Stop Dreamin'!

In the town of Mock Town, a crowd of pirates gathers, looking shocked and confused. One pirate asks, "W... What happened here...?" Another replies, "The executioner Roshio, Was killed here..." The crowd murmurs as they survey the damage. "This looks more like a warzone..." one observes. "Were they firing cannons in the middle of town or what!?" asks another. A pirate with a black cap says, "Beats me... Even the guys who saw the whole thing have no idea what exactly happened, So who the hell really knows...?" The scene shifts to a wide view of the town's main street, which has been completely devastated. The wooden boardwalk is splintered and torn apart, creating a massive trench down the center of the street. Buildings on either side are damaged. Zoro stands in the foreground, his back to the viewer, observing the destruction. A voice from the crowd concludes, "But if there's two things we know for certain, It's that Roshio, Was fighting Bellamy..."

A full-page panel reveals Bellamy standing confidently, arms crossed over his chest. He wears a dark captain's coat draped over his shoulders, a black tank top, light pants, and a prominent belt with a Jolly Roger buckle. He has a scar over his right eye and a wide, arrogant grin. Behind him looms the large, shadowy figure of his crewmate, Sarquiss. Voices from the crowd continue to murmur about him: "And that 'Bellamy the Hyena,' Definitely has, Some sort of devil fruit ability..." Bellamy looks off-panel and speaks directly to someone, his tone mocking. "Heh... You the one with a head worth 30 mil? The one called Straw-Hat Luffy?"

Inside a bustling bar, Nami, Zoro, and Luffy are seated at the counter. Nami, holding a drink, looks over her shoulder and says, "Isn't that the same name as the pirate who rented out that hotel earlier?" Zoro, holding a large mug, glances back and asks, "Bellamy?" Luffy, chewing on some food, looks confused and says, "Huh?" A voice from off-panel tells Luffy, "Seems like he's got business with you." The bar patrons react to Bellamy's words with surprise. "Did you hear that? 30 million for that kid with the straw-hat..." "Who, him?" "Seriously...?" Bellamy approaches the bar, pointing directly at Luffy. Luffy smiles and says, "Whoa, I'm meetin' all the huge dudes today." Bellamy addresses the large, muscular bartender, demanding, "Give me the most expensive bottle you have, And a drink of his choice for my lil' friend here." The bartender, looking intimidated, replies, "Alright..."

The doors to the bar swing open, and Bellamy's crew enters. Sarquiss, wearing a large fur coat and sunglasses, walks in alongside a woman with wavy hair. Nami notices them and whispers to Zoro, "Look, it's the same guys from earlier." Zoro scowls, "ugh, what's with this shop? Reeks in here..." Sarquiss looks around the crowded bar with disdain. "Looks like they only serve cheap rum here. Seriously? No empty seats...?" He and another crewmate approach a table where two patrons are sitting. The patrons look up nervously. Suddenly, a massive, blood-stained knife is slammed onto the table, dripping blood onto the wood. One of the terrified patrons stammers, "What's with that knife...?" Another whispers in fear, "...That must be him. 'Big Knife Sarquiss.'"

Sarquiss is now seated at the table, his long, striped legs propped up on the surface. One of the previous occupants lies unconscious or dead on the floor beneath his boots. Sarquiss smirks and says, "The least you could do is offer us your seats... What a bunch of dense retards." The woman sits next to him, crossing her legs. The rest of the bar patrons whisper nervously among themselves. "What, are they tryin' to stir up a fight in here?" one asks. Another replies, "Who cares, let's just drink..." At the bar counter, the bartender slides a large mug of beer toward Bellamy. "Here. Enjoy your drinks." Bellamy licks his lips in anticipation, a sinister grin on his face. "Heh..."

The woman sitting with Sarquiss smiles slyly and remarks, "Bellamy loves to play around..." Sarquiss, adjusting his sunglasses, agrees, "Tell me about it..." Back at the bar, Bellamy slides the large mug of beer over to Luffy. "Drink up," he offers. Luffy, pleasantly surprised, replies, "Oh, thanks!" Luffy holds the heavy mug with both hands, giving Bellamy a wide, genuine smile. "Haha. So you're a pretty nice guy, after all." Luffy lifts the mug and begins to gulp down the beer. Suddenly, he pauses, noticing something. "Hm?" Without warning, Bellamy's hand shoots out and violently grabs the back of Luffy's head. Zoro and Nami react in shock. Zoro yells, "LUFFY!" while Nami screams, "WHA!?"

