A Man's Dream

Outside the bar, Bellamy's crew and other onlookers are laughing uproariously. "AHAHAHA! LOOK AT'EM! THEY'RE STILL TRYIN' TO STAND BACK UP!" one shouts. Another asks, "What's going on?" and is told, "Bellamy and his crew are showcasing a public lynching." Inside, Bellamy grins wickedly, shouting, "Show them that this ain't a town for dreamin' weaklings! Hahahaha!" His crewmates chime in, "Hoho! Just kill'em! Spineless idiots are better off dead!" Nami, furious and crying out, yells, "LUFFY! ZORO! JUST KICK THEIR ASSES ALREADY! What're you messing around with these trash for!?" A crewmate of Bellamy's smirks at her, saying, "Haha... It's no use, missy. These two are smarter than you think. They realized they were no match for us. Avoiding fights with strong people... A sensible, but utterly spineless choice, I have to say!"

The mockery continues inside the bar. "Hahaha... Looks like your captain ain't got one shred of self-respect!" a pirate laughs. Another adds, "The marines these days sure are generous, Giving a pipsqueak like him a price of 30 million beli..." Nami stands frozen, looking shocked and confused. "Why..." she murmurs. Luffy, his face bruised and bleeding, speaks quietly to Zoro: "ZORO... DON'T RESPOND AT ALL TO THEIR JEERS..." Nami asks, "What's wrong with you two...?" Close-up panels show Luffy and Zoro, both heavily battered, bleeding from their heads and mouths, staring blankly ahead and refusing to fight back as blood drips from their faces.

Bellamy takes a swig from a bottle at the bar, mocking them further. "Pacifism... Sure, that ideal might not sound so bad at first... But you've got no pride on top of being weak, And you can't even fight back when it's forced on you... And yet your head's full of nothin' but dreams..." His crewmates agree, laughing, "...Just like a maggot." "You said it!" Nami glares angrily, trembling with frustration. Bellamy turns his back on Luffy and Zoro, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm through, I'm through... I came because I was curious about the weak-looking pipsqueak who had 30 million for his head, but... Man, what a letdown! Worse than even my lowest expectations! Never seen someone THIS cowardly..."

Bellamy suddenly turns and spits his drink directly into Luffy's face. Luffy takes it without reacting, just coughing slightly as the liquid hits him. "Somebody get these losers outta my sight!" Bellamy demands. He then glares menacingly at Zoro, his face twisted in anger. "YOU'RE AN EYESORE," he growls. In a swift, violent motion, Bellamy grabs Zoro by the back of the head and slams his face brutally into the wooden bar counter, shattering the wood.

Bellamy continues his assault, smashing Zoro completely through the wooden counter and into the floor below, sending splinters flying. Luffy coughs, blood dripping from his face, as he watches. Bellamy's crew bursts into laughter again. "HAHA HAHA HAHA HAHA!" "LOOK AT'EM!" Bellamy then turns his attention to Luffy, grabbing him by the head and violently slamming him face-first into the floor as well, creating a large impact and sending debris scattering across the room.

Luffy and Zoro lie motionless in the wreckage of the bar, bleeding heavily. Bellamy's crew continues to laugh at them. Nami cries out in distress, "ZORO! LUFFY!" Bellamy approaches Nami, towering over her with a smug grin. "Hey girl! You'll never get anywhere in the coming new age if you stick around guys like them! How 'bout I buy you off? Name your price!" Nami glares up at him, furious. "...What did you just say!?" she asks. Bellamy smirks, "You think you can BUY me? That's right. You'll have more fun with us, y'know?"

Nami smiles confidently, her expression shifting from anger to defiance. "HA! SORRY TO SAY THIS BUT... I'D BE WASTED ON YOU AND YOUR SMALL-TIME CREW!" she declares. Bellamy's crewmates react with indignation. "HAHA! SO YOU THINK YOU'RE WORTH THAT MUCH!?" one scoffs. Bellamy throws his head back and laughs uproariously. "HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA! THE WHOLE CREW'S A BAG OF LOONS! They're beyond saving!" he shouts, mocking Nami's loyalty to her defeated crewmates.

Nami's expression turns dead serious. "SKY ISLAND EXISTS..." she states firmly. The entire bar goes completely silent, the patrons staring at her in disbelief. Bellamy's grin turns into a menacing scowl. "TAKE THOSE TWO AND GET OUTTA MY SIGHT, MAGGOTS! WHILE THEY'RE STILL BREATHING...! AND DON'T EVER COME HERE AGAIN, Y'HEAR ME!?" he roars. Outside, Nami drags the unconscious, battered bodies of Luffy and Zoro away from the bar. Behind them, Bellamy's crew erupts into mocking laughter once more. "GYAHAHA HAHAHA!"

Outside in the street, Nami continues to drag Luffy and Zoro. Sitting on the ground nearby is the large man from earlier, Marshall D. Teach, eating cherry pies and laughing loudly. "ZEHA HAHA HAHA HAHA! THE CHERRY PIES HERE ARE THE BEST!" he booms. Nami stops and looks at him. "You're... The man from earlier..." Teach looks at her, "What're you lookin' annoyed for, sister? Those two won that fight just now." Nami looks confused, "Wha...?" A flashback panel shows Shanks smiling, with the text: "THE NEXT TIME WE'LL MEET, IS WHEN YOU'RE AT THE PIRATES' TOP." Another panel shows Shanks looking serious, saying, "OH!? SO YOU WANT TO SURPASS US...!?" Luffy, still battered, looks up slightly.

