Night fell over Mock Town, and Marcus chose to slip away from the celebration alone.
According to the original story, the Knock-Up Stream should erupt the next day. Which meant, technically, the Straw Hats had arrived way too early.
Blackbeard and his crew probably hadn't even landed on the island yet.
But this messy timeline and the increasingly off-track plot had him feeling like something was wrong. Everything had been progressing according to the original story so far, so why was Blackbeard's timing different?
Maybe because the expected bar fight hadn't happened? That didn't make sense though.
He decided not to overthink it. He had other concerns.
The real reason he'd left the party alone was to revisit the Wandering Islands Trading Company. They still had five Devil Fruits that could be transferred to Mock Town, and since he had to wait around for three or four days anyway, he might as well check if they could arrive sooner.
If possible, he wouldn't mind adding a few more Devil Fruits to his collection.
Currently, he possessed the Munch-Munch Fruit, the Shroom-Shroom Fruit, the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, the Whisper-Whisper Fruit, and the freshly acquired Mantis fruit.
Five fruits total. Between them, he had both offensive capabilities and utility functions covered pretty well. You could say he lacked nothing at this point. But since he was already in the One Piece world, he might as well stock up on local specialties while he had the chance. Besides, he wasn't hurting for EMC value. The more options, the better his flexibility. And considering each fruit only cost the equivalent of two gold ingots, buying Devil Fruits was practically highway robbery in his favor.
He reached the trading company quickly, navigating the now-peaceful streets of Mock Town.
The moment he walked through the door, the manager looked terrified. The rumors about a Celestial Dragon visiting the island had spread, and he clearly assumed Marcus had come to punish him for his staff's loose lips.
Sweat formed on his forehead as he bowed. "How may I serve you?"
"Within the next three days, how many Devil Fruits can you gather?"
"What?"
"What do you mean, 'what'? I'm asking how many you can get here. As long as they arrive within three days, I'll take them all. I can pay extra if needed."
Realizing Marcus wasn't there to have him killed, the manager's expression transformed instantly into a relieved grin. "Three days! Yes, absolutely! I can have all five fruits transferred here within that timeframe, though... There would be an additional fee. One of them is quite far away and would require a specialized fast ship to arrive on time."
Marcus pulled out two gold ingots and set them on the counter.
"Deposit. I'll pick everything up in three days."
He turned to leave, but the manager's eyes had gone wide staring at those gold bars. He swallowed hard.
"Wait!"
"Yeah? What is it?"
"I couldn't help but notice you came alone tonight, without your companion. If you've had some... disagreement, or if you simply desire variety, while our establishment doesn't usually specialize in such entertainment, I could arrange for some young women, each no less beautiful than your companion. And if you prefer privacy, we have exclusive VIP suites available."
Marcus gave him a strange look. Why was this guy suddenly acting like a pimp?
He waved his hand dismissively. "No thanks. I'm not interested in that sort of thing."
The manager nodded. "I understand. You'll have a satisfying answer in three days."
Whether the guest wanted anything or not didn't matter, showing proper deference and consideration was what counted when dealing with potential Celestial Dragons.
---
On the southern side of the island, inside a scenic inn with a view of the harbor, a different conversation was taking place.
"A Celestial Dragon? That's bullshit. Why would a World Noble come to a shithole like this?"
A man lounged in a chair, surrounded by his crew and several local women who'd attached themselves to the successful pirate captain.
"I don't know, Bellamy," one of his crew members said. "Remember that small-time pirate we questioned earlier? He said there's supposedly a Celestial Dragon who has a weird hobby of collecting pirate captains like trophies. Maybe they've got their eyes on your fifty-five million berry bounty."
"Hahaha!" Bellamy took a long swig from his bottle. "Anyone who gets caught and sold off is just trash. Simple as that."
Sarquiss, his right-hand man, shrugged from his spot with a woman draped over each arm. "Besides, this whole island is Joker's territory."
The women giggled, playing with Sarquiss' hair. On an island ruled by the king of the underworld himself, slave-hunting squads wouldn't risk making moves. And many of them knew that Joker's own business ventures included that particular trade. Since they flew his flag, they were off-limits.
Laughter filled the room as drinks flowed freely.
But Bellamy suddenly stood up, and headed for the door.
"Where you going, captain?" someone called out.
"Getting some air. It's too damn hot in here."
Truth was, he felt irritated and restless. Part of him, the reckless, ambitious part, actually wanted to find this supposed Celestial Dragon and take them down.
