The bonfire burned fiercely.
On the dark sea, the outline of the Grizzly Bear Pirates' ship was barely visible.
Perhaps because Bill was highly respected by his crew, despite the landing party being wiped out except for him, the pirates remaining on the ship surprisingly neither set sail to escape nor came ashore to rescue anyone.
"You will regret this."
Grizzly Bear Bill, bruised and battered, lay panting on the beach, still glaring stubbornly at Reddy by the bonfire.
Reddy had not killed him in the end.
Instead, he had let the five gene wolves use him as a ball, playing a game of table tennis.
Sivedia stepped forward and kicked him, venting his anger. "This is the price for offending a noble."
"Are you one of Golden Lion's men?"
Reddy tossed a dry branch into the fire and asked curiously, "I've never heard of Golden Lion recruiting crew members in East Blue."
Grizzly Bear Bill glared silently, secretly gathering his strength while lying on the beach.
"Who is Golden Lion?"
Sivedia, completely clueless about Golden Lion's escape from Impel Down over a decade ago, sat back down by the bonfire and played the role of the curious kid.
"A pirate."
Reddy brushed off the question and whistled.
One of the gene wolves stood up from the beach, walked over, and swatted the three-meter-tall Grizzly Bear Bill, sending him rolling far away.
The other four gene wolves followed, continuing their game of table tennis around Bill.
"Make them stop. I'll tell you everything."
Grizzly Bear Bill's eyes spun in dizziness. Unable to endure the physical and mental torment any longer, he surrendered.
At the sound of the whistle, the five gene wolves sat around Grizzly Bear Bill, licking their fangs with a look of disappointment.
Grizzly Bear Bill struggled to sit up and began speaking honestly.
...
"My men, I will lead you to conquer the Grand Line, seize the One Piece, and become the Pirate King!"
Not long after setting sail, Grizzly Bear Bill, already carrying a bounty of 3 million Berries, stood at the bow of the ship, hefting his giant hammer to rally his crew.
But before his words could take effect, a lookout pirate screamed in terror, "Captain, an island is flying toward our ship!"
"Are you trying to fool me?"
Grizzly Bear Bill roared in anger, raising his hammer with one hand, ready to smash the mast and kill the liar himself.
The other pirates rushed to stop him.
By then, the island was getting closer, and the rest of the crew also saw it, staring dumbfounded at the sky.
Bill was stunned too.
There really was a small island flying in the sky.
"Is that... a lion's head?"
A pirate noticed the giant lion-head figurehead on the island and was utterly confused.
Bill broke out in a cold sweat and exclaimed, "About ten years ago, there was a legendary pirate who escaped from Impel Down..."
"He's the Flying Pirate Captain, Golden Lion Shiki!"
At that moment, a figure flew down from the massive ship-like island.
"Gyahahaha... Hand over all your treasures."
Golden Lion Shiki landed casually on the bow of the pirate ship, his leg-replacing swords, "Kogarashi" and "Shigure," piercing the deck.
"Even if you're a legendary pirate, I'm not afraid of you!" Grizzly Bear Bill's veins bulged as he swung his hammer with all his might at Golden Lion.
A golden slash split the sea, leaving a deep trench that refused to close.
Thud!
The hammerhead, weighing over a hundred pounds, crashed onto the deck, cracking it like a spiderweb.
Grizzly Bear Bill stood frozen, clutching the broken hammer handle, his face drenched in cold sweat, his heart filled with terror and despair.
Golden Lion floated back into the air, looking down. "Gyahahaha... You dared to attack me, so you must have some value. From today onward, you will pay 100 million Berries every year. Otherwise, prepare to die."
...
Grizzly Bear Bill sat on the beach, his face filled with fanatical worship. "Lord Shiki will return to these seas and become the new Pirate King. If you want to live, you'd better hand over those rare beasts obediently."
Reddy tossed another branch into the fire, smiling gently.
This guy was a classic case of Stockholm syndrome. Having been defeated by Golden Lion, he had developed an unparalleled worship for him, willingly staying in East Blue to raise funds for Shiki.
But Reddy understood why Golden Lion did this.
Scientific research was incredibly expensive.
"So you wanted to kidnap me!"
Sivedia suddenly jumped up, furious. "Damn it, I thought you were chasing me because you were afraid I'd bring the kingdom's army to destroy your pirate crew if I returned alive!"
Reddy: "..."
Sivedia stomped his feet and shouted, "I paid 100 million Berries. Now, kill this bastard for me. It's part of the deal."
"Lord Shiki will avenge me."
Grizzly Bear Bill's eyes burned with fanaticism, completely indifferent to his own death.
And so, he became a ball under the paws of the five gene wolves again.
"Stop it, you bastards!"
Grizzly Bear Bill wasn't afraid of death, but he couldn't stand the torment of being tossed around like laundry in a washing machine, so he surrendered again.
Sivedia was dissatisfied and grumbled, "People should keep their word. I paid!"
"Do you want me to carry you and swim back to Loguetown?" Reddy gave the gene wolves a signal to stop, then looked at Sivedia strangely.
"Uh... fine. Let him go this time."
Sivedia wasn't stupid. Hearing Reddy mention the pirate ship anchored offshore, he realized Reddy planned to use Bill to seize the ship.
"I'll take you to Loguetown." Grizzly Bear Bill's eyes lit up as he eagerly offered to repay Reddy's mercy, though inwardly he was plotting how to lure Reddy onto the ship.
Without those terrifying beasts, what can you do against me?
Reddy suddenly stood up, furious. "Do you think I'd trust a pirate's promise? From now on, if I say another word to you, I lose."
Sivedia was baffled.
Shouldn't the usual threat be something like "I'll kill you" or "I'll cut you down"?
"And you!"
Reddy turned and walked toward the dark forest, cursing, "Nobles like you disgust me. If I say another word to you, I'll cut you down!"
Sivedia's face went blank.
I swear I didn't say anything. I just looked at you.
How is that worth getting angry over?
A moment later, Reddy returned, his expression cold, as if he despised everyone.
Sivedia and Grizzly Bear Bill immediately lowered their heads.
Better not provoke him.
A whistle sounded.
The five gene wolves stood up, baring their fangs as they herded Grizzly Bear Bill toward the small boat stranded on the beach.
Sivedia hurriedly followed.
Soon, the boat was pushed into the sea.
Three people and five wolves crowded onto the small boat.
Grizzly Bear Bill rowed vigorously, grinning with yellowed teeth, silently sneering.
When the boat was about a hundred meters from shore, three naked Reddys walked out of the forest.
One of them muttered, "Too reckless. Should've prepared more clothes."