Back then, when Captain Nezumi faxed the Straw Hat Crew's wanted posters to the Marines, he greatly exaggerated their crimes and threat level.
Originally, Sandy's bounty wasn't supposed to be 250 Belly.
The problem started when the passing Marine Admiral Aokiji happened to see his wanted poster.
Talk about fate—Aokiji still hadn't forgotten that time Sandy borrowed 250 Belly from him and never paid it back.
So, with a lazy grin and his usual sense of twisted humor, Aokiji personally set Sandy's bounty at 250 Belly.
"Serves that cocky brat right," Aokiji had muttered.
When Aokiji showed the poster to Garp, the old man laughed so hard he choked on his senbei—then gave the rest of the bag to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, since he was too full from laughing to eat anymore.
They both laughed for hours.
If Sandy ever found out Aokiji was the one behind it, he'd probably train nonstop for months, march straight into Marine Headquarters, and challenge the Admiral to a sword duel right then and there.
Meanwhile, aboard the Going Merry...
Sandy couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and even beautiful women no longer smelled like heaven.
He sat on the deck, slumped over, drawing angry little circles while muttering, "May Captain Nezumi's hairline retreat faster than his rank…"
Beside him, Sanji wasn't faring much better.
Luffy grinned. "Don't be sad, Sanji! Eight million Belly for your first bounty is awesome!"
Sanji pointed furiously at his poster. "Is this supposed to be me?! I look like a zombie! Now every beautiful lady in the world will laugh themselves to death!"
Luffy took a closer look. "It is you. It looks exactly the same."
"Hahahaha!" Zoro burst out. "Right, right—perfect match!"
Sanji exploded. "Where the hell is it the same?! Damn Marines! By the way, where's Sandy?"
Luffy pointed lazily. "Over there."
Sanji looked over, then blinked. "What's wrong with him?"
Usopp snickered and handed him Sandy's wanted poster.
When Sanji saw the 250 Belly printed below Sandy's smug photo, his grief vanished in an instant.
"Pfft—HAHAHAHAHA!"
He clutched his stomach, rolling across the deck. "Two hundred and fifty Belly! Are you serious!? HAHAHAHA!"
Sandy's eye twitched. His hand gripped the deck. For a moment, everyone feared he might draw his sword. But instead, he sighed and kept drawing his circles, muttering curses under his breath.
After the laughter died down, Luffy grew restless again.
He bounded over to Sandy. "Hey, let's play hide-and-seek!"
Sandy blinked. "What did you just say?"
"Hide-and-seek!" Luffy said, grinning ear to ear.
Usopp jumped in. "Count me in!"
Sandy facepalmed. "In broad daylight? How are we supposed to hide? Go bother Zoro and Sanji. I'm trying to think."
Zoro scoffed. "How old are you guys? Isn't that a game for kids?"
Usopp smirked. "You scared you'll lose, old man?"
Zoro's eyebrow twitched. "What did you just say!?"
And just like that, the swordsman joined in too.
Sandy ignored the chaos and focused inward. He needed to strengthen his Space Fruit ability. If he fainted for three days again after using Space Slash, he'd never live it down.
His physical strength was already at CP9 leader Lucci's level. It wasn't easy to improve further. So now, his focus needed to be on Haki and Devil Fruit development.
He'd eaten the Paramecia-type Space Fruit. But how should he evolve it?
Could he imitate Doflamingo's style—assimilating nearby objects and controlling them?
No. Doflamingo's strings and his space were completely different.
Maybe like Katakuri, turning a Paramecia into a pseudo-Logia by merging with the element—in his case, space itself?
That was a possible path… but one that required Awakening, something he hadn't reached yet.
"Damn it, no clue at all…"
Alright, start small.
At present, Sandy could create a Space Field—a controlled zone where he could freely manipulate objects and people inside.
This depended heavily on mental focus and reaction speed.
Inside that Space Field, even someone with Observation Haki would have a hard time predicting his movements.
If he used a space swap mid-fight, his opponent could get struck before realizing what happened.
But it wasn't perfect.
His Space Cut technique was powerful, but not absolute. Against monsters like Kaido or Big Mom, he wouldn't even make a scratch—just like Law couldn't cut them during the Wano battle.
He wasn't stronger than Law. Not yet.
So, he decided to start training—refining his swordsmanship and mastering seamless space transitions within his field.
He remembered dodging Arlong's Water Shot. He got hit twice back then because his mental focus slipped.
If that happened against a top-tier opponent like Kizaru or Akainu, he'd be dead before realizing what hit him.
Thinking about that made his blood run cold.
He turned to Luffy and the others. "Alright, enough playing around! Luffy—come spar with me."
Luffy's eyes lit up. "Really!? Let's go!"
The rest of the crew cleared the center of the deck, eager to watch.
Sandy said calmly, "Use your Gum-Gum Gatling, but don't wreck the ship."
Luffy grinned. "Hehehe… You better be ready! Gum-Gum Gatling!!"
His fists blurred through the air like machine guns.
But Sandy stood still, eyes sharp—then effortlessly sidestepped, dodging every blow without breaking a sweat.
Sanji whistled. "So that's Observation Haki, huh?"
Zoro crossed his arms, face tense. He didn't say a word, but his competitive spirit flared.
Usopp's jaw dropped. "Holy crap…"
Nami folded her arms, watching the two of them with wide eyes. "I really don't know what kind of monsters I'm sailing with anymore."