Mock Town.
"Alright then, Eden, Natsu, Happy, Nami, we'll part ways for now! Juvia and I will set sail first. After we head to the Taya Kingdom in the South Sea and rescue Gray, we'll immediately return to Mock Town! We'll rendezvous here, how about that?!"
Mirajane and Juvia, standing on the deck of the Shark Superb, waved goodbye to Eden, Natsu, Nami, and Happy, who were still in Mock Town.
"Okay."
"Then let's have a race and see who's faster."
"Whoever is slower to return will be the 'low-rank mages' team.'"
Hearing this, Natsu lightly flexed his wrists, making a 'crack, crack' sound, and declared enthusiastically to Mirajane and Juvia.
"Natsu, do you think everyone is like you, a hot-headed idiot?"
"Someone as composed, mature, and intelligent a beauty as Mirajane isn't the type to be provoked by your silly and childish goading."
After hearing Natsu's words, Nami couldn't help but roll her eyes at the sky. She couldn't believe that someone as composed as Mirajane would actually make a bet with Natsu.
"Then let's see."
"I'd like to see just who will be the 'low-rank mages' team.'"
Who would have known, before Nami could even finish speaking, Mirajane accepted Natsu's bet. Her eyes held determination and persistence; it was clear she was serious, not joking.
"Eh?!"
"Mirajane actually accepted the bet?"
"So this is the kind of person you are, Mirajane..."
Hearing this, Nami's expression became momentarily dazed.
In her eyes, the image of Mirajane as one of the few normal people in the Fairy Tail mages' guild was now becoming blurry.
"Then again, are there really any normal people in this guild?!"
Nami wondered once more.
"Anyway, you can leave the matter of Big Sis Mirajane's voyage entirely to us. That'll be enough."
"Although our ship can't cross the Calm Belt..."
"But we can still take Big Sis to the vicinity of the Calm Belt. That much we can do."
"As for the route to the South Sea..."
"I've already notified my family in the South Sea! They will go to the border of the South Sea and the Calm Belt to wait for Big Sis Mirajane..."
"And they'll ensure she is escorted to the Taya Kingdom."
The pirates sailing with Mirajane assured Eden and the others.
"Anyway, goodbye everyone."
With Mirajane's final goodbye, the many ships finally set sail. They headed south, their destination the Taya Kingdom in the South Sea.
"Since Mirajane and her group have left..."
"Let's rest for a bit and then set off too."
"We can't be too lazy."
After watching Mirajane disappear from sight, Eden said softly to Natsu, Nami, and the others beside him.
"Alright."
Nami nodded lightly and agreed, "A more detailed map of the waters near Alabasta—I just managed to trade for one from a pirate in Mock Town! At Little Black's speed, assuming we bypass unnecessary islands, we can probably get there in about half a day."
"In that case..."
"No matter how you look at it, we'll be the ones to return first."
As Natsu spoke, he jinxed himself.
"Yeah! Yeah!"
"Leaving tomorrow wouldn't be too late either\~"
"I haven't slept in a real bed for so long..."
Happy chimed in at this moment. He wanted to sleep on land; he didn't want to sleep on the pitch-black sea anymore.
"You guys are impossible."
"Since that's the case, let's rest for a day then."
"But if, because of this, we lose to Mirajane and become the 'low-rank mages' team, you and Natsu will take full responsibility."
Hearing this, Eden reached up and lightly scratched the tips of his hair on the left side, and said to Natsu and Happy.
"Then never mind..."
Natsu, after a slight hesitation upon hearing this, shook his head.
Mmh, no matter what, he was unwilling to be a member of the 'low-rank mages' team.
"So, why on earth did you guys have to make that bet?"
"I also want to take a hot bath and rest properly, hey!"
"I'm just an ordinary person, not like you Dragon Slayers who are full of stamina from fighting dragons."
Nami retorted speechlessly at this point.
"Hey!"
"That Mirajane woman, she's left, right?!"
Just as Eden's group was discussing how to successfully defeat Mirajane's team and avoid becoming the 'low-rank mages' team...
Accompanied by a flurry of dense footsteps, Bellamy, covered in bandages and with short blond hair, leading his pirate crew members, surrounded Eden and the others.
