return them to their
original age."
He knew that she was taking caution against two kids being sighted with them. Now that they were a famous crew, people might target these two children to get to them, which she did not want to see happen.
"Okay." She did not refuse his order and did as asked, and soon the two girls were smiling again.
"We will check around the town, find a place to eat, buy our supplies, and wait for people to instigate us." He spoke to his crew, and everyone nodded their heads.
"Some people will cause trouble. They are already making plans, so don't worry. We will have a lot of fun today."
"Aye, Captain!"
"Do you want to come along?" Sin turned to look at Augur, who shook his head.
"I will stay on the ship for now." His Marksman answered him, and the two Doctors too expressed their reservations about entering such a hectic town.
"Fine." He nodded and then asked Hachi to lower the boat in the water.
The crew reached the docks under the apprehensive eyes of the onlookers. Even the Pirates were fearful of them since the haunting Black Ship and the Blackstar Crew were deemed very dangerous in this half of Paradise.
Of course, not everyone was fearful of them, and some even looked at them in contempt but did not step forward to cause trouble.
They were perhaps waiting for a group to confront them before they decide to jump on the bandwagon to reap profit, but for now, Sin and his crew moved unhindered inside the town.
It did not take long for them to understand where they were and to gather information about this Island.
All Sin did was grab a passerby by his neck and press him against the wall before asking him politely about the Island.
"This is Vira..." The man fearfully told them everything they wanted to know, and to his immense relief, he was let go by the tall young man.
After the man scurried away, Sin exchanged a glance with his sister.
Vira was a country close to Arabasta, and though it was not a big country, it was quite famous for how lawless it was. It could be seen by how so many pirates were in this Town, which was called the SunnyTown, and there was no Marine to be seen there.
The Marine Base of Vira was on the other side of the Island, where the Royal City was situated, so this side had become a hub for Pirates due to the lack of Marine Surveillance. However, there was a limit to how lawless these Pirates could behave here.
In case the town was destroyed, it was given that the culprits would not only be chased by the Marines but also by the Pirates who consider this place a haven. So, this town was a place where Pirates docked to refill their supplies, and communicated and competed against each other, mostly to show their might.
This was also the Town where the lawless people from all around, who aspired to become pirates, gathered in hopes of joining a Pirate Crew.
"What's the plan?" He asked.
The girls decided that they wished to visit some clothing shops first, and they took their leave without waiting for him to say anything.
It only left Hachi and Bepo with him, and the two seemed deflated as well, realising that they would have to pick all the supplies for their ship.
"Let's go and have some fun. We will pick supplies at the end of the day." Sin smiled as he watched Bepo excitedly grin at his words. "Come."
Bepo and Hachi obediently followed him as he led them to the Eastern side of SunnyTown, where the Arena existed.
Though called an Arena, it was just a simple field where Pirates gathered and engaged in various forms of battles and games with each other.
"Get out of the way." Sin coldly said when he neared the crowd.
"Who the hell dares..." A grim-looking man angrily turned around, but the rest of his words got stuck in his throat as he came face to face with Sin. "Black D. Sin..." He fearfully whispered and stumbled back, crashing into another man, and soon Sin had caught the attention of a lot of people.
"The Devil!" Someone gasped, and it was soon followed by other people who started whispering things about him and his crew.
As soon as he heard more people call him "The Devil," he devilishly smiled, and without saying anything, he stepped forward.
The people obediently parted the way for him and allowed him and his two men to reach the fence of the Arena to take a good look at what was happening.
Two Pirate Crews were seemingly engaged in a competition of Arm Wrestling, and currently, an old man with an explosive Physique was madly grinning as he locked hands with a young man, whose face was flushed as he gave it all but did not even manage to budge the old man's arm.
"I win, Dorma!" The Old Man declared after he defeated the young man and laughed at the deflated faces of the Pirate Crew that had challenged him.
"Who's he?" Bepo curiously asked a person who was standing next to him.
"Boka the Rock." The man replied. "He is the Captain of the Boka Pirates and has a bounty of 110,000,000 Berries. The other one," He pointed at the Captain of the losing Crew, "is Dorma the Hound. He is the Captain of the Lupus Pirates and has a bounty of 95,000,000 Berries."
"Whatever!" Dorma suddenly scoffed and then looked Boka in the eyes. "Make your pick and then be done with it."
It seemed like they had bet on the members of their crew, and now Boka got to make his pick from Dorma's Crew.
"Seems like they get along well with each other." The Bear-Mink commented as he watched the two Pirate Captains interact.
"They have known each other for years and come here every few months to meet and compete." The man informed Bepo.
After Boka made his pick, the Lupus Pirates followed their Captain out of the Arena, but Boka still stayed there as he ran his old eyes all around.
"Is there anyone who dares to compete in Arm Wrestling with me?!" He loudly asked, and proudly smirked when he heard no one immediately answer his question.
However, soon and gruff and confident voice sounded out, followed by a large man with a fierce-looking face, who stepped forward with his messy Pirate Crew.
"I am Jean Bart, and I accept your challenge!"
Everyone turned to look at him and his Crew, and they all showed some contempt.
He was a Rookie who had gained infamy in the last few months, and most mistook his confidence as stupidity.
"What do you bet?" Boka grinned and asked, welcoming the challenge.
"20 Million Berries if you win, and I get to pick two people from your crew if I win," Replied the large man with sideburns as well as a long mane that ran down his back.
He easily towered over Boka when he approached the old man, and Boka was a large man in his own right.
"Deal." The old man grinned and readily accepted the challenge.
He did not believe that the Rookie stood any chance against him. And how wrong he was...
A few minutes later, there was a deathly silence in the Arena after Boka lost an Arm Wrestling match...