He wore Doflamingo's jolly roger on his back, sure, but he hadn't been formally acknowledged by the man himself yet. He knew exactly why: he simply wasn't famous enough.
Was fifty-five million really that impressive? Among Doflamingo's subordinates, he was barely a footnote.
As that thought crossed his mind, a grin spread across his face. If he kidnapped a Celestial Dragon, wouldn't that cause a massive international incident? The kind of thing that would make his name known across every sea?
Once the idea took root in his mind, he couldn't suppress it. The more he thought about it, the more appealing it became.
He returned to the room.
"Hey. That Celestial Dragon rumor, was there any description of what they look like?"
The pirate who'd originally shared the gossip thought for a moment. "Most distinctive thing I heard was that he carries a black sword on his waist, inlaid with gemstones or something. And apparently it doesn't have a scabbard."
"That's enough."
Bellamy said nothing more and walked out of the inn.
Inside, Lily, one of Sarquiss' companions for the evening, tilted her head in confusion. "He's not seriously going after that Celestial Dragon, is he?"
"Hahaha, no way!" Sarquiss laughed, pulling her closer. "He's not an idiot. What would we even gain from picking a fight with a World Noble?"
Everyone in the room nodded in agreement. Yeah, messing with a Celestial Dragon? That would be pure stupidity. Bellamy might be ambitious, but he wasn't suicidal.
---
Meanwhile, Marcus had just left the trading company and was making his way back through the quieter streets of Mock Town.
The walk was pleasant enough. The town had stayed peaceful ever since the Celestial Dragon rumors started spreading. Pirates who would normally be starting drunken brawls were instead keeping their heads down and staying out of trouble.
He was considering whether to head straight back to the ship or maybe grab some food first when he turned a corner and nearly walked straight into someone.
They both stopped, facing each other in the street.
He immediately recognized the blonde man with the spring-legs. Bellamy the Hyena. One of Doflamingo's wannabe subordinates who'd eventually become something of a tragic figure in the story.
Bellamy's eyes locked onto the Shichiseiken hanging at Marcus' waist.
It was impossible to miss.
His lips curved into a smile. "A black sword inlaid with pearls... so you're the Celestial Dragon everyone's talking about, huh?"
Marcus blinked in confusion. He recognized Bellamy, but he'd had zero intention of picking a fight with the guy. In the original story, Bellamy ended up being a somewhat sympathetic character after his eventual redemption arc. He didn't particularly dislike that guy.
But looking at that hungry, wolf-like expression on Bellamy's face now, the way that guy was staring at him like he'd just found the winning lottery ticket...
He felt genuinely baffled. Celestial Dragon? Why the hell is this guy insulting me the moment we meet?
He stared at Bellamy, waiting to hear what nonsense the guy was about to spout again.
Bellamy's calves transformed into coiled springs.
"Looks like my luck's pretty damn good today. Since fate arranged for me to run into you, it's only right that I use you to make a name for myself. That way, I—"
Pfft.
Before he could finish the sentence, he realized a deep gash had already opened across his chest. It happened so fast he didn't even have time to process what was happening before it was over.
"What the..."
Marcus, on the other hand, just looked confused. What was this idiot babbling about?
He'd simply read Bellamy's attack pattern using his Observation Haki, then positioned the Shichiseiken directly in the path his opponent would inevitably take.
And that was that.
He turned and started walking away.
Bellamy lay there on the cobblestones, stunned and bleeding.
He hadn't even processed what just happened.
What just happened?
Blood pooled across the cold street beneath him.
As his body heat drained away with the blood, he could feel death creeping closer. But instead of fear, all he felt was confusion.
Why?
He was Bellamy the Hyena, user of the Spring-Spring Fruit, a pirate with a fifty-five million berry bounty, how could he be defeated in a single strike?
He forced himself to stand despite the massive gash across his torso. His eyes burned as he glared at Marcus' retreating back.
Though the wound was deep enough to show bone, the adrenaline rush made him forget the pain completely.
That was the state he was in now, running purely on fury and stubborn refusal to accept defeat.
Even as blood dripped down his torso and pooled at his feet, painting the street red, he didn't care anymore.
"Stop!"
Marcus turned his head to look at the barely-standing Bellamy. "Save your strength. You keep moving around like that, you'll bleed out in minutes."
But Bellamy completely ignored his injuries. Marcus sighed and turned to face him properly.
Right, this was the pre-character-development version of Bellamy. The one who hadn't been on the receiving end of Luffy's personality-correction fist yet. Just another arrogant pirate.
