A surging power was welling up from deep within Bellamy's body. He was intoxicated by this sensation, a feeling akin to awakening to bullet-time.
His vision blurred, then shifted, entering a completely new world. He saw a slick, viscous, bizarre tunnel, everything within it constantly writhing. The sight was both familiar and utterly alien.
As his perspective plunged deeper, Bellamy finally realized—wasn't this inside his own body?
His internal organs, blood vessels, muscles… the movements of his various organs were the very manifestation of his life force. This was the first time he'd ever seen the inside of his body so clearly. This kind of internal observation was a rare and invaluable opportunity.
Recognizing this chance, Bellamy greedily examined every inch of his internal landscape, attempting to cram all the information into his mind.
Time seemed to lose all meaning. Then, a dizzying sensation pulled him back, and Muret's worried face swam into view. The potion's effects had ended; everything was returning to normal.
Bellamy first touched his hair, then his teeth – they had all grown back. He examined his skin; the pockmarked areas were completely restored. It seemed the natives hadn't lied to him; the potion truly could help him recover from his injuries.
The efficacy of the Life Flower Elixir far exceeded his expectations. Moreover, it was said that this secret potion could also increase the body's resistance to toxins. If that was true, then this trip had been more than worth it.
"Captain, do you feel any discomfort?" Muret had been terrified when Bellamy had fallen into that trance-like state earlier. She'd almost resorted to emergency measures, but thankfully, he'd quickly regained consciousness.
"I'm fine. I feel… fantastic."
Bellamy truly felt better than he ever had before. His body felt like it had reverted to his youth, a vibrant vitality surging within him. This life force was no illusion. Bellamy couldn't help but squeeze his leg bone; something seemed to be growing there. This was a sign that his body was undergoing a second growth spurt.
"Did you learn the formula for this potion?"
Having experienced the miraculous effects of the Life Flower Elixir, Bellamy couldn't help but inquire about the details.
"It's all under control, Captain. Don't worry."
The Life Flower Elixir's formula was incredibly complex, requiring considerable time even to memorize. So, Muret had simply taken the formula sheet with her. The key issue, however, was the ingredients. Without the ingredients, the formula was useless.
The Bellamy Pirates couldn't stay on Bird Dropping Island permanently. In fact, according to Bellamy's ambitious plans, he would soon set sail for the East Blue. After obtaining what he'd long coveted in the East Blue, they would enter the Grand Line.
Therefore, if they wanted to obtain more Life Flower Elixir, the formula had to be modified. The ingredients that only existed on Bird Dropping Island needed to be replaced with common medicinal herbs.
Bellamy knew nothing about potion brewing. Fortunately, there were two experts in this field on his crew, so he could confidently entrust this task to them. Whether they could succeed or not was beyond his control.
Having received such a pleasant surprise, Bellamy was in high spirits. This surge of vitality would also be extremely helpful in his comprehension of Life Return. He just didn't know how long this state would last. If it could be maintained permanently, he'd be laughing in his dreams.
However, Bellamy was a clear-headed individual. He knew that was impossible. The duration of this state would definitely be short, he guessed within a few hours. The Red Flame pirates weren't idiots. If this potion was truly heaven-defying, this small underground village would have been surrounded long ago and exploited to the fullest.
Even so, Bellamy was already very satisfied. After all, it was an unexpected boon.
With this good mood, he arrived outside the cursed cave and sat down cross-legged, patiently waiting.
Several hours later, all the villagers had evacuated. Only Bellamy and his three crewmates remained in the underground village.
The effects of the Life Flower Elixir hadn't completely worn off yet. Bellamy, who had been waiting for this moment, decisively ripped off the chains tightly wound around the gate.
"Everyone, be on guard."
He scanned his companions and nodded in satisfaction.
"Pay attention, I'm opening the gate."
Bellamy held a healthy respect for the unknown.
"Creak…"
With a sound like grinding teeth, the gate slowly opened. An extremely chilling aura flowed out from the dark depths of the cave.
This cave was definitely strange!
Although he had been mentally prepared, when truly facing the unknown, Bellamy realized he had still underestimated the danger here. In an instant, he quickly reached out and slammed the gate shut.
The moment the gate closed, the chilling aura vanished without a trace. This phenomenon made Bellamy's expression even more serious.
"Drake, go outside and catch a few birds. Alive."
He had Drake bring an extra full-face gas mask so the birds wouldn't die from poisoning.
"You two, go outside and wait."
"Captain!"
Hearing this order, Muret and Mia both shouted in protest.
"Get out. And wait."
This time, Bellamy's tone was even sterner.
When that aura had spread over his body earlier, he'd felt a shiver run through him. Even his instincts were trembling. This was something they couldn't handle.
Before long, Drake returned to the cave with five lively birds. Bellamy grabbed two and held them in his hands. "Drake, be careful."
"If some kind of ghost comes out, don't try to tank it with your body."
He raised the birds in his hands. "Use live bait to test it."
According to the legend of the curse, after the cave was opened, people would die at intervals. It wasn't a one-time slaughter, but rather spread out over time, which meant the monster inside wasn't the type to go on a killing spree. And it could be "fed".
Thinking about it further, this monster was either restrained by something or had low intelligence, acting purely on instinct. Whichever the case, having a few live creatures on hand wouldn't hurt.
Having made his final preparations, Bellamy opened the gate again.
The chilling aura flowed out once more. Bellamy and Drake exchanged a look, but neither made a rash move.
"Throw one in."
Drake agreed with Bellamy's caution. This place was indeed far too eerie. He forcefully threw a lively bird into the darkness of the cave.
The bird, under their watchful gaze, quickly disappeared into the darkness. They waited for a while, but no sound came from the cave, as if nothing had been thrown in at all.
There was something seriously wrong with this darkness.
Just then, Bellamy sensed that the chilling aura flowing out of the cave was about to surround them.
"Retreat."
He decisively decided to fall back for the moment.
Before his words even faded, a gust of sinister wind suddenly attacked from behind. Bellamy, fully alert, immediately rolled, shielding himself with one of the birds.
"Gah…"
The bird let out a pained cry, seemingly struck by something.
The two quickly moved away from the cave and examined the bird's condition.
"Did you see anything just now?"
"Nothing at all." Drake's expression was grim.
The bird was dead. Its chest had been completely ripped open. Judging by the ragged wound, a sharp claw had swept through and killed it.
But Drake had truly seen nothing. From his perspective, the bird's chest had suddenly been torn apart. There were no warning signs before its death, as if a curse or a ghost had truly killed it.
Bellamy casually tossed the corpse aside, his face growing increasingly grim. Combining all the current information, he was almost certain this wasn't a curse. A curse wouldn't need claws to tear apart its target. This was most likely a ghost at work.
Ghosts existed in this world. There was the Hollow-Hollow Fruit and the Revive-Revive Fruit, so encountering a ghost wasn't strange. He just hadn't expected to encounter one in a place like this.
The best course of action when facing such incomprehensible entities was to stay away. But Bellamy's personality wouldn't allow him to simply retreat. If he hadn't known, he wouldn't have deliberately sought out this kind of thing. But since he had encountered it, he would explore the secrets of the spirits of this world right here.
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