That gold was the last piece of evidence proving his ancestors weren’t lying.
Even though no one believed him.
But he would never hand it over.
Was this a fight to the death?
No, it had to be a fight to the death!
With that resolve, they took up battle stances.
However, the opposing crew merely laughed in response.
“Hahahaha! How foolish!”
“Know your place!”
“Three idiots—do you all have a death wish? Hahaha!”
The most arrogant among them was the first mate, Sarquiss.
“Hahaha, so you four pieces of trash actually want to entertain us? This is getting interesting!”
Through the open doorway, they noticed Vir rise from his seat and step towards the entrance.
Thinking he was about to intervene, the enemy crew immediately sneered.
Sarquiss didn’t waste more words. He gripped his twin Nepalese knives and charged forward.
The rest of the crew remained still.
From Bellamy’s perspective, Sarquiss alone was more than enough to deal with them.
Trash like them wasn’t worth his effort.
So, he watched with amusement from the back.
Sarquiss charged in aggressively, displaying an elaborate flurry of attacks against the three.
They didn’t dare hold back and fought with everything they had.
Yet, they quickly realized something.
This guy wasn’t as strong as he looked.
Three against one—he wasn’t their match at all.
The tide of battle shifted rapidly. Sarquiss, who had seemed formidable, was soon overwhelmed, forced completely into the defensive.
Bellamy’s expression darkened.
Was this guy really this weak?
Couldn’t even handle three nobodies?
Annoyed, he waved his hand, signaling for the rest of his men to join the fight.
Once again, the situation changed.
The two brothers held back the additional lackeys while Cricket fought Sarquiss one-on-one!
Bellamy thought, ‘This time, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?’
But reality once again defied his expectations.
After being treated by Vir once, Cricket’s strength had increased.
Now that he had adjusted to Sarquiss’ attacks, he quickly gained the upper hand, pinning Sarquiss down and beating him mercilessly.
Vir, watching from the side, didn’t move.
These guys… weren’t even a threat.
No need for him to step in just yet.
Meanwhile, Bellamy was completely disappointed.
“Trash! Get out of my way! I’ll handle this!”
Sarquiss, hearing this, scrambled back, his arrogance completely gone.
Bellamy, his legs already coiled with power, exploded forward!
His speed was so great that Cricket couldn’t react in time.
A devastating Spring Hopper punch smashed into Cricket’s face, sending him crashing to the ground.
He spat out several teeth on impact.
That punch had some serious force behind it.
Vir’s eyes lit up at the sight.
He had already gauged Bellamy’s strength the moment he saw him.
But this punch—
It was three times stronger than Bellamy’s usual maximum strength!
That was no small difference.
Seems like the Spring-Spring Fruit had some serious potential after all.
Vir decided to observe a bit longer to see if this guy had any more tricks up his sleeve.
Bellamy laughed wildly at Cricket, who lay groaning on the ground.
“Hahaha! Old man, with that pathetic strength, you think you can protect your gold? Dream on! Now, are you gonna hand it over willingly, or do you expect someone to save you?”
“But who could you possibly rely on? That pretty boy behind you? Hahahaha! He’s probably about to piss himself! A bounty-less nobody!”
Thinking he had the fight in the bag, Bellamy started taunting, even dragging Vir into his mockery.
‘This guy’s mouth is so damn foul! Acting like a big shot just because he’s got a couple of tricks. First thing I do when I fight him? Shut him up!’
Vir thought viciously.
Cricket struggled to his feet, assuming a defensive stance once more.
Bellamy’s laughter stopped.
He got serious.
This old man still dared to stand?
Unforgivable!
His legs compressed once more, springs forming along his limbs.
But this time, he didn’t charge directly at Cricket.
Instead, he bounced around like a rubber ball, ricocheting off the surroundings.
Faster and faster.
He moved so quickly that afterimages began to form.
Everything he touched—trees, buildings—shattered and collapsed.
Cricket’s face grew solemn, his body tensed to the extreme.
He knew—one mistake, and he would die.
Vir continued watching calmly.
This bouncing thing actually increased his speed. Not bad.
But suddenly, his expression changed.
Because the guy was now bouncing toward the Merry.
By now, the surrounding area was nearly destroyed.
That guy was likely planning to land one last kick on the Merry before launching his final attack.
If that was the case, Vir could no longer just stand by and watch.
Bellamy’s thoughts were exactly as Vir had suspected.
He was ready to smash the old man into pieces with one final blow!
His face twisted into a crazed grin.
Cricket’s heart sank. Judging from the destructive power Bellamy had just displayed, this kick would surely leave a massive hole in the Merry.
Instinctively, he turned to look at Vir, wondering what he would do.
But—
Vir was already gone.
*Boom!*
Bellamy made his final push!
Yet the expected explosion of speed never came.
Instead, he stopped mid-air.
As if something had glued him in place.
The Merry—completely unharmed.
On the ship’s deck, a lone figure stood.
His right hand stretched out, gripping Bellamy’s ankle.
“Kid, if I let you break this ship right in front of me, I’d be making a fool of myself.”
“It’s our companion too.”
The voice stunned everyone.
Wasn’t that the useless ship doctor?!
They all stared in disbelief at the figure in the dark.
Though it was difficult to see clearly, they could still make out that it was Vir.
Gasp!
When did he move there?!
Cricket’s eyes widened in shock.
That speed…
Just moments ago, Vir was still standing at the entrance!
Did he move faster than Bellamy, who had been storing energy for so long?!
What shocked him even more—
Vir had stopped Bellamy’s high-speed charge with just one hand.
It seemed simple, but in reality, it was anything but.
That massive kinetic force—
Had vanished in an instant!
Just how much strength did that require?!
How was this possible?
Wasn’t he supposed to be a guy without even a bounty?
—–
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