Watching Luffy's slender frame, Bellamy became more and more convinced that he had judged correctly.
"So that's how it is~"The corner of his mouth curled up, his previous arrogant air returning in full.
But a second later—pfft—Bellamy suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! And here I thought you were someone impressive!"
"Turns out you're just an idiot who believes in the existence of Sky Island!?"
Bellamy stood up abruptly, his expression twisting into mocking disdain.
"Brat! The age of dreaming ended long ago!"
"This is the world of pirates of the new era!!!"
"A naïve fool like you should obediently become the nourishment that will make our names known across the world!"
The moment his words fell, Bellamy snatched a bottle from the bar counter. With a twisted, vicious grin, he raised it high and smashed it down toward Luffy's head.
"Bellamy!"
The nearby pirates—who had no idea what kind of ridiculous delusion Bellamy had just talked himself into—panicked instantly.
That was a pirate with a 180 million Beli bounty!
What was Bellamy thinking!?
Everyone stared, dumbfounded. Some even quietly pulled their hands out from inside their dates' clothes, ready to bolt at any moment.
But then—an even more shocking scene unfolded before their eyes.
Crack!!!
Scarlet wine mixed with shards of shattered glass exploded outward. Luffy's straw hat caved in with an ugly dent.
Red liquid dripped from the brim, falling one drop at a time onto the tavern floor.
Luffy blinked, confused. He removed the straw hat, brushing off the bits of glass as he frowned.
"What the heck!?"
"Seriously, you got my hat dirty!"
"Don't you know straw hats are really hard to clean?!"
He paused mid-grumble, then lifted his gaze toward Bellamy.
"And another thing…"
"What 'new-era pirates'? What 'nourishment'? I don't understand a single word of what you're babbling!?"
"But I can tell you something with absolute certainty…"
"Sky Island is real!"
"Because Red said so! And Red never lies to me!"
"And… I will become the Pirate King!!!"
Luffy didn't care in the slightest about being hit with a bottle. Instead, his expression grew serious—as if he were lecturing Bellamy.
But that innocent expression only infuriated Bellamy, who had long since abandoned his dreams and "accepted reality."
A man drowning in mud wants nothing more than to see another dragged down beside him—Not to watch someone walk out of the mud unscathed.
"You're a hopeless idiot!" Bellamy snarled, baring his teeth in fury.
"Let me show you…"
"What the real world looks like!"
Boing—
The instant the words left his mouth, he raised his arm again.
With a soft sound, his arm transformed into a spring, compressing backward with terrifying tension.
"Naïve little brat—go home and play your dream games!!!"
The fist—packed with explosive rebounding force—shot forward, tearing through the air with a violent whistle.
Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to grasp what was happening.
And then—
A strange yet familiar fist suddenly flew out from in front of Bellamy—And smashed directly into his face.
The impact was like a hurricane swallowing him whole. His skull dented inward.
BOOM!!!
Bellamy shot backward like a fired cannonball.
He crashed through the tavern wall, kept going without slowing, and only after flying out of the lodging area entirely did he slam into a massive tree—where he collapsed unconscious.
"If that punch had landed on you, I would've lost all face as the vice-captain."
Red strode up beside Luffy. Sweeping aside the lingering traces of the Hyperspace Hole, he glanced at Luffy in confusion.
"Why didn't you dodge?"
"Dodge? Why would I?" Luffy looked up blankly as he kept brushing off debris. "He couldn't hurt me anyway."
"You little…"
Red froze for half a second, then let out a mocking snort.
"Not sure if you're pretending or if you're actually like this… still acting cool in front of me!"
He grabbed Luffy's straw hat, opened another Hyperspace Hole that connected to the lake outside, dunked the hat inside, and swished it vigorously.
When he pulled it back out, every bit of debris and wine was gone.
"Ace—your turn."
He tossed the dripping hat toward Ace to dry, then—under the terrified gaze of the surrounding pirates—shifted his attention to Bellamy's first mate, Sarquiss.