A massive, dynamic panel shows Bellamy viciously slamming Luffy's face directly into the thick wooden bar counter. The impact is explosive, shattering the heavy wood into jagged splinters and sending debris flying in all directions. Luffy's body is bent awkwardly over the broken counter. Zoro stares in shock and rising anger, a vein popping on his forehead. Bellamy throws his head back and roars with maniacal laughter, "HAHAHA HAHAHA!" The bartender looks on in sheer panic as his bar is destroyed. A patron in the background yells, "AHHHH! He's done it now!" Another cheers Bellamy on, shouting, "YOU'RE A RIOT, BELLAMY!"

Bellamy keeps his hand firmly pressed against the back of Luffy's head, holding him down in the wreckage of the bar counter. Zoro, furious, begins to draw his sword, the blade sliding out of its sheath with a sharp sound. Bellamy glares at Zoro and taunts, "AND WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOIN'... UNDERLING...?" A close-up shows Zoro's intense, angry eye as Bellamy continues, "THAT'S... A QUESTION YOU SHOULD ANSWER..." Before Zoro can attack, Nami frantically grabs his arm, stopping him. "Z-zoro, wait! We still haven't learned a thing! Stay quiet! This fight's already been forced on us!" Bellamy releases Luffy and stands up straight, looking down as Luffy slowly begins to push himself up from the debris. Bellamy laughs mockingly, "Oh... So you can still get up, can you? Hahaha!"

Luffy stands up, wiping a trail of blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. His expression is dead serious. "ALRIGHT... YOU BETTER BE PREPARED..." he warns. The entire bar erupts into cheers and excitement. The patrons raise their glasses, thrilled by the prospect of violence. "OHHH!? THOSE TWO ARE GONNA FIGHT BELLAMY!" one shouts. "AHAHAHA! FIGHT! FIGHT!" others chant. Nami, looking panicked, yells, "LUFFY! WAIT!" Luffy glares intensely at Bellamy, his fists clenched. Bellamy matches his glare with a wide, unhinged grin. "HAHAHA! This ain't no fight, it's a test! C'mon, let me see what ya got...!"

Ignoring the escalating tension, Nami turns to the large bartender and asks loudly, "Barkeep! We want to go to a 'Sky Island!' Do you know anything about it!?" The moment the words leave her mouth, the entire bar falls dead silent. The cheering stops instantly. Everyone, from the patrons to Bellamy's crew, stares at Nami in utter shock. Zoro looks confused by the sudden silence. Nami, feeling the heavy stares, looks around nervously and repeats her question, "Would anyone know of a way to get to Sky Island...?" Sarquiss and the woman sitting with him look at her in disbelief. "Is she serious?" the woman asks. Sarquiss mutters, "What did she just say...?" Luffy remains focused, though a question mark appears near his head.

A massive two-page spread captures the entire bar erupting into uproarious, uncontrollable laughter. The silence is broken by a deafening roar of mockery. Patrons are throwing their heads back, clutching their stomachs, and pointing at Nami, Luffy, and Zoro. Mugs of beer are spilled, chairs are tipped over, and people are literally rolling on the floor in hysterics. Huge sound effects of laughter fill the air: "GAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA!" "AHAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA!" In the center of the chaos, Nami, Luffy, and Zoro stand frozen. Nami looks incredibly embarrassed and confused, while Luffy and Zoro just look bewildered by the extreme reaction.

Bellamy is laughing so hard he has to hold his stomach, tears forming in his eyes. "SK... PFFT! SKY ISLAND, SHE SAID! HAHA HAHA HAHA! STOP! YER KILLIN' ME!" Nami, her face flushed red with embarrassment and anger, yells back, "W-what's the big idea!? Our log pose is pointing straight up at the sky!" The other patrons continue to mock them mercilessly. Zoro glares at the laughing crowd. Nami stammers, trying to defend herself over the noise, "B-B-BUT OUR LLLLLLOOG POOOOSE IS POINTIN' STRAIGHT UP AT THE SKYYYYYY...!" Bellamy wipes a tear from his eye and laughs, "AHAHA HAHA HAHA! LOG POSES SCREW UP ALL THE TIME!" The crowd echoes his laughter, "Hahahaha hahaha...!" Nami looks completely flustered.