Teach continues speaking to them. "Your comeback was sure somethin' too! You've got some balls for a girl! ZEHA HAHA!" Luffy and Zoro slowly sit up, groaning. "Luffy." "Zoro..." Nami says. Teach's expression turns intense and serious. "The 'new age' those guys talk about, Is total bullshit." He then throws his arms wide and yells at the top of his lungs, "THE AGE WHEN PIRATES DREAM IS ENDING...!? HUH!? WELL!? ZEHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA!" The onlookers in the street are startled by his sudden outburst. "W-what's with him!?" one asks. Luffy stares at Teach intently.

A massive double-page spread effect shows Teach sitting on the ground, yelling with immense conviction. Huge, bold text dominates the space above him: "A MAN'S DREAM, NEVER ENDS!" Luffy, Zoro, and Nami stand before him, dwarfed by the sheer volume of his declaration. The impact of his words hangs heavily in the air.

Teach grins widely, showing his missing teeth. "I'M RIGHT, AIN'T I?" he asks. Luffy continues to stare at him silently, his battered face unreadable. The onlookers in the background dismiss Teach's outburst. "What's with all the noise outside?" "Just ignore it. It's probably those losers lettin' off steam from their humiliation. Ahahaha! How pathetic!" Teach stands up, brushing off the mockery. "Hey, hey now! What kinda crap are you suddenly yellin' about!? A man's... A man's dr... PFFT! THE ROAD UP TO THE TOP AIN'T EASY! AHAHAHA HAHAHA! I think he's lost it!" he laughs, echoing the crowd's jeers but with a different, knowing tone.

Teach looks down at Luffy with a fierce, encouraging grin. "LET'EM LAUGH! WHEN YOU'RE AIMIN' FOR THE TOP, YOU'RE BOUND TO COME ACROSS LOSERS WHO AIN'T EVEN WORTH YOUR FIST!" He laughs his signature laugh, "ZEHAHA HAHAHA HAHA...!" Luffy turns away. "Let's go..." he says quietly. Nami agrees, "Right... Luffy...?" Zoro and Luffy begin to walk away, their postures stiff from their injuries. Nami follows, looking back at Teach. "Luffy?" she asks, sensing something unspoken. Teach watches them go, still grinning.

As they walk away, Teach calls out after them. "Ah, it seems I held you up. Were you in a rush?" Luffy stops and glances back over his shoulder. Teach holds up his bottle of rum, smiling. "Hope ya make it. To Sky Island, that is." Luffy's eyes widen in surprise. Teach turns and walks away in the opposite direction, laughing heartily. "ZEHA HAHA HAHA!"

Nami looks at Luffy, bewildered. "Hey, do you think... He knows something about sky island? I wonder who he was..." Luffy replies quietly, "Dunno... But it's not him..." Nami is confused. "Huh? Not him? Then... What?" Zoro chimes in, his face serious and bloodied. "It's 'them'... Most likely." Nami is even more confused. "What's that supposed to mean!? Did that guy just now... Have friends or crewmates? Where!?" In the background, Teach continues to walk away, taking a swig from his bottle. "ZEHAHA! THE RUM TASTES ESPECIALLY GOOD TODAY!"

The scene shifts back to the Going Merry. Usopp and Chopper are busy repairing the ship. "Plank. Here. Nail. Here," Usopp instructs, and Chopper hands him the tools. "But you're so good with your hands, Usopp," Chopper praises. Usopp puffs out his chest proudly. "I AM, AREN'T I!? THAT'S ONE OF MY STRONG POINTS." Sanji approaches them, smoking a cigarette. "We oughta just buy a new ship," he suggests. Usopp immediately yells at him, "ARE YOU CRAZY!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WE GOT THIS SHIP IN THE FIRST PL-" Sanji interrupts, "Yeah, you told me a thousand times. A gift from some pretty girl from your hometown, right? But even so, it's dangerous to keep sailing with the ship in this state." Usopp hammers a nail angrily. "That's why I'm repairing it! You help too!" Sanji sighs, "...Jeez. How many times do I gotta tell'em? I ain't no shipwright!"

Sanji inspects Usopp's handiwork. "You call these repairs...?" he asks skeptically. Usopp and Chopper are suddenly laughing hysterically at something off-panel. "AHAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA!" Sanji gets annoyed. "SHADDUP! What, this?" Usopp points and laughs, "Whoa, that's hilarious!" Sanji yells, "SHADDUP!" Sanji then turns away, "Oh, about tonight's dinner- Oh, you don't want it?" Usopp and Chopper immediately panic and beg, "NO, WE WANT IT, WE WANT IT! PLEASE LET US EAT!" Sanji smirks, "Hmm, I wonder how my seagull soup is coming along..." Suddenly, Sanji hears a strange noise. "Hm? What's with that ship...?" A voice drifts over the water, singing, "Saalvaage! Saalvaage! Saalvaage! Saalvaage!" Usopp's eyes bulge out in shock as he recognizes the tune. "THAT SONG...!" he exclaims.

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