The voice was filled with undisguised disdain and mockery, carrying a trace of ridicule as well.
The sudden remark immediately dampened the atmosphere of Rojen and his companions' discussion.
Daz Bonez raised his head and coldly glanced at the speaker.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
To everyone's surprise, after that man spoke, many others in the tavern burst into laughter as well.
"What a bunch of idiots. Still believing in the fairy tale of Skypiea!"
"For so many years, has anyone ever actually gone up to Skypiea? And you're still dreaming about it?"
"Give it up. There's no such island in this world!"
Some wore expressions of scorn, some doubt, and others cold amusement. There are always people who, once convinced of something, expect everyone else to believe the same thing. Human beings often cling to the illusion that they alone are correct.
"You brats, are you still trapped in your dreams? You should wake up already. It's pathetic."
The man who had spoken first walked over with a sneer, holding a wine glass in his hand. He carried himself with an air of superiority, as if he were standing above everyone else, lecturing and educating them from a lofty position.
"No, Skypiea really does exist!"
Suddenly, a young girl's sharp voice sounded from a corner of the tavern, drawing everyone's attention.
Seeing the fierce looks of the pirates, the little girl shrank back in fear. Yet she still stubbornly lifted her chin and repeated softly:
"Skypiea is in the sky."
"It exists."
"You little girl who still smells of milk, what do you know?" The man barked viciously.
"Skypiea?"
He pointed upward with his index finger and sneered.
"Above our heads there are only clouds. Where's this island you're talking about?"
"An island floating in the sky?"
"How childish, and you people are the same. Like children, always chasing impossible dreams."
As he spoke, his expression became increasingly twisted.
"People like you make me sick!"
He exaggerated a disgusted expression.
The entire tavern erupted into laughter. Every face was filled with mockery and ridicule. Not a single person believed Skypiea truly existed.
There was a reason for that. The speaker was Kabuki, the famous pirate known as the Butcher of the Grinder City, a man with a bounty of 58 million Berries.
On this island, he stood high above most others. His extensive sailing experience and impressive bounty had earned him a unique status, attracting a large number of followers and admirers.
"As for disgusting dreamers like you… I've decided to grind you into pieces!" Kabuki burst into laughter.
Then his right arm suddenly stretched outward and underwent a bizarre transformation.
In an instant, it became a massive meat grinder.
Wuuuuung!
The machine roared as it spun at terrifying speed. The enormous gears rotated so fast that they became a blur.
A violent wind blasted through the tavern.
Seeing this, many of the pirates present shouted excitedly.
"It's Kabuki's grinder!"
"Someone's about to be turned into minced meat again!"
"This is amazing!"
"I get to watch Kabuki grind someone up with my own eyes!"
"Die! Die!"
"I love watching naïve little rookies get shredded into powder!"
The pirates screamed excitedly, their twisted enthusiasm on full display.
Not a single person showed any sympathy for Rojen's group. They resembled spectators in an ancient gladiatorial arena, interested only in bloodshed and entertainment.
Encouraged by the crowd's support, Kabuki became even more smug.
With a swing of his grinder-arm, he launched an attack directly toward Rojen's head.
At that moment, none of the people in the tavern noticed the expressions on the faces of the Nether Soul Pirates.
Every member of the crew wore the same look.
Cold.
Indifferent.
And beyond that coldness and indifference… There was a deep, unmistakable contempt.
They had no interest in speaking to trash who didn't even understand what dreams were.
Wuuuuung! Wuuuuung! Wuuuuung!
The roar of the meat grinder was deafening as it echoed into Rojen's ears. Kabuki was standing behind Rojen, and the massive spinning grinder descended toward his head in an instant.
Yet at that moment, Rojen's expression did not change in the slightest.
His right hand remained steady and calm as he slowly raised his glass of beer, poured the contents into his mouth, and swallowed. His composed behavior surprised many of the pirates present, and some even felt a trace of admiration.
Kabuki, however, was furious. He was a great pirate with a bounty of fifty-eight million Berries. Yet the person he was attacking was completely ignoring him.
"I want you dead! A naïve brat like you doesn't deserve to sail these seas!" He roared as the grinder came crashing down.
Anyone could imagine the result.
If that spinning machine touched Rojen's head, death would be instantaneous.
Even at this critical moment, not a single member of the Nether Soul Pirates moved.
They simply remained seated in silence.
In a corner of the tavern, Dina cried out in alarm. She wanted to warn Rojen, but her father grabbed her arm.
Father and daughter huddled together, watching anxiously. They could tell that the vicious man capable of transforming his arm into a meat grinder was extremely dangerous.
"These guys have been scared stiff by Kabuki!"
"Hahahaha!"
"They're dead for sure!"
Several pirates nearby shouted excitedly, but in the very next second, everyone's expressions froze.
The excitement and savagery on Kabuki's face instantly transformed into terror and disbelief. The wind generated by the spinning grinder was less than an inch from touching Rojen's head.
Several strands of his black hair had already been sliced off.
Yet at that exact moment, Kabuki's descending right arm stopped.
Completely.
It was as though an indescribable force had locked him in place.
No matter how hard he struggled, no matter how much strength he used, he could not move even slightly.
Then Rojen finished his beer.
He placed the empty mug firmly onto the table.
Thunk.
And spoke coldly.
"Kneel."
His voice was not loud. Yet it struck every pirate present like a massive hammer crashing into their hearts.
That single word was so overwhelming that several weak-willed pirates instinctively dropped to their knees with a thump.
Only after kneeling did they realize what they had done, their faces filling with fear.
"What did you say?!" Kabuki's face twisted with disbelief and rage.
But in the very next instant… A terrifying pressure descended upon him.
His waist and knees could no longer remain straight.
Thump!
He crashed onto his knees.
The tavern fell silent.
All laughter.
All ridicule.
All mockery.
Vanished completely.
Every pirate in the tavern stared in utter disbelief.
No one understood what had just happened, but they had all clearly witnessed it.
Kabuki the Grinder.
The domineering pirate with a bounty of fifty-eight million Berries. The fearsome man who had been showing off his power only moments ago.
Was now kneeling directly before the man he had just mocked.
And from beginning to end, that man had not even bothered to argue with him.
He had only said one word.
"Kneel."
"And... he really knelt!"
Gasps echoed throughout the tavern before a chill ran down the pirates' spines.
For the first time, they were genuinely afraid.
At that moment, Rojen slowly rose from his seat.
"Let's go somewhere else… We ran into a disgusting fly."
"I've lost my appetite."
(End Of This Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395