One was a veteran pirate of many years, the other a lawless brute. The moment they agreed to fight, they threw their punches without the slightest hesitation.
Two jet-black fists collided in an instant. The moment they met, a shockwave exploded through the bar.
"Ah! What are you two doing?!" Amidst Shakky's scream, the entire bar was pulverized by the aftershock in the blink of an eye.
This simple exchange finally gave Bellamy a direct sense of Rayleigh's strength.
"So this is Armament Haki infusion? Incredible!" Bellamy exclaimed, a trickle of blood slowly seeping from the corner of his mouth. The technique was similar to his Voidwalker Palm; the moment their fists met, Rayleigh's Armament Haki had silently entered his body, causing internal injuries.
"Young man, your Haki?" Rayleigh looked at Bellamy, his eyes filled with confusion. This kid was only in his twenties, right? Where did he get such dense Haki? At that age, Rayleigh had only just been able to cover a single finger.
"My Haki?" Bellamy pointed to the few white strands of hair on his forehead. "This is the price."
Rayleigh understood. So that was it. He had obtained it by overdrafting his life?
"This is a true madman."
No wonder he was so arrogant.
"Unfortunately, I'm old now," Rayleigh couldn't help but sigh. If he were twenty years younger, today he would... This era was already chaotic enough; the appearance of someone like Bellamy was a nightmare for all civilians.
"You should go. I don't want to take this job."
Bellamy looked at his own fist, then suddenly smiled at Rayleigh. "I'll have to experience your Conqueror's Haki someday."
"I'll be back."
With that, he left Shakky's bar without a second thought. For the coating, any other artisan would do. His most important objective had been achieved; there was nothing left for him here.
"He's finally gone." The moment Bellamy left, Shakky let out a huge sigh of relief. For some reason, this young man always put immense pressure on her, even more intense than when facing the Celestial Dragons. When she was in front of Bellamy, she always felt like he could crush her head at any moment.
That look in his eyes!
Recalling it, Shakky remembered the way Bellamy had looked at her, as if he were looking at an ant. "Does this guy think that people without power don't even deserve to be human?!" How could such a person exist in the world? She was beginning to understand why Rayleigh didn't stop him. A person like that was clearly not someone who could be easily stopped.
"Rayleigh, that man!" Shakky couldn't help but look at her old friend.
"Don't look for trouble for yourself." Rayleigh looked at his own fist and shook his head at her. "Don't do business for the next few days. The island is about to get chaotic."
"Are there any good ships docked here recently?"
"The Celestial Dragons' Redwood Treasure Ship is at the pier."
Bellamy obviously wouldn't care about any damn Celestial Dragons. The expressions on both their faces immediately became interesting.
"Looks like we're in for a good show."
"Get me a stool. I'm going to watch the fun live."
"I'm going too."
If the Celestial Dragons were about to get into trouble, they couldn't be happier. Looked at that way, maybe this Bellamy fellow wasn't entirely useless. At least he dared to mess with the Celestial Dragons.
After leaving Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, Bellamy didn't go back immediately. The matter of the coating artisan needed to be resolved. It wasn't a difficult problem; money could solve it. He would just throw a large sum of Beri at it and find the best artisan available.
The Sabaody Archipelago was a bustling commercial hub; with enough money, you could buy almost anything here. Bellamy didn't have much on him at the moment, so he had to find a place to get some cash. Sabaody was a necessary stop on the way to the New World, attracting numerous pirates, merchants, and bounty hunters. In addition, as it was directly under the control of the Celestial Dragons, there was no shortage of slave traders. The buying and selling of humans, merfolk, and various rare species was a tacitly permitted activity here.
The Human Auction House, the world-renowned top-tier slave auction house, operated openly in Grove 1. Bellamy hadn't found his new ship yet, so he wouldn't touch that place for now. But since he needed money, someone had to be unlucky.
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 49.
On this island, the higher the number of the grove, the more chaotic and impoverished it was. Grove 49 was one of the last few groves on Sabaody, and its environment was very similar to a black market street. Here, pirates could stroll down the street openly, and all sorts of illicit goods were sold freely. Almost every passerby had some kind of weapon tucked into their belt or strapped to their back.
The moment Bellamy arrived, he was hit by the thick smell of drugs and urine. He couldn't help but frown, looking at a few junkies shooting up on the side of the street.
"How decadent."
Anyone who hadn't been here could hardly imagine that such a place existed on the Sabaody Archipelago. This was, after all, the most prosperous trading hub and technologically advanced place in the entire world. The islands surrounding Mary Geoise were the center of the world, and Sabaody was undoubtedly the core. But the decay here was perhaps far beyond what people could imagine.
In the past, Bellamy might have already started killing these lowlifes. But this was the Celestial Dragons' territory. Simple slaughter would have no effect on a place like this; it would only exacerbate the chaos. As long as the Celestial Dragons had not fallen, nothing would change.
This was what Bellamy could never understand about the Marines. The root of all problems was right there in plain sight. They could destroy it, yet they would rather sacrifice their own lives to maintain their rule. It was simply incomprehensible.
Under the order of the Celestial Dragons, would things really get better? The collapse of order might kill many people, but did people not die under the rule of the Celestial Dragons? When they launched a Buster Call, did they ever stop to think how that made them any different from the Celestial Dragons?
Bellamy really wanted to personally ask Sengoku what was going through his mind when he signed off on a Buster Call. The answer would probably be very interesting.
With his current strength, getting some money required almost no effort. He just took a stroll through Grove 49, and his pockets were suddenly tens of millions of Beri heavier. As for who the unlucky soul was? Who cared.
With money in hand, he easily found the best coating artisan on the island and made an appointment. Next up was getting a top-tier warship.
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