Minion Island, Neon Town.
A town of a few tens of thousands of people couldn't possibly be without its dark and chaotic corners, especially in the world of One Piece.
The Bearded Mug tavern was a haven specifically for pirates. The owner was a retired pirate with connections and strength; few dared to cause trouble there. With little else for entertainment in the town, it was one of the few gathering places for pirates once night fell.
Right now, the tavern was at its liveliest. Scantily clad waitresses carried trays, weaving busily through the patrons. Scruffy, bearded pirates brandished their swords and guns, boasting loudly at their tables about their glorious pasts. At the bar, the tavern owner greedily counted the day's earnings, deliberately ignoring the more outrageous behavior of some of the pirates.
In a corner of the tavern, four figures in gray jackets were drinking and talking. They deliberately kept their voices low, seemingly not wanting others to overhear their conversation, a stark contrast to the general atmosphere of the tavern.
"Hey, it's getting late. Do you think that Bellamy guy is even coming back?"
The Hyena's supposedly secret operation hadn't been hidden from them at all. They were the ones who had gotten the information about the Devil Fruit. If they weren't so weak, Bellamy wouldn't have had a chance to make a move.
"Shouldn't we go support the boss? He might not be able to handle those mountain bandits alone." A guy with a sallow complexion and several missing teeth surprisingly voiced concern for Bellamy's safety.
The other thugs present immediately burst into laughter.
"Hey, hey, Ross! Seriously?"
"Since when did you become Bellamy's loyal lapdog?"
The Hyena was no good guy. These small-time crooks hadn't chosen to follow him with the best of intentions.
Seeing his companions mocking him, Ross nervously shrank back. "No, no, I just..."
Just then, a deep voice came from behind him. "Just what?"
The voice was familiar. Ross, startled, jumped to his feet. "Boss!"
"You still know I'm the boss?"
Bellamy had heard every word of their discussion. He'd originally planned to eliminate all of them, but this Ross was an unexpected surprise.
"Bellamy, you actually came back unscathed!"
The other thugs, seeing that he'd returned and even found them, stood up in a panic.
The original Bellamy had been on the brink of death; how could he be unscathed? His injuries were merely suppressed by the power of the Devil Fruit. Bellamy was still aching all over. If it weren't for the need to deal with these guys quickly, he would have gone straight to the hospital.
"Bellamy? You don't even want to call me 'boss' anymore?" It seemed his decision was indeed correct. If he let these guys go unchecked, who knew what kind of trouble they'd cause.
Thinking of this, Bellamy suddenly laughed. "In that case, I'll just send you on your way."
Hearing these words, even the dullest among them started to realize something was wrong.
"Hyena! What do you think you're doing?!"
Their argument quickly attracted the attention of others. Pirates turned their gazes to the corner. Even the tavern owner, engrossed in his money, instinctively looked up.
While the thugs were still hesitating about what to do next, Bellamy made his move.
Swish, swish, swish, swish.
Ross only saw a few afterimages flash by, and then his three companions clutched their throats and collapsed.
"So fast!"
He could only see shadows. Ross's forehead broke out in cold sweat. He knew the Hyena had definitely gotten the Devil Fruit, but while Bellamy had been strong before, he was nowhere near this terrifying. He hadn't even seen how Bellamy had attacked. What kind of fruit did Bellamy obtain?
Ross, who was so close, hadn't seen Bellamy's punches clearly, let alone the other patrons in the tavern.
"So fast."
"Who is he?"
"It's Hyena Bellamy! How did he suddenly become so strong?"
The pirates might be the scum of the sea, but their eyesight was far superior to ordinary people. Just by seeing the blurry fist shadows, they knew Bellamy was no longer someone ordinary pirates could provoke.
"Dispose of their bodies."
The ice-cold voice came from beside him. Ross instinctively straightened his posture. "Yes, Boss!"
Hearing this, Ross breathed a huge sigh of relief. He knew he'd saved his own skin.
The scene had also been witnessed by the tavern owner. The old pirate was clearly a smart man, and a very perceptive one at that. He could tell at a glance that the Hyena was no longer ordinary. He also seemed to have a vague idea of what had happened.
When Bellamy's gaze swept over him, the old pirate wisely lowered his head.
"Heh."
Seeing the tavern owner's tact, Bellamy dismissed the idea of causing further trouble and decided to head to the hospital to deal with his injuries first. His wounds were somewhat serious and needed immediate attention.
He strode to the door, about to leave. The pirates in the tavern were just about to breathe a sigh of relief when, suddenly, Bellamy stopped, turned around, and scanned the entire tavern.
As his eyes moved, the pirates lowered their heads. Not a single one dared to step forward and cause a scene. Bellamy hadn't intended to establish his dominance, but, somewhat unexpectedly, he'd intimidated this group of pirate scumbags. It seemed pirates were quite adept at survival.
"I'm recruiting members to form a pirate crew. Anyone who wants to join me can contact Ross." He pointed at the sweat-drenched Ross and quickly left.
Shortly after he left, the pirates, finally confirming he wouldn't be back, erupted into a heated discussion. The topics revolved around why the Hyena had suddenly become so strong, whether or not to follow him, and so on.
The formerly insignificant, low-life Ross suddenly became a hot commodity.
Meanwhile, the subject of their discussion, Bellamy, was walking alone on the chilly streets of Neon Town.
"Spring Snipe: Compressing my fist like a spring and then launching it."
He carefully considered the technique he had just used.
It was a simple move, not even requiring development. The moment he became the Spring-Spring Man, Bellamy could easily execute it. The strength of the punch depended primarily on the user's physical condition. To become a gang leader in a small town, the original Bellamy's strength naturally wouldn't have been too bad.
Previously, the Hyena could easily shatter a rock with a single punch. And now, after becoming the Spring-Spring Man, Bellamy felt his strength had increased by at least two-fold.
In this small town, that level of power was already considered top-tier. But Bellamy was a transmigrator; he knew how terrifying this world truly was. "This little bit of strength is nothing."
In the New World, even grunts knew a few Armament Haki techniques. Without Haki, you weren't even fit to be cannon fodder.