"Fine. I'll give you one minute." he started counting down. "Sixty... fifty-nine..."
"Don't you fucking underestimate me! I'm Bellamy the Hyena!"
As he shouted, both his legs and arms transformed into coiled springs, compressing tightly.
The sound of creaking metal filled the air as the springs wound tighter and tighter, storing kinetic energy.
Blood spurted from his chest wound as the pressure forced it open wider, soaking through his pants, but he was beyond caring.
It was as if some power was pushing him to unleash every last bit of strength his body could muster.
BANG!
The wooden street boards cracked and splintered beneath his feet from the stored pressure.
"Fifty."
Before the spring-powered punch could land, Marcus simply shifted his body slightly, Bellamy's fist sailed harmlessly past, missing by inches. But a spring never wastes its stored energy. Even after the missed strike, the force didn't dissipate. Instead, when his fist hit the wall behind Marcus, the Spring-Spring Fruit's power activated, storing all that kinetic energy and preparing to release it with the rebound.
When the spring bounced back, both its power and speed had increased.
"Forty-nine."
Grinding his teeth hard enough to taste blood, Bellamy made a desperate decision. He transformed his waist into a spring as well, hoping to store even more energy. He'd never done this before, and for good reason, he couldn't properly control it.
Springs could store and release energy. The more pressure, the greater the rebound. His legs were manageable because he'd trained with them for years. But his waist? Once that transformed into a spring, stability went to hell. The power easily veered off course, causing stored energy to dissipate uselessly.
But without doing this, he couldn't get any faster, and speed was the only advantage he might have.
Maybe it was sheer willpower, or maybe his near-death state had somehow heightened his senses and control, whatever the reason, he suddenly found the key to making it work.
By adjusting his center of gravity just right, he managed to double his stored energy output, and his speed surged.
Under the moonlight, his movements created visible afterimages in the air.
Yet even with his back turned, Marcus merely stepped to the left, avoiding Bellamy's strike without even looking.
"Forty-eight."
"Damn it! I need to go faster!"
This time, instead of attacking immediately, he focused entirely on building up even more momentum.
All across the street came the sound of rapid compression and release.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Countless spring impacts echoed through the night air.
This was his signature technique: Spring Hopper.
With every rebound off walls, ground, and obstacles, both his strength and speed increased at an exponential rate. The physics of springs meant each bounce stored and released more energy than the last.
The commotion naturally drew the attention of nearby drunken pirates who'd been gambling and drinking in the taverns.
When they recognized Bellamy in action, many grew nervous and quickly made themselves scarce. After all, a pirate with a bounty over fifty million berries, if you looked at him wrong on a bad day, he might just kill you for fun.
From among the dispersing crowd stepped Sarquiss, his arm still wrapped around a woman's waist.
"Who pissed Bellamy off this time?"
The other Bellamy Pirates laughed loudly, completely confident in their captain's abilities.
Nobody had ever survived Bellamy's Spring Hopper technique, at least, none that they'd personally witnessed.
But one of the younger pirates' eyes drifted toward the figure standing calmly in the middle of the street, focusing on the sword.
"That... that sword..." he stammered. "The weapon he's holding... could it be—"
His words made everyone else look closer at what Marcus was carrying.
Under the moonlight, the Shichiseiken shimmered ominously. Those who looked directly at it felt chills crawl up their spines. Though it was just a jewel, it felt as though countless eyes were staring out from within it, watching them.
"Thirty."
By now, Bellamy's chest wound had soaked his entire body in blood. His shirt was completely crimson, and blood dripped steadily onto the street with each movement. Yet he kept storing energy, building momentum, refusing to stop.
Only two sounds filled the night air: Bellamy's rapid springing impacts and Marcus' countdown.
Some of the more cowardly onlookers had already fled the area entirely, not wanting to be anywhere near whatever was about to happen.
Even Bellamy's own crewmates felt their hearts tremble with an instinctive sense that something terrible was coming.
"Nine."
"Spring... Death... Knock!" Bellamy roared as he lunged forward, putting every last bit of stored energy into one final strike.
Yet even at his speed, his fist still appeared to move in slow motion from Marcus' perspective. With just a slight tilt of his body, he slipped past the attack.
BANG!
Bellamy felt his internal organs twist painfully under the massive pressure his own technique had generated. Combined with the blood loss from his earlier wound, even the adrenaline rush couldn't keep him upright much longer.
Still, he glared at Marcus. He refused to yield.
"Eight."