Sami gently shook his head, the expression on his face like someone watching a stubborn child.
"It seems words alone can't convince someone who only believes his own eyes… or rather, someone who only believes his own meager knowledge."
"What knowledge do you need for this?"
Those words—meager knowledge—stabbed straight into Baggins' fragile pride.
"To know there's no island in the sky is just common sense even a three-year-old knows! Hell, even if I can't read a single word and can't count past a hundred, I still know clouds float in the sky—not islands!"
The retort fueled his anger, and his voice grew louder and louder.
Several nearby pirates were already terrified out of their minds, quietly dragging their chairs farther away from the walking disaster.
So quiet… too quiet.
Yet Baggins misunderstood the tense silence.
To him, the entire tavern's attention felt exhilarating.
His vanity swelled. He straightened his back, trying to appear even more imposing before the crowd.
"Go on, keep making stuff up! Sky islands? Why not say the moon is an island too, with moon people living on it! Why don't you fly up there and show us right now?!"
Around the room, pirates lowered their heads, avoiding Sami's table with their eyes while pricking up their ears.
They wanted to hear what would happen next—but didn't dare get involved.
Sami frowned slightly.
He knew that although no one dared say it out loud, most of the tavern probably sided with the local veteran.
He sighed inwardly.
Living in a sea of miracles, yet sneering at miracles… fools.
Using violence to silence people?
That would be boring—and it wouldn't prove anything.
Suddenly, a playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Hmph. Forcing someone to bow their head is pointless."
Sami leaned forward slightly and stared at Baggins.
"Since you believe in your 'common sense' and I insist that my version is the truth… why don't we make a bet?"
"A bet?"
"If I can prove that Sky Islands really exist."
"You want to bet? You think you're worthy?! Our boss Baggins has been on Jaya for ten years—he's seen everything! You think you can fool him?"
A tall, skinny crewmate of Baggins suddenly jumped up.
To add emphasis, he slammed his palm onto the thick wooden table.
"I'll say this right here! If you can prove Sky Islands exist… I'll eat this table!"
His companions burst into crude laughter.
Baggins' alcohol and competitive spirit surged together.
"Prove it? How are you going to prove it? Planning to fly up there yourself?"
"Of course," Sami replied calmly. "I'll find a way. I'll show you—and everyone here—real evidence."
At that moment, Cahelo quietly leaned closer to Sami.
"Boss, they're just ignorant local pirates. There's no need to compete with them."
Sami glanced sideways at him.
"What? You don't believe me either?"
Cahelo paused awkwardly.
"…It's not that I don't believe you. It's just…"
Isaac and Feich exchanged glances. Though they said nothing, their expressions revealed similar doubts.
After all, the explanation of a mirage seemed easier to accept than floating islands in the sky.
Sami noticed everything.
He shook his head slightly.
"Fine! I accept the bet!"
At the same moment, Baggins slammed the table, rattling the cups and plates.
"I've spent ten years on Jaya and seen all kinds of weird things! But I've never heard bragging as ridiculous as yours! If you can't prove it—"
He raised his voice deliberately so the entire tavern could hear.
"Then you'll shout three times right here in this tavern:
'Sky Islands are nonsense, and Grandpa Baggins is the smartest man alive!'
How about it? Dare to accept?"
A wave of murmurs spread across the tavern.
That wager was vicious—pure humiliation.
Ardo and the others immediately darkened, ready to explode.
But Sami raised a hand and stopped them.
The amused smile on his face deepened.
"Alright."
Sami slowly stood up.
Though not particularly tall, his presence alone created an invisible pressure that seemed to choke the air in the room.
"And if I prove it… what happens if you lose?"
"Lose?"
"What? Not confident anymore?" Sami stared directly into Baggins' eyes. "Or maybe you don't actually believe your own 'common sense'?"
Baggins felt a sudden chill under that gaze.
But with everyone watching, backing down was impossible.
His pride flared.
"Lose? Impossible! If I lose… I'll give you everything from this voyage and all my possessions! And I'll kneel and apologize right here!"
