Foxy was momentarily stunned by the reactions of the people across from him.
What was going on?
Shouldn’t they be upset?
And how long has this bounty been out? Why do they all look like they’re seeing it for the first time?
From their perspective, the guy in the wanted poster—Vir—looked like some farmer driving a tractor.
More importantly, the standout aspect of this guy was his speed!
Speed and his kicking techniques.
That was exactly why they didn’t take Vir seriously!
After all, their captain had the perfect counter to speedsters!
As long as the omnidirectional, angle-less mirror reflection light hit its mark, the opponent would be done for!
So, despite Vir’s bounty being as high as 200 million berries, they never paid him any attention.
To them, he was nothing more than a small fry they could swat away at any moment.
They had never even given him a proper look.
“Oi! Are you going to accept the challenge or not?! If you don’t, we’re roasting Shelly and eating her!”
Foxy shouted, now visibly agitated.
These guys on the other side were really not taking him, Silver Fox, seriously!
How dare they ignore him!
Upon hearing this, Luffy, who had been kneeling on the ground sobbing, instantly sprang to his feet!
The bounty? That didn’t matter. Shelly was clearly more important.
This time, Luffy and his crew hadn’t run into that old man.
They had only encountered Shelly, the small horse, wandering alone.
“What?! No way! Shelly is our companion!” Luffy shouted with conviction.
“Then are you going to accept our challenge or not?!”
Foxy demanded, watching as Luffy prepared to agree without hesitation.
He couldn’t let Shelly get roasted!
The rest of the crew immediately saw through the ploy.
“Don’t agree to it!”
“Luffy! He’s definitely tricking you!”
“Stop believing random people, you idiot!”
The crew shouted as they rushed toward Luffy, intending to pin him down first and talk sense into him later.
But just as they restrained him—
“Gomu Gomu no Fusen!”
Luffy suddenly inflated like a balloon, sending everyone flying!
“I acc—”
Just as Luffy was about to blurt out his acceptance, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of him.
A fist rapidly expanded in his vision!
Since Luffy’s mouth was wide open at that moment, the fist shot straight into it!
It even bulged out from the back of his head!
“Ou~hrrg~”
With a strange noise, the full force of the punch landed on Luffy, sending his head snapping backward.
*BANG!!*
A loud crash echoed.
Zoro, clutching his head, let out a miserable yell.
Luffy was lying on the side, going “ooh ooh ooh~”
That punch had almost blown out his throat!
If not for Luffy’s fast digestion, he would have spewed out everything he just ate.
“They’re lying to you. Shelly isn’t even here.”
The one who had thrown the punch—Vir—spoke with a blank expression.
“WHAT?! They lied to me?! Damn it! I trusted them! They actually lied to me! Let me go! I’m gonna send them flying!”
If it had been anyone else, Luffy might not have believed them. He could be pretty stubborn like that.
But if it was Vir…
Then it must be true.
Everything he said was right…
Seeing this, the entire Foxy Pirates crew turned green with rage!
Success had been within their grasp!
That damned tractor driver!
Ruining their plan!
No! They had to salvage the situation!
Maybe they could still convince that Straw Hat guy!
Foxy quickly formulated his next move and turned to Vir, who stood at the forefront.
“Get lost, you damn lackey! Don’t interfere with a conversation between captains!”
Foxy completely dismissed Vir as an opponent.
He spoke with zero hesitation.
After all, he had taken down at least eighty speed specialists in his time.
The results were always the same: they never stood a chance against him.
That confidence gave Foxy the courage to mock the bounty of 200 million Berries slapped on Vir.
“Yeah! Damn tractor driver! Move aside!”
“A good dog knows not to block the road! Scram!”
“In front of our captain, you’re nothing but trash! Get lost!”
The rest of the crew joined in, hurling taunts.
“Straw Hat! If you don’t accept soon, we’re leaving for real! And we’re taking Shelly with us!”
“Are you really going to trust that weakling over us?”
Foxy kept pressuring Luffy, sneaking in insults toward Vir, as if trying to rile him up.
Maybe that would increase their chances of success.
At that moment, all eyes turned to Luffy.
But not just Luffy—every single member of the Straw Hat crew had the same strange expression.
What…
Were these guys doing?
Were they insane?
The crew exchanged looks, their faces filled with disbelief.
“They… Did they just insult Vir?” Luffy asked hesitantly.
“If our ears are working properly, yeah, they did.” Zoro confirmed, temporarily forgetting his own pain.
“These guys… are always this brave?” Sanji muttered, lighting a cigarette.
The last time Vir got mad was still fresh in their minds.
Back then, Crocodile had his kidney kicked to oblivion…
And according to Robin, after Vir found the heavily injured Crocodile, he even treated him.
That was what made Vir terrifying—
He didn’t just beat you up or kill you.
He made you wish you were dead instead.
Crocodile had it rough.
And these guys…
Had just dug their own graves.
Vir, now looking at the smug-faced Foxy, had already figured out their plan.
Relying on the Slow-Slow Beam to take him down?
With that extremely slow beam?
That thing hitting anyone was already ridiculous, and they thought it would work on him?
Alright. Fine.
If they were this cocky over something so laughable, then it was about time he put them in their place.
“You really think you can beat me?” Vir asked expressionlessly.
The Straw Hats, seeing his demeanor, knew instantly—these guys were done for.
Vir… looked pissed.
But Foxy and his crew, oblivious to the shift in atmosphere, froze for a second before bursting into laughter.
“Hahaha! This idiot! He thinks he can beat the boss!”
“Yeah! If he comes close, he’s eating a Slow Beam! Does he really think he’s some big shot?”
Foxy himself was laughing so hard he could barely stand straight.
After a long chuckle, he looked at Vir with a relaxed grin.
“Alright, fine! I’ll give you a chance! Come on, try and kill me! Fehfehfehfeh!”
But the moment he finished speaking, Vir vanished.
Foxy’s expression changed instantly.
That speed! Too fast!
Where did he go?! He hadn’t seen a thing!
But no problem! As long as he appeared—
As long as he was hit by the Noro Noro Beam, he was finished!
At that moment, a shadow materialized in front of Foxy like a ghost.
In Vir’s hand, a lightning-charged sword crackled.
Foxy panicked and tried to raise his hand to fire—
*SLASH!!*
A flash of the blade.
*THUD!*
Two severed hands hit the ground.
Silence engulfed the battlefield.
Every eye widened in horror.
Vir’s lightning sword slowly faded as he smiled at the trembling Foxy.
“So… Do you still think you can win?”