Grand Line, Jaya Island.
Mock Town.
Many people gathered here: pirates, mafia members, and all kinds of others.
It was also one of the most chaotic places on the Grand Line, because every sort of person could be found here. People dying every day was perfectly normal.
To put it simply, it was a gathering place for scum.
Inside a tavern, a large group of pirates were drinking and discussing the great figure who was about to arrive here.
It was not that no one had thought about making a move.
But the massacre at Whisky Peak not long ago had frightened them.
Although pirates claimed they were not afraid of death, that only applied when death had value.
If there was something they were confident about, they would definitely charge forward with their lives on the line.
But against that group, they had no confidence at all.
Even if the other side casually sent out one person, they probably could not win.
Besides, that man was publicly recognized as the Fifth Emperor.
Ever since Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates, ascended to the position of one of the Four Emperors, many people on the sea had silently accepted that man as the fifth Emperor of the Sea.
Although he was not a pirate, he had strength and no shortage of methods.
Many people knew he would enter the New World and take territory. They did not believe that group would keep wandering under the Navy's nose forever.
Some wanted to join this team.
He was young, strong, and had a clean background.
Unlike Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates, who was a descendant of the Celestial Dragons. They did not want to become dogs for the Celestial Dragons.
Whitebeard was old and no longer suited to sailing on the sea. Although he was publicly recognized as the strongest man, who knew how much longer he could live?
Hadn't everyone seen it?
Over the years, aside from his mustache, Whitebeard had lost all his hair.
Recently, Whitebeard had been going around the New World collecting sons. Many people guessed his body was failing, so he was hurriedly looking for a successor.
Many people in the New World knew that Whitebeard's sons could not uphold his name.
Once Whitebeard died, those sons and territories of his would be devoured clean in an instant.
As for Big Mom, she stayed on Whole Cake Island every day, eating cake and giving birth to children.
That old woman would also go mad. Once she lost it, she would not recognize anyone, not even her own family. It was said even her own children had not escaped misfortune.
The subordinate pirate crews were even more pitiful. Aside from being able to eat their fill, they could not do anything else.
That was why many people did not want to join the Big Mom Pirates.
Charlotte Linlin did not care either. Her own children were each outstanding.
Then there was Kaido, captain of the Beasts Pirates.
Although the title of strongest creature on land, sea, and air had been taken away from him, his strength remained tremendous.
The subordinates under him were all exceptional as well, so many people wanted to join him.
Unfortunately, the Beasts Pirates were extremely picky.
Unless one was a Zoan ability user, without sufficient strength, one could not enter that place where strength ruled everything.
That made White Ghost, the man with the most potential and the most wealth, the target of many people.
He was young, rich, strong, and generous.
Although that guy had come from the Navy, he had already completely fallen out with them. There were also people born as pirates on his ship.
Many people wanted to run over and join him.
Maybe if the captain saw their potential, he would reward them with a good Devil Fruit on the spot.
Many people went.
Some returned. Some stayed there forever.
Those who stayed were either people who became angry after being rejected and tried to make a move, or pirates with countless sins.
As more people returned, White Ghost's requirement spread.
He only wanted people with potential. Random nobodies could forget it.
Those words angered some people.
How could they endure being called random nobodies?
As a result, the factory aboard White Ghost's auxiliary ship, Dragon Island, gained many new workers.
Inside the tavern, a man wearing a strange hat and an eyepiece like a scope over his right eye quietly listened to those people boast.
He had a long face, wore a black cloak, and always held a long rifle.
He did not join their discussion.
There was no need.
Each of them talked bigger than the last. If they really fought, he could kill them one by one with a single shot each.
After leaving the East Blue, he had wandered all over, never finding a pirate crew suitable for him.
Those crews were all empty shells with no future.
He was a man who believed in fate and had always been searching for a worthy captain.
Unfortunately, things had not gone as he wished. He had been on the Grand Line for several years now, yet he still had not encountered anyone who caught his eye.
Over the years, he had also made a bit of a name for himself on the Grand Line. His bounty had reached twenty million berries.
He was very low-key and did not act too flamboyantly, so the Navy's bounty on him was not high.
During this time, he had been waiting here.
He had a feeling that his fate was here.
Van Augur took a sip of wine, thinking about whether that person might be the one fate had chosen for him.
After all, there could not be such a coincidence.
He had only been here for a few months, and that group's ship was heading straight toward this place.
To be honest, Van Augur was a little expectant.
If it was truly as he thought, then fate was indeed like this.
On top of that, the man had said he only wanted elites.
Van Augur considered himself at least a useful piece.
That man should be able to see his value.
So Van Augur looked forward to that man's arrival.
In the tavern, a man who looked like a street thug drank heavily and looked around with disdain.
Bang!
Bellamy slammed his wooden mug onto the table.
The sound rang out, and the tavern instantly quieted down.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Bellamy grinned and laughed wildly.
"Hahahaha! A bunch of trash, and you still want to join someone else's ship? Do you even have the qualifications? Useless garbage."
"What did you say?"
A group of people stared at the blond with unfriendly eyes.
"Hey, brat."
A large man stood up and walked over with a blade in hand.
Clang.
The large man drew his blade and looked at Bellamy viciously.
"What did you just say? I didn't hear clearly. Mind saying it again?"
"Hehehe."
The people around them looked at Bellamy as if he were already dead.
The tavern owner was used to it.
These pirates fought and killed each other every day. Fortunately, they still knew some rules and would not trouble the tavern itself.
Bellamy narrowed his eyes and looked at him.
The crew members behind him all looked as if they were watching a show. None of them worried about whether they would be beaten next.
Their captain was very strong.
Besides, they had someone backing them.
"Brat, what's with those eyes?"
The blade in the large man's hand slowly rose, ready to cut down this rude fellow.
Bellamy still looked at him like he was looking at trash.
"What I said was, you're all a bunch of garbage. You don't have the qualifications to board that man's ship."
The large man's eyes turned vicious, and the raised blade suddenly chopped down.
The others had already imagined Bellamy being split in two.
No one was surprised.
Just as everyone waited for this guy to be carved apart—
Bang!
Bellamy kicked the man in the stomach.
The man, who weighed more than two hundred pounds, flew backward.
Boom!
A large hole appeared in the tavern wall.
Bellamy wore a savage expression and stuck out his tongue to lick his lips.
"So what if I called you garbage?"
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