The Bellamy Pirates sailed for a week and finally arrived near Loguetown.
Loguetown, East Blue. The place where the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was born and where he died. It was also known as the Town of the Beginning and the End. To enter the Grand Line from the East Blue, Loguetown was an unavoidable stop. Near the entrance to Reverse Mountain in the East Blue, Loguetown was the only place to resupply. Other islands were either too far away or undeveloped. Any pirate crew wanting to enter the Grand Line from the East Blue had to resupply once in Loguetown. Without sufficient provisions, entering the Grand Line was just a death sentence, so the Marines had stationed a large force here. Marine Captain Smoker had earned his "White Hunter" epithet by capturing many pirates in this very town.
Since Bellamy wanted to enter the Grand Line from the East Blue, he naturally had to resupply in Loguetown as well. But he was no weakling from the East Blue. If Smoker didn't come looking for trouble, fine. But if Smoker actually brought troops to attack, Bellamy would absolutely not hold back. If Smoker pretended to be dead and looked the other way, Bellamy couldn't be bothered to find trouble with him either. Although Smoker was a Logia user, he possessed the weakest Smoke-Smoke Fruit; Bellamy didn't take him seriously. Truthfully, the Smoke-Smoke Fruit's upper limit was indeed a bit low, even somewhat dragging down the overall standard of Logia types. No matter how smoke was developed, it could never achieve the intensity of fire, ice, or light. Because its intensity was too low, Smoker's signature moves had become rather interesting as a result – that jitte tipped with Sea-Prism Stone could really catch an uninformed opponent off guard.
"Captain, Loguetown is just ahead." The wide port was already visible. Drake lowered his binoculars and couldn't help but ask, "Are we docking?" Loguetown was a well-known place even among the Marines; Drake naturally understood the situation here. A large number of Marines were stationed here. Their identities might not be recognized in small country villages, but it was impossible to hide from the garrison here. The moment they docked, the Marines would quickly recognize them.
"Head in." Once they entered the Grand Line, the next time they saw an island would be over a month later. For this trip, they needed to resupply a massive amount of provisions; those empty cargo holds needed to be filled with all sorts of alcohol and easily preserved foods. How could they not dock?
"Understood, Captain." It seemed a battle was unavoidable.
"Notify everyone to prepare." Bellamy's intuition told him that Smoker, nine times out of ten, would still come looking for trouble.
There weren't many ships coming and going from Loguetown, so the shipping lanes were very open. The Bellamy Pirates' vessel docked smoothly at Loguetown's port. Once the ship was docked, they needed to go into town to purchase supplies. Bellamy had just led his men off the ship when a surprised cry came from the roadside, "Mad Dog Bellamy!"
A passing patrol of Marine soldiers had recognized them at a glance. Although Bellamy's public bounty was a mere 60 million, his infamy had spread far and wide in secret throughout the Four Blues. News about Bellamy had been forcibly suppressed by the Five Elders; his name was almost never seen in newspapers. But in the black market, the Vinsmoke family had gone to great lengths to hype Bellamy up. In the eyes of ordinary people, Bellamy might just be an unfamiliar name. But in the eyes of Marines and pirates across the Four Blues, Bellamy was a notorious major figure.
The Marine soldier who had cried out in surprise immediately realized his mistake.
"Fire!" The Marines stationed here, though not elite troops, were very experienced in combat. The moment they identified Bellamy, they immediately raised their firearms and opened fire on him.
Bellamy casually waved a hand behind him. "Take care of them." He certainly wouldn't waste his time on these minions.
Hearing his command, Ross grinned and stepped forward from behind. "Your opponent is me." Transformation: Black Rhinoceros Form! Ross's body underwent a rapid change. In an instant, a giant black rhinoceros appeared on the road.
"Moo."
"Go to hell!" The black rhinoceros stomped hard on the ground and charged furiously towards the Marine soldiers.
Such a huge commotion immediately caused widespread panic in the streets.
"Pirates! Run!"
"Quick, run! There's a monster!"
The nearby crowd was terrified. A little girl, fleeing in panic, ran right up to Bellamy and bumped into him. The little girl looked up and was immediately scared out of her wits. "Mommy!!" Bellamy's appearance almost perfectly fit every stereotype of a pirate. Compounded by the surrounding chaos, the little girl burst into tears. "Waaah, waah…"
Bellamy touched his own face, suddenly feeling rather speechless. Was he really that terrifying? "Kid, watch where you're going." Casually lifting the little girl to the side, Bellamy continued walking towards the town center. He couldn't care less about the battle behind him. Just a squad of ordinary soldiers, not worth any attention at all.
Once Bellamy was far away, a woman quickly ran out from a corner and hugged her daughter tightly. "Baby! Are you alright?!"
"Waaah, Mommy…" Click. Bellamy's ear twitched; he seemed to have heard the sound of a camera shutter. His face instantly darkened. "These dog reporters, trying to smear my name again." Bellamy still remembered his last bounty photo – it was of him snatching a little girl's lollipop. He suddenly recalled all the slanderous stories about him in circulation: all sorts of debauchery and plunder, every evil deed imaginable, even eating children.
"Forget it. Tired. Can't be bothered." He was already so thoroughly blackened; a little more slander wouldn't make a difference.
Marine Garrison Headquarters.
Smoker was reviewing a batch of important documents when the sound of urgent footsteps suddenly interrupted him.
"This is bad, Captain!" Tashigi rushed in from outside.
"What happened?" Seeing her expression, Smoker realized something major had occurred.
"Captain, it's Bellamy!"
"Just now, our men spotted Bellamy."
"He's right here in Loguetown!"
"What did you say?!" Upon hearing this news, Smoker immediately shot up from his seat. It was actually Bellamy. News of Vice Admiral Onigumo's failure to capture Bellamy had just arrived a short while ago. He hadn't expected this fellow to actually appear in the East Blue. And in Loguetown, of all places! Was he planning to enter the Grand Line?!
"He absolutely cannot be left unchecked." Smoker's tone was exceptionally firm. "Immediately notify Headquarters and request backup!"
"Yes, Captain."
"But what do we do now?" Bellamy was right here in Loguetown; backup from Headquarters wouldn't arrive in time. Their problem now was how to deal with this mad dog.
"Notify everyone to assemble at Headquarters immediately." This mad dog was too dangerous. Since he had encountered him, he absolutely couldn't just stand by and watch. Even if it meant risking his own life, he had to stop Bellamy here.