Chapter 82 - Mock Town

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Luffy and the big man went back and forth, arguing over who had better taste. The dispute escalated, with them almost coming face to face, ready to throw punches.

Coby and Nami watched from the side, both amused and slightly exasperated. "They're about to fight over food," Nami muttered, shaking her head.

The man eyed Luffy curiously and asked, "Are you a pirate?"

Luffy nodded, taking another bite of the cherry pie despite his earlier complaints. "Yep."

The man leaned closer, his voice low and challenging. "What's your bounty?"

Luffy answered without hesitation, "35 million!"

The man scoffed, leaning back in his chair. "You're a liar," he said, his tone dripping with disbelief. "There's no way you have a bounty of that amount."

Luffy blinked in confusion, not understanding the implication. Before he could respond, the door to the bar creaked open, drawing everyone's attention. A tall, blonde man wearing a blue captain's cloak entered the room, his twisted grin revealing the depravity lurking beneath the surface. "Is there a pirate fight?" His eyes locked on Luffy and the big man.

Coby glanced over and clicked his tongue when he saw Bellamy swaggering into the bar. This was the situation he was avoiding. He had purposely avoided going to the resort earlier to prevent this exact encounter as he didn't want Sarquiss to alert Bellamy about Luffy—Bellamy was a walking SP bag that Coby could easily kill, and the temptation to do so was strong. After all, Bellamy was the main antagonist of the Jaya arc and a side antagonist in Dressrosa. Killing him now would yield a nice reward. But then again, Luffy eventually turning Bellamy into an ally was good character development. Coby was stuck, unsure of what to do. So, he stayed quiet, watching the situation unfold.

Bellamy, wearing his signature mocking grin, strutted over to Luffy and Coby's side, his eyes glinting with arrogance. "Did I just heard someone in here has a 35 million bounty," he sneered, looking down at Luffy. "Must be a joke, right? Who the hell are you?"

Luffy, munching on the cherry pie he still didn't like, looked up at Bellamy with a blank expression. "I'm Luffy, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."

Bellamy burst into laughter, loud and grating. "King of the Pirates? You? Don't make me laugh!" His hand slammed down on the table, causing the plates and glasses to rattle. "There's no such thing as the One Piece, you idiot! Only fools believe in that fairy tale."

The entire bar erupted in laughter, joining Bellamy in mocking Luffy. But Luffy remained unfazed, his expression calm despite the jeers. He simply continued eating his pie, not paying Bellamy any mind.

Bellamy took the previous big man's place at the bar, grinning as he watched the guy leave with his pies. He turned to the bartender and tossed a coin on the counter. "Give me your most expensive bottle, and whatever this guy wants," he said, jerking his thumb toward Luffy.

Luffy, still focused on his food, looked up and smiled. "I'll take that drink from earlier. It was good! Thanks, man."

Bellamy smirked, clearly enjoying himself. He waved his hand dismissively, pretending to be generous. "Sure, whatever. Enjoy it while you can, King of the Pirates."

As the bartender prepared their drinks, the door to the bar creaked open again. Sarquiss swaggered in, flanked by a couple of bimbos hanging off his arms. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on Nami. With a cocky grin, he sauntered over, his gaze fixed on her. "Hey there, not bad. How about you come with me?" he offered, his voice dripping with arrogance.

Nami didn't even bother to look at him. "Not interested," she replied flatly.

Sarquiss wasn't discouraged. He leaned in closer, his tone sleazy. "How much are these idiots worth? I'm rich, so name your price."

Nami glanced at him, unimpressed. "You can't afford me," she said simply, turning her attention back to her drink. Sarquiss' grin faltered, but he didn't push further, knowing Bellamy was about to kill two pirates, and she would be all alone.

Coby sat nearby, watching the interaction with a quiet smirk. His hands twitched slightly as he restrained himself from getting involved.

Just then, the bartender placed their drinks on the counter. Luffy reached for his cup, ready to take a sip, but before he could bring it to his lips, Bellamy's hand shot out, aiming to slam Luffy's head into the bar. But before Bellamy's hand could make contact, a knife flashed through the air, grazing Bellamy's wrist and forcing him to stop.

Bellamy froze, his eyes widening in shock as he locked gazes with Coby. The air around them grew tense as Bellamy's initial shock turned into murderous rage. "You're dead, brat," he hissed, his voice dripping with venom.

Nami, sensing the situation was about to escalate, quickly intervened. "Stop it, Coby. We said we wouldn't cause any trouble in here," she warned. She then turned to the bartender, ignoring the tension between Coby and Bellamy. "We're looking for information about Sky Island. Where can we find it?"

Before the bartender could answer, the entire bar erupted in laughter. The loudest of them all were Sarquiss and Bellamy, their mocking laughter echoing through the room.

Bellamy sneered, wiping a drop of blood from his hand. "Sky Island? You're just as stupid as this guy if you believe in that crap!" His words dripped with contempt as he glared at Luffy and Nami.

Sarquiss, still smirking, chimed in. "Yeah, you think there's some magical island floating in the sky? What kind of idiots are you?"

Bellamy leaned back, a mocking grin on his face as he started his rant. "Log Poses can malfunction. You know why ships fall from the sky? It's not some fairy tale like Sky Island. It's because of the Knock Up Stream! That freak of nature sends ships flying, and when gravity catches up, they fall right back down. Simple as that."

He shook his head in disbelief. "People still think they live in the age of dreams. When I see idiots like you, dreaming of One Piece, Sky Island, and Laugh Tale, I just can't help myself." His grin widened, his voice dripping with contempt. "One must be an idiot to believe in that crap."

Luffy's expression shifted. The lively spark in his eyes faded as he looked at Bellamy with an emotion far more powerful than anger—pity. Luffy valued dreams. He cherished dreams more than anything, his own as well as those of others. To him, dreams were life itself. Bellamy, a man without a dream, was a tragic figure. Luffy saw the emptiness in Bellamy's words and felt sorry for him, someone who had nothing left to believe in.

As Bellamy took a step forward, raising his hand as if to strike Luffy again, Coby intervened. He moved swiftly, placing himself between Luffy and Bellamy. Grabbing Bellamy's hand mid-swing, Coby squeezed his fingers tightly. The pressure was immediate, and Bellamy's confident grin faltered.

Luffy looked at Coby and shook his head. "Don't fight them," he said quietly. To Luffy, fighting someone without a dream was pointless, like fighting a corpse. It left a bad taste in his mouth.

ut Coby shook his head, tightening his grip on Bellamy's hand until the pain became visible on his face.

"I respect your views, Luffy," Coby said, his tone even. "You don't respond to their jeers, and you don't care about people who've lost their dreams and mock others for theirs. I respect that. But it doesn't mean we'll just stand here and let them attack us."

Luffy thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. He wouldn't respond to Bellamy's provocations, just as he had learned from Shanks, but Coby was not bound by that same code.

Bellamy, snapping out of his stupor, gritted his teeth and snarled, "You're a dead man."

Coby grinned, his eyes narrowing. "I'll take you to Sky Island with us, then I'll drop you from 10,000 feet. If you survive, come back and tell everyone how it was."

Bellamy's eyes widened in rage, but before he could retaliate, Sarquiss lunged at Coby from behind, aiming to catch him off guard. Coby, however, simply dodged and spun around, delivering a powerful kick to Sarquiss' gut. The force of the kick sent him crashing into a nearby table, splintering it on impact.

The entire bar fell silent as the onlookers watched in shock. No one had ever dared to stand up to Bellamy's crew like that. Bellamy, seething with anger, tried to wrench his hand free from Coby's grip, but Coby's hold was unyielding.

"Let go, you bastard!" Bellamy shouted, his voice strained with pain and frustration.

Coby released Bellamy's hand, but not before giving it one final, bone-crushing squeeze that made Bellamy wince in pain. "You're not worth my time," Coby said dismissively and then punched him hard in the gut. Bellamy folded instantly, gasping for air. Without missing a beat, Coby grabbed Bellamy and Sarquiss by their collars and began dragging them out of the bar.

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