"So what if she left?!"
Eden looked up at the ferocious-looking Bellamy before him, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Hey, hey, hey, you don't actually think you can easily defeat us just because Mirajane isn't here, do you? Who gave you that courage?"
"Hahahaha..."
"A bounty of 120 million Berries! The great pirate 'Sea Emperor' Eden, who dominated the entire East Blue within a week of setting sail."
"A guy like you, labeled a Supernova by the World Government without ever having been to the Grand Line—I don't acknowledge you!"
"Let me test you properly and see how much 'water' is in that hundred-million Berry bounty of yours!"
"At least... after defeating you! I'll have something to report to that person."
As Bellamy spoke, his legs suddenly transformed into deadly springs. He launched himself at high speed, darting through Mock Town at near-sonic speed, ready to attack Eden at any moment.
"It's 'Hyena' Bellamy!"
"The great pirate with a bounty of 5,500 Berries."
"Didn't Master Mirajane just one-shot him?"
"How dare he still provoke Master Mirajane's companions?"
"Idiot! Isn't it because Master Mirajane isn't in Mock Town right now?!"
"Those guys who were lying low purely out of fear of Master Mirajane's power are finally starting to move again..."
"But this time, that Bellamy guy picked the wrong opponent!"
"His enemy is a Supernova whose bounty is more than double his own, a monster among monsters, 'Sea Emperor' Eden."
"However, that 'Sea Emperor' fellow has always operated in the East Blue; he's never been to the Grand Line. I wonder if there's any 'water' in his bounty?!"
"Doesn't matter, we'll find out in a moment..."
The crowd of pirates on both sides of Mock Town's streets, watching Bellamy's group suddenly block Eden and the others and issue a challenge, began to discuss animatedly.
Mmh, no matter the world, watching a spectacle is human nature.
"Natsu, he's all yours."
Eden didn't even bother to glance at Bellamy, simply walking straight ahead. He directly entrusted the task of dealing with these small fry entirely to Natsu.
As for Nami and Happy, they also followed closely behind Eden, seemingly not taking Bellamy seriously at all either.
"Damn it, don't look down on me!"
Seeing this, Bellamy burned with anger. He gathered all his strength, his body turning into an immensely powerful cannonball, and shot straight towards Eden, Nami, and the others.
"Fire Dragon's... Iron Fist!!"
However, just as Bellamy was about to reach Nami, in that split second, a fist engulfed in infinite flames slammed hard into Bellamy's cheek, leaving a deep fist mark on his face and sending him flying.
"Ugh..."
When the smoke and roar completely dissipated...
Eden, Nami, and the others continued to stride forward, completely unscathed.
As for Bellamy, he was long gone.
"What happened?!"
The onlooking pirates were bewildered. Among them were many great pirates with bounties in the tens of millions, yet they still couldn't understand what had just happened.
"Where did Bellamy go?"
Bellamy's crewmates, in particular, were even more confused. How did their boss suddenly disappear?
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Just as everyone was pondering, Natsu continued his attack. He had no intention of giving them time to figure things out...
He took a deep breath of magic power, a magic circle with a dragon's head insignia appeared in front of him, and then he spewed waves of dragon flames from his mouth, blasting them straight at Bellamy's crewmates.
"BOOM!!"
In an instant, with a deafening roar!
Bellamy's crewmates, along with several streets, were engulfed by the dragon flames!
In that moment, Bellamy's entire crew was wiped out.
This time, the surrounding pirates finally saw clearly what happened. They looked at the town reduced to ruins and Bellamy's crew members, charred and unconscious, and exclaimed in shock: "Monsters! Big Sis Mirajane's companions are also a bunch of absolute monsters!"
"Hey, hey, hey, Natsu, you idiot, don't waste resources!"
"Bellamy's crew's bounties add up to a hundred million, you know!"
"How can you just defeat them like that?"
"Quick, pack them up and send them to the Marine branch!"
Seeing this, Nami turned around, pointed at Natsu's nose, and lectured him.
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
Natsu immediately nodded upon hearing her.
~# Every 30 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter