The voyage went far more smoothly than expected.
It was almost as if the wind and currents themselves were pushing them forward.
Barrel Island, which they had originally expected to reach around noon the following day, was already visible through the thin morning mist by sunrise.
As soon as the lookout gave the signal, the crew expertly lowered their pirate flag and replaced it with an ordinary merchant flag.
It was standard procedure whenever they docked at a port that wasn’t controlled by pirates.
The ship eased alongside the pier.
Sammy planted one foot on the gunwale, his body swaying slightly with the motion of the vessel.
His eyes swept across the deck, taking in the impatient faces of his crew, and he couldn’t help laughing.
“Look at you idiots.
Your bodies are still on the ship, but your souls are already sitting inside a tavern, aren’t they?”
The crew burst into knowing laughter.
“All right, listen up!”
The smile disappeared from Sammy’s face.
He didn’t raise his voice much, but the deck immediately quieted as everyone turned their attention toward him.
“Same rules as always.
First squad of the sailing division stays behind to guard the ship today.
Keep your eyes open and don’t get careless.
Everyone else will disembark in batches—combat division first, then the sailors, then logistics.”
He paused before continuing.
“Our first priority is supplies!
Fresh water, food, medicine, rope, sailcloth—your squad leaders already have the lists.
Everything must be purchased and loaded aboard before noon.”
Sammy grinned.
“After that, your time is your own.
Understood?”
“Yes, Captain!”
Before long, the docks were filled with the noisy bustle of Sammy’s crew.
His men bargained with local merchants, hauled crates of supplies across the wooden pier, and carried everything back onto the ship.
Sammy remained aboard for a while, personally overseeing the resupply operation to make sure nothing went wrong.
“Captain!
Quit standing around on the ship and come into town with us!”
“Yeah, Captain!
We finally made landfall.
Come have a drink!”
Several officers who were particularly close to Sammy gathered around him, eagerly trying to drag him along.
Seeing the expectant looks on their faces, Sammy smiled and finally gave in.
“All right.
Let’s go take a look around.”
Together, they walked along the rough wooden pier toward the settlement known as Barrel Town.
Meanwhile, inside the largest tavern in town—the Sea Monster’s Throat—the atmosphere was already loud and lively.
The place was packed with all kinds of people: sailors, bounty hunters, gangsters, and even a few smugglers who appeared to be quietly discussing business.
“I’m telling you, if you ever sail near Stoneclaw Peninsula, don’t mess with ships from the Kano Country!
Those idiots from the Blood Blade Gang thought they were tough, and then—poof!
One entire branch wiped off the map.”
Beside him, a muscular man with a scar across his face took a huge gulp of liquor before slamming his mug down.
“Hmph!
The Happo Navy only wins because they have numbers!”
At that moment, the tavern owner, a burly, heavily bearded man, began tearing several old wanted posters from the wall.
“Hey, boss!” a sharp-eyed customer called out.
“The Rumbar Pirates are already being taken down?”
“Taken down?”
The owner didn’t even turn around.
“They’ve moved up in the world!
The whole crew crossed Reverse Mountain and entered the Grand Line!”
“The Grand Line…”
Someone sighed, his voice carrying equal parts longing and respect.
“Those Rumbar Pirates really are pretty strong.
Hope they make a name for themselves out there.”
While everyone was still talking, the tavern owner pulled out a fresh stack of wanted posters and began nailing them onto the board.
“Eh?
Wait a second…”
A sailor wearing a battered tricorne hat narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to one of the newly posted bounties.
“What the hell is this pink thing?”
His companion glanced over.
“Pfft—!”
He nearly sprayed a mouthful of rum across the table.
“Hahaha!
J-Jellyfish Head?!”
The man slapped his thigh, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
“Everyone, come look at this!
This guy—hahaha!
‘Jellyfish Head’ Ribera Sammy!
Jellyfish Head!
What kind of ridiculous nickname is that?!
And this idiot has a bounty of seven million Berries?!”
In an instant, the entire tavern’s attention shifted toward the wanted poster.
The photograph showed what appeared to be a young man, but there was something bizarre about his head.
A translucent pink jellyfish seemed to be sitting over it, partially obscuring his features and making his face look strangely distorted.
Combined with the painfully straightforward nickname “Jellyfish Head,” the image looked completely out of place among all the wanted posters filled with scarred faces, vicious grins, and murderous eyes.
A second later, the tavern exploded with laughter.
“Pfft!
That’s it?!
Jellyfish Head?!
Hahaha!”
“He’s worth seven million Berries?
Did the Marines make a mistake?”
“Boss.”
A man who looked like a bounty hunter finally managed to stop laughing.
“What did this Jellyfish Head do to deserve seven million?
Did he pull off something huge?”
“Exactly!” another scar-faced bounty hunter complained bitterly.
“I’ve been risking my neck on the sea for five damn years, and my head is only worth four million!”
In the West Blue of this era, a seven-million-Berry bounty was nothing to laugh at.
It was enough to make someone a fairly well-known threat within the region—a pirate whose strength and actions had already begun attracting serious attention.
The tavern owner continued wiping a glass as he glanced at Sammy’s wanted poster.
“From what I’ve heard, this guy specializes in attacking gang-owned ships.
He hits hard, moves fast, and he’s been seriously disrupting the big bosses’ business at sea.”
The owner shrugged.
“The Marines probably don’t mind watching gangsters tear each other apart, but they still have to keep up appearances.
And there’s another rumor going around…”
He lowered the glass slightly.
“Apparently, he’s a Devil Fruit user.
Something strange about his abilities.”
“Jack the Ripper.
Six million Berries.”
A new voice suddenly cut through the conversation.
It came from the bartender, who had been silently polishing glasses the entire time.
The tavern grew slightly quieter.
Without stopping what he was doing, the bartender continued.
“Jack lost.”
Several heads turned toward him.
“Ribera Sammy took him alive—crew, ship, everything.
Then Jack was sold to an auction house in the Grand Line.”
“What?!”
“Jack the Ripper was captured alive?!
And sold in the Grand Line?!”
One man stared at the poster again.
“This guy is actually that strong?”
“BULLSHIT!”
A scar-faced brute suddenly slammed both hands onto the table.
A short blade hung from his waist, the same style of weapon Jack the Ripper had been known to carry.
“There’s no way Boss Jack lost to some ridiculous clown like this!”
The tavern owner gave the brute a cold look.
“Black Snake, the information came from Raven.
If you don’t believe it, go ask him yourself.”
The moment he heard Raven’s name, the brute’s anger visibly faltered.
Black Snake reluctantly sat back down.
“I… I still don’t believe it.”
But his outburst had the opposite effect of what he intended.
Instead of making everyone doubt Sammy’s strength, it made the story sound even more believable.
“Ribera Sammy…”
An older sailor who looked particularly well-informed stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“I feel like I’ve heard that name before.
Isn’t he the pirate captain who’s famous for being generous with his men?
The one who divides the loot fairly?”
The moment he said it, another man’s eyes lit up.
“That’s right!”
He slapped his thigh.
“Ribera Sammy!
I remember now!
That’s his crew!
I heard whenever they split their loot, that captain doesn’t hold back at all.
He pays his men way better than those stingy bastards on other ships.”
The man laughed.
“No wonder his crew is willing to risk their lives for him!”
“Oh!
So that’s who he is!”
Another customer stared at the wanted poster with newfound interest.
“No wonder he can afford to be so generous.
He specifically targets gangs!
Those bastards are loaded.
The more he steals, the more he has to divide among his crew.”
He clicked his tongue enviously.
“Damn.
Those guys must be swimming in money.”
Then another voice rose from the crowd.
“Wait.
Something doesn’t add up.”
The speaker frowned.
“Hasn’t this crew been active for quite a while already?
Why is the bounty only coming out now?
Aren’t the Marines and those gangs a little too slow?”
The tavern owner snorted.
“I heard Sammy has a ridiculous number of rules on his ship.
Apparently, a few of his men caused trouble some time ago.
He didn’t kill them, though.
Gave them some money and kicked them off the ship.”
He jerked his chin toward the wanted poster.
“If you ask me, those men probably held a grudge after getting thrown out.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they turned around and sold him out.”
The owner spread his hands.
“Otherwise, how do you think the Marines suddenly got their hands on his photograph and enough information to put a bounty on him?”
“So that’s what happened!”
“There were traitors inside his own crew!”
“Damn…”
The discussion quickly spread through the tavern.
In only a few minutes, everyone’s impression of “Jellyfish Head” Sammy had changed.
At first, he had been nothing more than a ridiculous-looking pirate with an equally ridiculous nickname.
Now, however, the laughter had faded into something far more complicated.
Wariness.
Curiosity.
And perhaps even a little respect.
BANG!
The tavern’s flimsy wooden door was suddenly shoved open with enough force to slam against the wall.
A young voice, carrying a hint of impatience, came from the entrance.
“Boss!
You got anything to eat?
I’m starving!”
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