Roy, who was listening to the two arguing from the corner, almost burst out laughing.
These two men, one aspiring to become the Pirate King and the other to become the King of the World, are now arguing fiercely over a cherry pie.
That's the wonder of fate—it always manages to bring the most unlikely people together in the most absurd ways.
The two continued their contest for almost half an hour, only stopping when they were both stuffed.
Luffy was slumped in a chair, his belly bulging like a ball, while Blackbeard leaned against the wall with at least thirty empty plates piled up in front of him, but a satisfied smile still lingered on his face.
"That's right!"
Luffy suddenly sat up straight and shouted towards the bar.
"Boss! Do you know how to get to Sky Island?"
Luffy's question silenced the entire tavern instantly.
Then bursts of laughter erupt.
" Sky Island? He said Sky Island?"
"Hahaha! Where did this newbie come from! Believing in Sky Island?"
"This is hilarious! This kid's been reading too many fairy tales!"
The loudest laughter came from a blond young man who was leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed, sporting an extremely irritating smile.
Bellamy, the Hyena Bellamy, is one of the local bullies in Mock Town.
" Sky Island?"
Bellamy stood up, walked up to Luffy, and looked down at him.
"Do you even know what Sky Island is, kid?"
That's something made up to fool children.
The era of pirates chasing their dreams is long gone. Now, what matters on these high seas is strength and profit.
Luffy looked up at him, and his playful expression suddenly turned calm.
For Luffy, who Luffy with the dream of becoming the Pirate King, someone like Bellamy, who has no dream, cannot be called a pirate at all.
"You were mocked but didn't dare to talk back?"
Bellamy continued his provocation, reaching out and patting Luffy on the head.
" Straw Hat Boy, a naive guy like you wouldn't survive a single day on the Grand Line."
Luffy remained silent.
Zoro and Sanji had already stood up, their hands on their weapons, but Luffy reached out and stopped them.
Roy watched this scene, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
He recalled how Shanks had been when bandits threw wine at him in Foosha Village; he had remained calm and disdainful of arguing with such people.
Luffy, though he doesn't say it, remembers every single word Shanks said.
Seeing that Luffy did not resist, Bellamy became even more aggressive.
He punched Luffy in the face, and Luffy's rubber body bounced backward, but he didn't retaliate.
Bellamy kicked him again, but Luffy still didn't move.
"Waste."
Bellamy spat, turned, and left the tavern with his men.
The tavern returned to its noisy state, with the pirates who had been watching the spectacle continuing to drink and play drinking games, no one giving Luffy another second.
In their eyes, this kid who didn't even dare to fight back after being beaten was not worth paying attention to at all.
Blackbeard, however, stood up.
He walked up to Luffy, looked down at the kid who was still sitting in the chair rubbing his face, and grinned to reveal a mouthful of missing teeth.
"Kid, why didn't you fight back just now?"
Luffy looked up and stared at the fat, dark-skinned man who had just been fighting him for the cherry pie, and paused for a moment.
"Because if we fight them, we lose," Luffy said.
Blackbeard stared at him for several seconds, then threw his head back and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
Well said!
Dreams are something you never need to prove to those who don't understand them!
He patted Luffy on the shoulder with such force that Luffy almost slid off the chair.
On this vast ocean, some wars are unnecessary.
You've already won.
Let's go find your Sky Island.
After Blackbeard finished speaking, he turned and left the tavern, followed by his two henchmen. The three of them quickly disappeared around the street corner.
Roy stood up from the corner, tossed down a few coins, and silently followed him out.
His Observation Haki detected that Blackbeard's expression changed after he went outside.
That hearty smile vanished, replaced by the excitement of a predator spotting its prey.
"That Straw Hat Boy has a bounty of 100 million Beli."
Blackbeard said to his men,
"If we can capture him and hand him over to the World Government, the position of Shichibukai will be mine."
He licked his lips, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
"Follow him and find an opportunity to strike."
Roy shook his head from under his cloak.
This fat, dark-skinned man was indeed planning this.
Unfortunately, he underestimated Luffy, and he also underestimated the arrangements of fate.
Things progressed very quickly from there.
Blackbeard and his men followed the Straw Hat Pirates to the port, but before they could even make a move, Bellamy rushed forward to cause trouble.
Luffy didn't hold back this time, knocking Bellamy unconscious with a single punch, clean and efficient, without even needing a second move.
Blackbeard's eyes flashed with surprise upon seeing this, which then turned into even greater interest.
With the help of Wenblanc Cricket, the Straw Hat Pirates boarded the modified Going Merry and headed towards the Knock Up Stream.
Blackbeard pursued relentlessly in his raft, but at the moment the Knock Up Stream erupted, a massive column of water shot skyward.
It swallowed up the Going Merry along with the Straw Hat Pirates, and then soared into the sky at an incredible speed.
Blackbeard stood on the violently rocking raft, looking up at the column of water disappearing into the clouds.
Instead of disappointment, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
"Hahaha! Fate has chosen you, Straw Hat Boy! Fine, then let's find another prey."
Blackbeard Teach waved his hand, ordering the raft to change direction, and it slowly headed towards the sea Jaya Island.
Above the clouds, Roy watched the entire encounter and chase unfold using his Observation Haki.
He watched as the massive whirlpool left by the Knock Up Stream gradually subsided, and as Blackbeard's raft left a long trail on the sea, his eyes showing neither sorrow nor joy.
Luffy has embarked on a new adventure, and there are trials he must undergo on the Sky Island.
Roy's goal has always been singular.
He stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from his cloak, and his figure slowly dissipated into the clouds.
Next stop, Banaro Island.
Or to be more precise, it was the point where the fates of Ace and Blackbeard intersected.
Roy trailed behind Blackbeard's raft in the clouds, a considerable distance away, like a silent shadow.
He doesn't need to get close; he just needs to be in the right place at the crucial moment.
The pieces on the chessboard are moving along predetermined paths, and he, the player, only needs to ensure that each move is precise.
Banaro Island.
This island was once a bustling port town, but it has been abandoned for some time now.
Several dilapidated fishing boats were moored at the dock, their planks so rotten that the keel was visible, creaking and groaning in the sea breeze.
The houses in town were dilapidated, their walls covered with barnacles and moss, and their windows were all broken.
Only the empty window frames remained, staring at the sea like the eye sockets of a skull.
The setting sun, like blood, cast extremely long shadows of the broken walls and ruins.