Bellamy finally calms down, sitting back on a stool and wiping his eyes. "Whoo, boy. You sure surprised me. Just where the hell did you hicks come from?" He looks at them with a mix of pity and amusement. "You seriously believe in an old legend like that? About an island floating in the sky...!?" The crowd continues to chuckle, "Hahaha! What ERA are you from...!?" Bellamy begins to explain, "Grand Line's bizarre ocean currents are being explained one by one these days. The 'knock-up stream' is one such phenomenon." He smirks at Zoro and Nami. "But I bet you three hicks don't even know about the knock-up stream... Ships that get hit by the knock-up stream are blasted high up into the sky." He continues his lecture, "But for the sailors who had no idea about the phenomenon, all they saw were ships and wreckages falling from the sky. So they imagined a whole other world up in the clouds, on islands floating in the sky!" Luffy listens silently, his face bruised from the earlier attack. Bellamy concludes, "What a bunch of simpletons! There's always a logical reason for phenomena! All fanciful reasons for dreams can be explained away!"

Bellamy's expression darkens into a menacing scowl. "What a letdown... I came to test you to see if you were worthy of joining my crew for the coming new age... But what a bunch of dreamin' fools you are..." He stands up, turning his back to Luffy, and addresses the entire bar, his voice booming. "LISTEN UP! THE AGE OF PIRATES WHO DREAM IS OVER!" He throws his arms wide. "THE CITY OF GOLD!? THE EMERALD CAPITAL!? THE SECRET TREASURE ONE PIECE!?" He turns back to glare at Luffy, who stares back blankly. "Fools whose eyes are clouded by the treasures of their dreams will never seize the real gains right below their noses! It's always the ones who most bravely navigate these rough waters in this age of sail, That die after being jerked around some bullshit fantasy all their lives! And people remark on guys like them..."

Bellamy finishes his speech with a mocking tone, "'He was happy to have lived for his dream!' THE TRADEMARK WORDS OF A LOSER! HAHA HAHA!" Suddenly, his demeanor shifts to pure rage. "When I see dreamin' idiots like you... I JUST CAN'T CONTROL MYSELF!" With a swift, violent motion, Bellamy grabs a thick glass bottle and smashes it directly into Luffy's face. The bottle shatters upon impact, sending glass shards and alcohol flying. Luffy takes the blow head-on, his expression unchanging despite the attack. Zoro watches intently, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, waiting for a signal. Nami screams in horror, "LUFFY!"

Luffy is thrown backward by the blow, landing flat on his back on the wooden floor, covered in spilled alcohol and broken glass. Bellamy stands over him, a dark silhouette against the light, laughing cruelly. "Weak, pathetic runts like you playing pirate, Just bring down the rep of us real pirates! Ha, what a weakling! AHAHAHAHA!" Luffy slowly sits up, his straw hat casting a shadow over his eyes, hiding his expression. The bar patrons join in the harassment, throwing empty mugs and bottles at Luffy and his crew. "Heh heh... Get the hell out, you little maggots," one sneers. "You're making the rum taste bad!" another yells. The crowd begins to chant, "It's just as Bellamy said! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET THE HELL OUTTA THIS TOWN!"

Bellamy sticks his tongue out, his face contorted in a mocking, exaggerated expression. "HAHA... SURE, ONE SHOW COMING RRIIIIIIIGHT UP! HAHAHA!" A patron calls out, "Hahaha... Hey, Bellamy! Seems like the folks here want a show!" Nami, furious at the humiliation, turns to Luffy and Zoro. "Luffy! Zoro! Forget about the promise and just kick their asses!" Zoro looks over his shoulder at Luffy, waiting for his captain's order. "Zoro." Luffy speaks, his voice low and serious. A close-up shows Luffy's face, bruised and battered, but his eyes are fiercely determined. "DON'T RESPOND AT ALL, TO THEIR JEERS...!"

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