"Deal."
Sami agreed instantly, as if it wasn't even worth considering.
Then he extended his hand.
"Seal it with a clap."
"Done!"
Baggins gritted his teeth and slammed his large hand against Sami's.
SMACK!!!
The wager was sealed.
The real show had only just begun.
Sami withdrew his hand.
"Within one year, I'll return to this island."
Baggins lifted his chin proudly.
"Fine! I'll be right here waiting! Let's see what tricks you come up with!"
Sami said nothing more.
He gestured for his crew to continue eating.
After the meal, he left payment on the table and walked out of the tavern with his officers.
The moment they disappeared outside—
The tavern exploded.
Laughter and shouting nearly lifted the roof.
"Hahahaha! Did you hear that? 'Sky islands are real—!'"
One pirate exaggeratedly mimicked Sami's calm voice.
"Unbelievable! A 150-million-berry pirate who's still such a naive kid!"
"Hey Baggins! You got yourself a free win! Imagine making a big pirate call you grandpa! Don't forget to buy us drinks when it happens!"
Amid the laughter, Baggins drank deeply from his mug.
Then he wiped his mouth and suddenly asked a nearby crewmate.
"Hey… that kid's bounty… what was it again? Higher than mine?"
The crewmate's face instantly turned pale.
"S-Sir… I think his bounty was… um…"
He swallowed nervously.
"…150 million Berries… more than six times yours."
"Six times… more?"
Baggins pondered the strange number.
Then he shrugged as if it meant nothing.
"Hmph… only someone at that level deserves to bet against Captain Baggins! Hahaha!"
The surrounding pirates froze for a moment—then burst into even stranger laughter.
Everyone could tell that Baggins had no idea what that number actually meant.
Outside on the street, Ardo could clearly hear the mocking laughter from the tavern.
His grip tightened around his spiked club.
"Those bastards… I'm going back in there and shutting them up!"
Sami stopped him with a hand.
"Forget it. It's only a year. We'll come back. When the time comes, the evidence will speak for itself."
Ardo reluctantly suppressed his anger.
"But Boss… can you really swallow that insult? I'm not saying I don't trust you… but Sky Islands… what if…"
"Ardo," Marcus said calmly, placing a hand on his shoulder, "don't you find it strange? The boss has never insisted on something that didn't exist."
Isaac and Feich nodded silently.
Sami kept walking without turning around, though his pace slowed slightly.
"Why do you think they laughed?"
"Because they don't believe it," Ardo replied instantly. "They think we're talking nonsense."
"Some things you'll understand only after seeing them yourself," Sami said.
"This sea is full of miracles. The louder they laugh now, the more interesting their faces will be when the truth appears."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Back in the tavern, the celebration continued.
Baggins was now being praised as a hero who dared challenge a hundred-million-berry pirate.
Rum flowed endlessly as his bragging grew more ridiculous.
"Burp… you didn't see it. When that kid clapped hands with me, his palms were sweating! He was scared!"
Baggins thumped his chest proudly.
"One year? He's just buying time to run away! Next year I'll sit right here and wait for him to call me grandpa! Hahaha!"
"Captain Baggins is amazing!"
"He better shout loud!"
"Your name will be famous across Jaya now!"
Laughter filled the tavern.
No one truly cared about the absurd wager.
And no one wondered—
What if Sky Islands really did exist?
That thought was too big for the drunken laughter of the night.
Behind the counter, the tavern owner quietly wiped a cup and sighed.
In all his years running this tavern, he had seen countless pirates come and go—boasting, fighting, dreaming… and disappearing.
That young pirate who made the bet…
He would probably end up the same way.
After all, the sea had no place for naive dreamers.
Late that night, the tavern finally closed.
Baggins staggered toward his pirate ship, supported by his crew.
He glanced once at the dark sea… then drunkenly looked up at the star-filled sky.
"Islands… in the sky? Bah!"
He spat.
The small unease stirred by Sami's calm gaze vanished beneath the haze of alcohol.
"I'll be waiting for you…"
The real show had only just begun.
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