The blue-green flames illuminated the entire tavern, casting its dim interior in stark light.
Bellamy glared at the man who had intercepted his attack, his expression darkening:
"Hey! Who the hell are you, some third-rate pirate? Meddling in other people's business—only brainless pirates pull that kind of stunt!"
The flames obscured the Whitebeard Pirates' insignia on Marco's chest, leading Bellamy to spout these laughable words.
"A third-rate pirate? Kid, you might wanna open your eyes wider before you run your mouth!""Huh?! You bastard, do you know I'm already Do... Whi-Whitebeard Pirates' first division Commander?! Marco the Phoenix?!"
The azure flames dissipated, and before Bellamy could finish his sentence, he saw the terrifying emblem that no one in the entire pirate world could possibly fail to recognize!
"To someone like you, I must seem like a third-rate pirate, right?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant!"
After realizing who stood before him, Bellamy's legs nearly gave out. The man before him was the vice-captain of the world's strongest pirate crew! Essentially the right-hand man of this era's Pirate King!
Even though he'd latched onto Doflamingo's coattails, when facing such a presence, not only would he himself be terrified—even Doflamingo would likely tremble in fear.
And if Doflamingo found out he'd offended someone of this caliber, there was no doubt he'd be offered up as an apology gift, his head used to appease Whitebeard's wrath!
Faced with a life-or-death situation, Bellamy abandoned all pirate pride, immediately dropping to his knees and prostrating himself before Marco, begging for mercy.
"My deepest apologies! I'm so sorry for not recognizing you immediately!"
He'd practically lost the ability to speak coherently, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing repeatedly. The floor soon cracked under the force of his forehead strikes, blood splattering from the wounds.
Marco paid Bellamy no mind, simply helping the old man behind him to his feet before saying with a smile:
"You alright? That's quite a grand dream you've got there. Keep chasing it—Pops always said the One Piece is real, you know~ And right now, we're heading to Sky Island to find the City of Gold! A man's dreams... they never end. Wouldn't you agree?"
The old man was now weeping uncontrollably. Through his tears, he stared at Marco, at the Whitebeard tattoo over his heart, and asked between sobs and laughter:
"Did... did Whitebeard really say that? And you're really going to Sky Island?!"
Before Marco could answer, a booming laugh rang out, seeming to dispel all the gloom that had settled over Mock Town.
"Gurarararara! Every word Marco just said came straight from my mouth!"
As the door swung open, an enormous figure slowly entered. When the crowd saw who it was, nearly every heart in the room skipped a beat.
Eyes bulged as if trying to escape their sockets, snot and saliva spraying uncontrollably.
"Wh-Whitebeard?!"
Everyone stood frozen, convinced they must be dreaming. Seeing the world's strongest man in this backwater town—surely this was just drunken hallucination?!
Some began slapping themselves to confirm they were awake, while others splashed liquor on their faces.
Observing the increasingly delirious crowd, Whitebeard simply chuckled. Bellamy and his crew, however, had already been scared out of their wits at the sight of the entering legend.
Bellamy's jaw hung slack, his throat producing only wheezing sounds. His eyes had begun rolling back—his brain's last defense against overwhelming terror.
Whitebeard ordered the largest barrel of beer from the bartender. After taking several massive gulps, he surveyed the room and spoke slowly:"Those who mock others' dreams are worse than third-rate Pirates in my eyes! Gurarararara, sailing on this vast ocean without even a dream—what legacy could you possibly leave behind?!"
With that, Whitebeard strode straight toward the door. Before leaving, he turned to look at Bellamy inside the tavern and said:
"Kid, Sky Island is real! I'll ring that golden bell in the sky, so you better look forward to it! Gurararara!"
With that, Whitebeard's figure disappeared from everyone's sight.
Just as Marco was about to leave, the tavern owner suddenly seemed to have a brain lapse and instinctively blurted out to Marco:
"Uh, Whitebeard didn't pay for that barrel of beer just now..."
The moment the words left his mouth, the owner immediately covered it, realizing he'd said the wrong thing—but it was too late.
As everyone looked at Marco's darkened expression and began mourning the owner's impending fate,
Marco pulled out a stack of Berries from his pocket and sighed helplessly:
"Figures. I knew if the old man came here to drink, I'd end up paying. Here's the money. Keep the change as his medical expenses. Oh, and this guy—don't let him and his crew into this tavern anymore. What right do people without dreams have to enter a tavern called 'Dreams'?"
With that, Marco lifted his leg and sent Bellamy flying.
Jake and Monet, who were currently by Whitebeard's side, watched this scene unfold, each lost in their own thoughts.
The next day, after the Moby Dick was fully stocked with food and supplies, it charged straight toward the deepest whirlpool in the ocean.
A massive Sea King emerged from the depths, attempting to swallow the Moby Dick whole.
Just as the division commanders were about to act, Whitebeard burst into laughter. He rushed to the front and shouted:
"Gurararara! This adventure is my show! How could I let you steal the captain's spotlight?"
In the next instant, his fist was wrapped in pale white ripples. With a sound like shattering glass, the nearly 500-600 meter long Sea King was instantly reduced to minced meat. Even the whirlpool nearly collapsed under the force of Whitebeard's attack!
"Old man! Control your strength! You almost destroyed the Knock-Up Stream!"
But before Marco's complaint could fully land, the ship was suddenly propelled skyward by a terrifying force!
Jake stood firm, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the sky, while behind him, Monet wore a resigned expression.
As the ship ascended, Monet had already created protective ice walls to prevent anyone from falling—Jake had five or six beneath his feet alone.
Why wasn't Jake looking down?
Simple—Jake was afraid of heights!
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I release a new whitebeard scientist fic : One Piece : Scientist of Whitebeard Pirates
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