"Hey! Your brain should still be working, right?"
Red took a long stride toward Sarquiss, clamped a hand around his throat, and slowly lifted him off the ground, eyes cold and sharp.
"I don't want to waste time."
"So you tell me how to contact Donquixote Doflamingo…"
"Or I find someone else."
His voice grew lower. His grip grew tighter.
Sarquiss's face drained white… then turned a violent red.
"Ugh—!!!"
Just as he was about to pass out, the woman beside him screamed:
"I—I'll tell you!!!"
"The Den Den Mushi to contact the Donquixote Family is on our ship—in the captain's office!!!"
Thud!
A smile flickered across Red's lips. He tossed Sarquiss onto the sofa and turned to the woman.
"Thanks for cooperating~"
"So—take me there, okay?"
"The ship's at the Mock Town harbor, right?"
She nodded vigorously.
A moment later, Red summoned another Hyperspace Hole right before her eyes, grabbed her by the arm, and stepped into the shimmering tunnel.
…
…
More than ten minutes later—
Back at the lakeside lodge.
A round table had been cleared by Bellamy's pirates.
Luffy, Ace, and Red sat at three corners.
At Red's nod, Ace picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed the only number stored inside.
After a few rings, a hoarse—confused—voice answered:
"…Hello?"
Only one word, but clearly baffled—as if its owner had forgotten who this transponder even belonged to.
After all, Doflamingo had allowed Bellamy to carry his flag years ago—So long ago he barely remembered the man existed.
After a long pause, Doflamingo finally recalled the number's owner.
"…Bellamy?"
But the Den Den Mushi replied:
"I'm not Bellamy."
"He's asleep now. If you want him, you'll need to wait a few days."
"…Hm?"
The unexpected response made Doflamingo sit upright in the Dressrosa palace.
He didn't care much for Bellamy—
But the man did carry his flag.
Touching a pirate who bore his mark was something no captain could tolerate.
Yet before his irritation could flare, Ace spoke:
"Doflamingo, I am Fire Fist Ace, Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division."
"I trust you know my name."
"Come to Mock Town on Jaya Island."
"I've got a deal to discuss with you."
"Fire Fist… Ace?"
Doflamingo froze momentarily—Then let out his iconic laugh:
"Fuffuffuffu."
"A commander of a Yonko crew, coming all the way to Paradise to discuss business with me…"
"This is quite unexpected."
"Cut the crap. There's no way your intelligence network doesn't know why I'm here."
Ace's expression remained ice-cold.
"So—will you come?"
After a brief consideration, Doflamingo replied:
"Interesting."
"I'll be there in three days."
Click!
Ace hung up without another word.
But at that exact moment, Red's brows furrowed sharply.
"Something's wrong."
His voice turned tense.
"Doflamingo's reaction wasn't normal."
"He was too calm… Aside from the initial surprise, he didn't question you at all."
"That's very wrong."
"Ace."
Red lifted his head, gently biting his thumbnail as he looked at Ace with grave seriousness.
"Prepare yourself. The Marines…"
"…are very likely about to make their move."
…
…
Meanwhile—
In the New World, inside the royal palace of Dressrosa.
Doflamingo reclined on his luxurious sofa, staring at the sleeping Den Den Mushi. Slowly, an excited grin crept across his lips.
"Fuffuffuffu…"
"The world is getting interesting."
His gaze drifted toward a letter beside the transponder.
A summons from Marineford, personally written by the Fleet Admiral.
A mandatory convocation of all Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Those who refused—Would be stripped of their Warlord title and targeted by the Marines immediately.
Alone, such a summons wouldn't have made Doflamingo think much.
What truly made his reaction earlier so unusual—
Was a confidential report from Marine G-5.
Intel delivered by his undercover agent, Marine Vice Admiral Vergo.
A report…
That the Marines were preparing to set a trap on an island—To wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates.
(End of Chapter)