One day later. The little boat scraped onto the shore of a tiny island. Starving, Xiaoliang hauled himself up by the mast, eyes gleaming like 24-karat gold as he scanned for a tavern—any place with food.
A rundown bar caught his eye. He bolted inside at Messi-level speed. "Boss! Gimme anything edible and two bottles of rum!"
"Coming right up, sir!"
Belly full, cheeks warm: "Boss, where the hell am I? Drifted here half-dead on that dinghy."
"This is Fairy Tail Island, East Blue. Legend says a giant red fox spirit once guarded it. Never seen it myself—just old folks' tales."
"KILL! Grab every valuable, take the women, slaughter the men. ZWA-HA-HA-HA! My bounty's gonna skyrocket!" A 2.5-meter brute brandished a massive cleaver, mowing down villagers who dared resist.
"Yes, Captain!" His crew stared in awe.
"Guest, hide!" The bar owner shoved Xiaoliang into a hidden compartment beneath the liquor cabinet as panic spread. "That's the infamous East Blue pirate Brown Bear Billy, captain of the Brown Bear Pirates—2.3 million Berry bounty!"
The owner stumbled outside, nearly collapsing at the sight of his friends' corpses.
"Great Pirate, sir! I'm the tavern keeper. I've prepared fine wine and food for you and your men. Please… spare the islanders." He kowtowed, forehead slamming the floor.
"ZWA-HA-HA! Someone knows the great Brown Bear Billy! To the tavern, boys!"
While the crew gorged and guzzled, the trembling owner approached again. "Captain Billy, this is a poor island. I'll have the villagers hand over every coin and jewel—just let us live."
A flash of steel. The owner's head hit the floor before the plea ended.
"ZWA-HA-HA! Who the hell are you to tell me what to do? Kill them all—everything's mine now. Finish eating, then burn and loot!"
"Yes, Boss!" The pirates scarfed the last scraps, seized weapons, and charged the defenseless residents.
Fairy Tail Island—annihilated. Not a soul left alive. That night, Xiaoliang crept from the compartment. Corpses littered the streets—old, young, men, women, even the tavern's dog. Black bloodstains screamed of a massacre straight out of a slaughterhouse.
Teeth grinding, veins bulging on his arms: So this is the real pirate world. Not Oda's "just knock 'em out" fairy tale. Oda doesn't know jack about pirates.
He lit a torch and set the houses ablaze. Rest in peace, good people.
Staggering toward the beach: "Haul the boat higher—don't let waves take it. Came for supplies… got this instead. Whatever. Check the forest for anything useful." He stared at the dark treeline and muttered.