The first half of the Grand Line — Paradise.
Even the Navy and World Government can't be bothered to manage this place, a notorious pirate gathering point known as Mock Town, nicknamed the sewer of Paradise.
After spending several hours traveling, Eden and his companions finally arrived at the town.
"Woo~"
As they neared the town, Little Black let out a soft cry.
Since Little Black was still just a child and had never visited a human town like Mock Town, nor seen so many humans before…
He felt a bit socially anxious. So instead of approaching the town, he stopped 100 meters away, revealing only his massive head, watching as Eden and the others rode the Supreme Shark to shore. Then, he slowly submerged into the sea.
"Little Black, go hide in the nearby waters for now," Eden said. "I'll call you when I need you~"
After waving goodbye to Little Black, Eden led Natsu, Nami, Juvia, and Happy into Mock Town.
During the hours spent together, Eden had fully mastered how to summon Little Black…
At the same time, Eden had further unlocked the power of the Sea King Dragon Slayer Magic Crystal.
"So this is Mock Town?"
"Doesn't feel very special."
"Yeah, pretty underwhelming…"
As soon as Natsu and the others stepped onto the island, their faces filled with curiosity. The first thing they saw was a massive sign reading 'Mock Town'. Behind it were two neat rows of stores, and clean streets stretched before them. The place looked humble and frugal, which felt off.
This wasn't the chaotic pirate hub they imagined Mock Town would be.
"Don't let the appearance fool you," Eden warned. "Mock Town is one of the pirate dens in the Grand Line. It's a lawless place where the strong prey on the weak. We must stay on guard and be ready to fight at any moment."
"Got it," Nami and Happy responded immediately, striking alert stances. Their sharp eyes scanned the surroundings for threats.
"Understood," Natsu nodded. "So basically, the whole island's full of bad guys?"
"If we see bad guys, we beat them all up!"
Simple and brutal. Natsu was already itching for a fight.
Juvia, who had remained silent, finally understood Eden's warning after hearing Natsu's explanation. She admired how quickly he grasped Eden's message.
Eden sighed, "That's not exactly what I meant… but whatever, close enough."
"Welcome to Mock Town's Pirate Resort~"
Just as Eden and the group stepped past the sign and onto the clean streets—
A massive man over two meters tall, broad and scarred, strode toward them with an intimidating aura.
They prepared for a confrontation… but the man suddenly grinned and said with a flattering tone, "I'm your tour guide! Just call me ROSE."
Yup, this bulky guy's name was ROSE — the ultimate mismatch.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
Before the man could finish, Natsu's fist landed squarely on his face.
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, the man shot into the sky like a rocket and splashed down into the sea.
"Uh…"
"ROSE is down."
"The newcomers are hostile!"
"Grab your weapons!"
The whole of Mock Town erupted into chaos.
Store owners and resting pirates alike drew weapons and rushed toward Eden's group from all directions.
"Why did you attack one of our people?!" one of the pirate leaders snarled at Eden and Natsu.
"Nah, Eden told me to do it," Natsu answered without hesitation, immediately throwing Eden under the bus.
"Huh?!" Eden looked baffled.
"Speak up!"
"Why did you let your underling attack people?!" the pirate leader shouted, glaring at Eden.
"They're surrounding us now, so it's fair game, right?"
Before Eden could respond, Natsu cracked his knuckles and ankles with a loud pop and smiled, "Time to work off that meal!"
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
"Roar of the Fire Dragon!"
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art… Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!"
Natsu rampaged like a dragon among sheep, engulfed in flames as he pounded the pirates.
"AAAHHH!"
With a thunderous roar, nearly a hundred pirates surrounding them were sent flying and scattered into the sea — just like ROSE.
"Seriously!"
"Do we need a reason to beat up evil pirates?!" Natsu sighed as he looked at the unconscious enemies he'd taken down in under five minutes.
Yeah, at this moment, Natsu was going full villain mode.
"Beating up pirates isn't wrong…" Nami admitted, wincing at the destroyed street. "But wasn't this a little overkill?"
"You bunch of weaklings!"
"You got taken out this easily?!"
"Looks like I'll have to handle the intruders myself before the Boss Lady gets angry…"
As Nami grumbled about the wreckage, a man with a headband, blue vest, black pants, and long blond hair walked over with disdainful eyes and reverence for someone called the Boss Lady.
"Look, it's Executioner Rossio!"
"His bounty is 42 million Berries!"
"Ha! These damn intruders are screwed now!"
Pirates who had been knocked out earlier but barely survived were now cheering at the newcomer — Rossio, a famous pirate enforcer under Mock Town's queen. He was known as the town's so-called disciplinarian.
"You lot, listen up! Hand over your money and get out of my town, or I'll show you what true pain feels li—"
"Who the hell are you?!"
Before Rossio could finish, Natsu's fist smashed into his face.
BOOM!
The pirates watching were stunned by the sound, then watched in disbelief as Rossio turned into a shining star in the sky.
"Rossio's down too?!"
"A 42-million bounty pirate got flattened?!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
Panic swept through the town.
Then one of the pirates pulled out the newest bounty posters, which had just arrived that morning. He compared them to Eden and the others, then screamed:
"Crap! It's that guy who tore up the East Blue, fought Mihawk without losing, and got a bounty of 120 million before even entering the Grand Line! That Supernova 'Sea Emperor' Eden!!"
"What did you say?!"
Mock Town descended into chaos.
~# Every 30 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter