Late July, Sea Era 1517. North Blue.
On the calm surface of the sea, a loose net of over fifty sailboats, spaced roughly a nautical mile apart, formed a vast encirclement, evidently searching for something.
Aboard one small, fish-reeking vessel, several rough-looking pirates were gathered around a table, drinking and boasting loudly.
After downing several gulps of strong liquor, a man dressed like a fisherman suddenly stood up, swaying slightly. "Hey, thanks again fer lettin' me tag along to make a fortune, fellas! Here's to all of ya!" He raised his cup.
"Hahaha! Don't mention it, Boss Fish!" one of the pirates slurred back. "Plenty o' riches to go around, eh?"
They all roared with laughter and took another swig. "I hear," another pirate chimed in, "there's over a thousand ships out lookin' for him this time! That 'Hyena' bastard is dead meat for sure!" "Stupid fool, pickin' a fight with so many big shots at once." More raucous laughter followed.
"Wait," Boss Fish interjected, confused. "Didn't they say it was only around five or six hundred ships when this whole thing started?" The number sounded vastly different now.
"Heh, shows what you know, fish-brain!" a one-eyed pirate leered, deciding to draw out the explanation. Boss Fish quickly refilled the one-eyed man's cup. "C'mon, old brother, spill the beans." The one-eyed pirate preened, tilting his head back smugly. "This time? Forget just North Blue! 'Cept for South Blue bein' too far away... Folks came pourin' in from East Blue and West Blue lookin' for a piece of the action!"
Good grief! Boss Fish thought. Three of the Four Blues converging? No wonder there are over a thousand ships. The sheer scale of it was terrifying to contemplate. "But still... what did this Hyena guy even do to kick up such a massive storm?" Boss Fish simply couldn't wrap his head around how a newly emerged pirate could attract such an overwhelming force.
"You were just a fisherman before," the one-eyed pirate sneered. "You wouldn't get it." For small-time pirates like them, life in the Four Blues was a constant struggle. Constantly hounded by the Marines, occasionally ambushed by bounty hunters... Even raiding merchant ships was risky; one wrong move and you could lose your own vessel. Being preyed upon by stronger forces was bad enough, but pirates were often even more vicious when fighting amongst themselves.
The bounty, while enormous, wasn't solely responsible for drawing such a massive crowd. And the three major powers wouldn't mobilize such an armada just to deal with Bellamy alone. The key factor was the target himself. 'Hyena' Bellamy was, until very recently, a complete unknown, rumored to be just a small-time thug who somehow got lucky. His official 35 million Navy bounty hadn't even circulated widely in the North Blue before the staggering 200 million black market bounty exploded across all networks. It was the classic scenario: a perceived weakling suddenly holding immense treasure. Everyone smelled an opportunity. This massive turnout wasn't solely due to the bounty's size, but a confluence of factors and perceived opportunity. You could say this Bellamy fellow just had spectacularly bad luck.
But hey, a score was a score. And this was potentially over 200 million Beli. Only an idiot wouldn't try their luck. With such a huge mobilization, so many players involved, everyone assumed the 'Hyena' was as good as dead. The only question was who would be lucky enough to land the killing blow or snag the head amidst the chaos. For these small-fry pirates, the goal wasn't a strategic victory, but simply hoping to get lucky and grab a valuable piece of the prize in the ensuing free-for-all. Sharing this opportunistic mindset were countless bounty hunters, mercenaries, adventurers, and even desperate fishermen like Boss Fish.
Not everyone was completely naive, of course. Some likely knew the 'Hyena' wasn't quite the pushover he was made out to be. But the sheer number of participants this time was simply overwhelming. Enough to instill a sense of collective confidence, bordering on arrogance, throughout the entire makeshift "Grand Fleet." The Hyena was doomed; the real game was how to secure the prize afterward. A combined bounty totaling 235 million Beli. Even on the Grand Line, that was a significant sum. For many, the focus had already shifted from 'the hunt' to 'claiming the spoils'.
"Huh? Hey, lads, what's that up there?" someone suddenly called out.
A small black dot had appeared high in the sky. Boss Fish, thinking the strong liquor was playing tricks on him, rubbed his eyes vigorously.
