As Douglas stood there, his clothes and skin stained deep red from the blood that splattered across him, the onlookers began to scatter in panic.
Fear rippled through the crowd inside the bar as they realized the consequences that might soon follow.
They had laughed with Bellamy's humiliation and mocked his shattered dreams, yet now they feared that Douglas's wrath might extend to them as well.
Within moments, the lively bar emptied, leaving only Luffy, Nami, Zoro, and the remaining members of Bellamy's crew.
Bellamy himself remained frozen in place, his wide eyes fixed on Douglas, disbelief etched all over his face.
"What... what did you do?" Bellamy demanded, his voice trembling with anger and confusion as he stared at the spot where two of his crewmates had just exploded before his eyes.
Douglas tilted his head slightly, his expression calm but piercing. "Aren't you the one who preaches about the 'real way of pirates'? Shouldn't death be part of that way? What's with the tears now?" he asked, his tone strangely sympathetic, almost as if he was genuinely curious rather than mocking.
Luffy, Nami, and Zoro stepped closer, their steps cautious but deliberate."Douglas… what did you do?" Nami whispered. Her voice was quiet, almost fragile, as the shock of what had just happened settled in.
Douglas sighed softly and turned to her. "I told you not to make a fuss. This is a dangerous place," he said in a tone that sounded more like a scolding than an explanation. His words made Luffy, Zoro, and Nami glance away in guilt, like children being reminded of a warning they ignored. Then, Douglas turned his attention back to Bellamy, who still hadn't moved.
"What's wrong? Not going to attack? I thought you called yourself a real pirate. Shouldn't you have taken advantage of our little conversation to strike when we were distracted? Or does that only apply when your opponent doesn't fight back?" Douglas said, his voice now laced with quiet mockery. Bellamy clenched his fists but said nothing, unable to meet Douglas's gaze.
Douglas shook his head slightly. "What a disappointment. I really thought you'd at least give me a decent fight," he muttered. Then, with a faint smirk, he added, "Don't worry. I'll bring your men back. That way, when you feel ready, you can come after us again."
He raised his hands toward the air, and the scattered droplets of blood around the room began to move—slowly, almost unnaturally—gathering and swirling in front of everyone's eyes.
The red liquid formed into vague human shapes, which gradually solidified into the two crewmates who had been blown apart moments earlier.
Gasps echoed from the surviving Bellamy Pirates as the resurrected pair stumbled to their feet—alive, but horrified.
One was missing a leg, the other an arm, their faces pale with trauma as they remembered, if only for a second, what it felt like to explode.
"Let's go," Luffy said suddenly, adjusting his hat with a serious expression. Without another word, he turned toward the exit, leading Zoro, Nami, and Douglas out of the bar. The Bellamy Pirates remained behind, tending to their mutilated but living comrades, confusion and fear mixing in their eyes as the memory of what they had just witnessed refused to fade.
Outside, as they walked away from the scene, Douglas finally spoke."What kind of display was that, Luffy? You're the captain of a pirate crew. The cruelty of pirates isn't something you can afford to look down on—especially not with Nami by your side," he said, his tone calm yet reproachful. Luffy rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed, while Zoro walked in silence. Nami kept her eyes on Douglas, listening carefully.
"What you did back there was even more shocking," Nami said after a pause. "I didn't expect you to just… make someone explode. Do you have any idea how terrifying that looked?" Her voice carried a mixture of fear and disbelief. The image of the two Bellamy Pirates bursting apart replayed in her mind again and again.
Douglas looked at her briefly before answering. "I've seen worse. I'm a doctor, remember? You stop being sensitive to certain things after a while," he said matter-of-factly. "But you should all get used to it too. The seas are filled with people far crueler than Bellamy—pirates who won't hesitate to cheat, torture, or hold someone you care about hostage if it means they win. That's the reality of the world Bellamy was boasting about. I just reminded him of it."
His reasoning left Nami quiet. She didn't agree with his methods, but part of her understood the logic behind them. After a moment, Zoro broke the silence.
"Is that your Devil Fruit ability?" he asked. "Do you just need to touch someone to make them explode like that?"
Douglas nodded slightly. "Something like that. But it only works when there's a big difference in strength. I can't do it to anyone close to my level. If someone's too weak or injured—like poisoned, or already near collapse—then yes, I can. But if I'm not at least twice as strong as them, it won't work. That's why I can't do it to you, Luffy, or Sanji. You're all too strong."
Nami glanced at Douglas again, still uneasy, though she reminded herself that Douglas had never done anything to harm them. Every action of his, however brutal, had always been for the crew's sake.
"Oh, and one more thing," Douglas added casually. "If I choose to, I can reverse the explosion. Within a week, at most. So don't worry too much."
That last line seemed to ease the tension a bit. They continued walking until they reached the shore, where the Going Merry was docked. Another ship was moored beside it, and Masira was locked in a heated fistfight with a large man wearing a captain's coat.
"What's going on?" Luffy shouted, sprinting toward Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper, who were desperately trying to separate the two.
"They're friends!" Usopp explained, waving his arms. "Or… they were! They started talking about going to the Golden City, and then found out both their crews wanted to go. So now they're fighting over who gets to come with us!"
The two captains continued trading blows, their crews joining the chaos. Douglas sighed, then pressed his palm to the ground.
A wall of raised earth erupted between the two groups, forcing them apart. The sudden barrier made everyone stop and turn toward Douglas.
"Douglas!!" Masira shouted, running toward him. "Tell him! You promised to take me to the City of Gold!"
The other captain ran up as well, yelling, "Forget that ugly monkey! Boss, I'll pay you s lot of money if you take my crew instead!"
Masira froze mid-charge, momentarily distracted by the insult disguised as a compliment. Before he could respond, Douglas chuckled. "You're talking to the wrong man," he said, pointing at Luffy, who stood with his arms crossed and a grin on his face. "He's the captain. I'm just the scholar and engineer. He decides who comes."
The rival captain immediately turned toward Luffy, shouting his offer again. Nami's eyes sparkled with the symbol of berries as visions of profit filled her head.
"Okay," Luffy said simply. The rival captain cheered in victory, while Masira dropped to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes.
"I thought we had a deal, Straw Hat!" he cried.
Luffy tilted his hat slightly and smiled. "We do. I'm bringing all of you. Won't that be more fun? And it's free!"
Masira's tears of despair turned to tears of joy as he and his rival both shouted in excitement. Nami, however, collapsed to the ground, groaning as her dreams of earning money from the deal vanished. Luffy turned to Douglas. "Can we really do it?"
Douglas nodded. "Yes. We'll need to make a few adjustments to the plan, but it's doable."
"Then let's go meet the descendant of Noland," Luffy declared.
With that, the three pirate crews began boarding their ships. The sails were raised, the anchors lifted, and soon they were moving once more—toward the back of Jaya Island, where the descendant of Noland was said to live, and where their next adventure quietly awaited them.