However, amidst this clamorous tide, a deep, resolute voice rang out clearly, cutting through all the noise. "Sky Island... does exist."
Everyone turned to look. Blackbeard Teach was now sitting by the roadside, munching on his cherry pie. He scanned the jeering crowd with unconcealed disdain.
Then, his gaze met Luffy's.
"The so-called 'New Era' these guys are talking about is a load of crap!"
"What do they mean, 'the era of pirates chasing dreams is over'?!"
"A man's dream... never ends!"
His words, firm and resonant, exploded like thunder on the street.
The surroundings instantly fell silent. Everyone was stunned by this sudden declaration and the imposing aura radiating from Blackbeard.
Looking at these pirates who were angry but dared not speak, Blackbeard suddenly burst into loud laughter again. He sat back and continued eating his pie. "Guhahaha... Whatever. Putting up with you idiots is pretty fun in its own way. Anyone aiming for the top has to deal with unreasonable provocation and ridicule like this, right?"
He looked at Luffy and Robin again, issuing his invitation for the third time. "So? What do you say? Will you join us? Guhahaha!"
"No." Luffy's refusal was as clean and swift as ever.
Blackbeard's corner of his mouth twitched, seeming somewhat speechless.
But immediately, he erupted into even louder laughter. He stood up, dusting off his pants. "Guhahaha! You're an interesting kid. See you around then!"
He laughed heartily, turned, and left, his figure soon disappearing around a street corner.
"Luffy, he's an exceptionally dangerous man," Robin said quietly, her eyes on the direction Blackbeard had vanished.
"Yeah, I know. Those guys are definitely dangerous," Luffy nodded. "But it's surprising to find someone like that in this town without dreams."
This town was filled with pirates obsessed with "reality," wallowing in drunken revelry.
Could that even be called being a pirate?
A man's dream... never ends...
Just then, a roar brimming with humiliation and rage came from behind them. "You two bastards! What the hell did you just do to me and my crew?!"
Bellamy was staggering out of the beverage shop. A distinct red ring marked his neck, and his eyes were fixed on Robin with pure malice. Robin's clutch hadn't been immediately fatal due to his physical constitution and subconscious defense, but it had robbed him of his fighting strength for a short time. He had just managed to recover.
Robin tilted her head slightly, her tone carrying a hint of regret. "How unfortunate. It seems this man's neck is harder than most. Otherwise, with the assassination techniques I'm skilled in, he should already be dead."
These words were like pouring oil on the fire.
Bellamy trembled with rage. His body instantly transformed, his legs compressing like springs as he activated the power of his Bane Bane no Mi.
Luffy chose that moment to turn around. His gaze was calm as he looked at Bellamy and asked a seemingly unrelated question. "Hey. Do you also think... Sky Island doesn't exist?"
Hearing this, Bellamy's fury burned even hotter, feeling profoundly insulted. "Sky Island? So you're that kind of daydreaming pirate too?!"
"Me, Bellamy the Hyena, was knocked out by garbage pirates like you who only know how to daydream?! This is the ultimate disgrace! If I get chewed out by that man because of this, you'll bear full responsibility!"
Before the words fully left his mouth, his compressed spring-legs violently released.
"Spring Hopper!"
His figure bounced around Luffy at high speed like a phantom, searching for an opening to attack.
Yet, Luffy simply stood still, his gaze locked onto the rapidly moving figure.
"Sky Island exists."
"A man's dream... never ends!"
"Someone like you... doesn't deserve to be called a pirate!"
The moment Bellamy, thinking he'd found an opening, lunged fiercely from the side, Luffy's fist, trailing behind yet arriving first, shot out. Wrapped in invisible Armament Haki, it was a simple, direct punch.
Thud!
With a dull impact, Bellamy's high-speed figure was smashed back into the ground even faster, cracking the stone pavement. He foamed at the mouth, completely unconscious.
Right then, other members of the Bellamy Pirates—those who had woken up after being choked out by Robin, and some who had been waiting outside—seeing their captain defeated, began charging forward, shouting threats.
Luffy frowned, annoyed by these noisy pests.
He didn't care about the ridicule.
But if a person loses their dreams, what's the difference between them and a piece of salted fish? And if they're just salted fish, then they shouldn't go around boasting about being pirates.
It just drags down the reputation of pirates everywhere!
He suddenly turned his head, his eyes sharpening. An intangible yet vast and overwhelming pressure surged forth like a storm.
Conqueror's Haki!
He was now able to wield this power proficiently.
The charging pirates were struck as if by an invisible sledgehammer. Their eyes rolled back in their sockets, and they collapsed one after another, losing consciousness.
"Let's go, Robin."
Luffy shook his hand as if he'd done something trivial and pulled along Robin, who was momentarily stunned from feeling the Conqueror's Haki at close range.
"Sind... no, wait, that guy is..."
In the crowd, a pirate who had just arrived holding a new bounty poster felt his pupils contract. Cold sweat instantly dripped down his face.
The vast majority of pirates in Mock Town were immersed in their so-called "enjoyment of reality," living in a drunken stupor. Their ability to receive new information... or rather, their lack of interest in what happened outside...
But that Straw Hat kid... was the rookie making the biggest waves recently, achieving that terrifying bounty to become the top Supernova!
Back on the Going Merry, docked at the port, Nami heard about Luffy causing trouble in town again. Furious, she grabbed his highly elastic cheeks and stretched them to the sides.
"Luffy! You idiot, how can you cause trouble wherever you go?! Didn't we say we should keep a low profile?!"
"Who told them to say such annoying things," Luffy mumbled incoherently in his defense, trying to escape Nami's clutches.
Just then, a familiar prompt sounded in his mind.
[Temporary Plan: Archaeology Knowledge Learning and Application - Completed.]
[Archaeology Level has increased to LV2.]
[Reward Passive Talent Obtained: Information Derivation.]
Finally completed?
Thank goodness for having Robin as a teacher.
But what's the use of this 'Information Derivation' passive talent?
Nami, still fuming, wanted to scold him some more, but leaving this troublesome place was more important right now. "Whatever! Before anyone notices, let's set sail quickly! Vivi and I also heard about a possible way to reach Sky Island. It seems you can use a natural phenomenon called a 'Knock Up Stream' to go up. The spring guy you beat up was probably the biggest pirate crew in Mock Town. I heard he has some big shot backing him..."
A big shot?
***
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