"Looks... like a person?" the one-eyed pirate squinted, fumbling for a spyglass. He raised it towards the dot. The moment the figure came into focus, the one-eyed man's body went rigid, trembling violently.
"It's... It's the Hyena!!" he shrieked. "What?!" "No way!"
Boss Fish roughly snatched the spyglass and aimed it upwards. A face he knew all too well filled the lens. Unmistakable. Even the jagged scar across the forehead matched perfectly. It really was the Hyena! Obsessed with claiming the bounty, Boss Fish had spent the last few days practically sleeping with Bellamy's wanted poster. But seeing that face now, real and descending towards them, Boss Fish began to shake uncontrollably.
Bellamy descended boldly from the sky, making no attempt at concealment. Every ship in the immediate vicinity spotted him instantly. Panic erupted throughout this motley vanguard fleet—this chaotic mix of pirates, hunters, and opportunists. Some ships immediately turned to flee, others scrambled to send signals, some charged forward recklessly, and a few even opened fire with cannons prematurely.
Aboard the small fishing boat directly below Bellamy, the men who had been drunkenly boasting moments before now felt their legs turn to jelly. Despite their earlier bravado, they knew deep down that a man with such a colossal bounty could swat them like flies.
"Good luck, brothers!" Boss Fish choked out. Before the words fully registered, he was gone, having thrown himself overboard into the vast ocean without a second thought. The fisherman had abandoned ship without hesitation.
"He's looking this way!" screamed the one-eyed pirate, still tracking Bellamy's descent.
Bellamy rapidly descended using Moon Walk, positioning himself directly above the vanguard fleet. He glanced down at the vessels scattered below and his eyes narrowed. Something wasn't right.
"Is that... a fucking fishing boat?"
Did these bastards take him for some kind of joke? A weakling anyone could take a shot at? The sight of fishing boats among the vessels sent to hunt him ignited a sudden, uncontrollable inferno of rage within Bellamy.
"BASTARDS! YOU UTTER BASTARDS!" he roared. Even the news that three major powers had united against him hadn't stoked such fury. This... This was humiliation beyond tolerance!
Blinding, murderous intent flooded his senses. With a savage stomp against the air itself, Bellamy abruptly appeared right above the stern of the fishing boat where the pirates had been drinking.
"Iron Body: Steel Kick!"
Channeling his fury, he drove his hardened foot straight down onto the boat's stern. The entire vessel bucked violently, tilting sharply under the impact. Several pirates who lost their footing tumbled into the sea, vanishing without even a splash. The remaining few clung desperately to railings and masts, trying to stay aboard.
But the explosive force of the kick imparted tremendous upward momentum to the fishing boat. To the utter astonishment of everyone watching, the twenty-meter-long fishing boat launched into the air, soaring upwards towards the sky.
"It's... flying?!" "The boat flew?!"
No one had ever witnessed such a bizarre spectacle. A boat, flying! Before the onlookers could even process it, Bellamy reappeared in mid-air beside the ascending vessel, grabbing its main mast firmly in his hand.
"NO ONE DARES HUMILIATE ME LIKE THIS!" he bellowed, his voice laced with fury. The terrified shrieks from the few remaining souls aboard the fishing boat did nothing to quell his rage.
Incandescent with rage, Bellamy swung the entire twenty-meter fishing boat like a club, bringing it down with devastating force onto a nearby medium-sized pirate sailboat. The impact of the fishing boat, plummeting from dozens of meters above, was more catastrophic than a barrage of cannonballs. There was no chance to resist, no time even to attempt evasion. The targeted sailboat was instantly obliterated, smashed into splinters. Dozens of unfortunate souls aboard were crushed instantly, reduced to paste. Hundreds more were flung screaming into the churning sea. A cacophony of panicked screams echoed across the water.
But just as terror began to grip the fleet, an even more horrifying sight unfolded.
The fishing boat—or what was left of it—shot back up into the sky! Bellamy, airborne once more, had kicked the makeshift weapon high into the air again.
Glaring down at the scattered vanguard fleet below, Bellamy's face contorted into an utterly merciless, savage grin. "I will grind you all into powder!"
Only now did these opportunistic hunters begin to truly comprehend the kind of monster they had provoked.
"Help me! Somebody, help!" "Retreat! Fall back! Now!" "Full sails! Get us out of here! Run!"