Mock Town was a place where law did not exist.
The port city of Jaya was a den of pirates, thieves, and failed dreamers. The air was thick with the stench of cheap rum, sweat, and violence. At the heart of the city, a rundown bar served as the gathering place for the most notorious—and among them was Bellamy, the "Hyena," and his crew.
The bar was packed, filled with broken tables and dirty glasses scattered everywhere. The night's chatter revolved around a single name: the Yellow Demon. Rumors claimed he had killed the Shichibukai Crocodile and left Alabasta in ruins. His bounty of 500 million berries was the hottest topic across the seas.
"You heard what I heard?" asked a gray-bearded pirate, gripping a rum-filled cup with calloused hands. "The Yellow Demon crushed Crocodile like he was an insect. The World Government is panicking. They say he's unstoppable!"
"Ah, cut it out!" Bellamy interrupted, laughing loudly. He leaned back in his chair, balancing on its rear legs. "Crocodile was just a weak old man. Anyone with a bit of strength could've done the same."
Sarquiss, his right-hand man, laughed along, slamming his glass on the table. "That's right, captain! This so-called Yellow Demon is probably just another fraud, spreading stories to scare fools."
Bellamy's laughter echoed through the bar, joined by his crew's, but not everyone laughed. Some pirates exchanged tense glances, staring into their drinks in uneasy silence. A young man with scars on his face muttered, "I heard he can fly. That nothing can touch him. Not bullets, not blades… nothing."
The laughter died for a brief moment, but Bellamy merely raised an eyebrow, still smirking. "Fly? Oh, sure! And I bet he also spits fire and shoots lightning from his eyes, right?" His crew burst into laughter again, but the scarred man remained unfazed.
"I saw the bounty poster. He's no joke. What if he shows up here?"
Silence fell over the bar. The idea of facing the Yellow Demon was unsettling even for the most hardened pirates. But Bellamy? He just laughed, slamming his fist on the table. "If he shows up here, I'll show him what it means to be a real pirate! Hah! That so-called Yellow Demon is nothing but a fraud."
And then, as if fate itself had heard his arrogance, a powerful wind swept through the bar. The candles flickered, the air grew thick. The old, creaking door was torn from its hinges with a deafening crash and slammed against the wall. The laughter vanished in an instant.
All eyes turned to the entrance.
A tall, imposing figure stood there, silhouetted against the orange glow of the setting sun. His red eyes burned in the dim light like living embers, and his presence made the air feel heavier—almost suffocating. Slowly, the shadow moved forward, scanning every face in the bar.
The once-rowdy atmosphere, filled with mockery and bravado, had now turned into pure terror.
Bellamy remained seated, but his smile faltered. For a moment, a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. His instincts screamed at him to stand, but his pride kept him frozen in place.
"I… I didn't expect the Yellow Demon to be this… terrifying," he thought, feeling an unfamiliar chill crawl up his spine.