Late one night.
Bellamy sat hunched over a medical text, reading by the dim lamplight in his cabin. Suddenly, the distinct ringing of a Den Den Mushi shattered the quiet beside his bed.
Purupuru... Purupuru... Who would be calling him at this hour?
Frowning, Bellamy rose and answered the snail. His expression slowly hardened as he listened to the report. It was clearly bad news.
"You did well. Be careful not to expose yourself," Bellamy instructed before hanging up with a click. He let out a cold sneer. His 'idle piece'—his informant planted ashore—had just relayed some very interesting news.
Apparently, the Black Market, the forces within Lvneel Kingdom, and the Vinsmoke Family—three distinct powers—were preparing a joint operation to hunt him down. His bounty on the black market networks had skyrocketed to 200 million Beli. Adding his official Navy bounty, his head alone was now worth a staggering 235 million.
As soon as word got out, every pirate crew and bounty hunter organization in the North Blue, big or small, must have reacted like sharks smelling blood in the water. Over the past few days, dozens of ships had reportedly set sail from Tern Island alone. Eddy, watching the mobilization with growing terror, had risked calling Bellamy immediately to pass on the warning.
Bellamy wasn't entirely surprised by the news of an impending hunt. Ever since he'd burned the Red Flame Pirates' weapons stockpile—likely interrupting lucrative deals—he knew retaliation was inevitable sooner or later. The underworld brokers were never ones to take losses lightly, and the Vinsmoke Family, with their boundless ambition, would likely jump at any excuse to get involved in North Blue conflicts. Lvneel Kingdom's participation, however, was a bit unexpected.
Still... "A mere 200 million Beli?" Bellamy scoffed. Who the hell did they think they were dealing with?
Bellamy slowly extended his right hand, clenching it into a fist. The vast vital energy within him began to surge and circulate at high speed. Directed by his will, an intensely focused, domineering energy coalesced within his fist. Almost imperceptibly, his entire fist was suffused with this energy, turning a glossy, metallic black. Armament Haki.
"Do they really understand who they're about to face?" he murmured darkly.
Ever since learning the connection between sufficient vital energy and the manifestation of Armament Haki from Sentomaru's spilled secrets, Bellamy had devised a specific training regimen: focused, localized Armament. Having a clear target and methodology versus blindly fumbling in the dark—the difference was night and day. It was like the difference between having a master teacher guiding your every step versus having to figure everything out entirely on your own. Speed wasn't even the main issue. Simply distinguishing the correct path from the countless wrong ones could consume untold amounts of time and effort.
Bellamy, however, had managed to glean a correct path forward even from the incomplete information he possessed. And before long, leveraging his powerful physique and targeted training, he had succeeded in manifesting Armament Haki over his entire right fist. Before obtaining that knowledge, he hadn't even been close to consciously accessing Armament Haki. That was the difference targeted knowledge made.
While currently limited to just his right fist, it was the crucial difference between zero and one. With an Armament-clad fist, Bellamy now possessed a reliable means to strike even Logia-type Devil Fruit users. This breakthrough was immensely significant. A Spring Fruit user, master of taijutsu and the Six Powers, now wielding both Observation and Armament Haki... The idea that a mere 200 million Beli bounty could possibly take his head was laughable—a fool's errand.
"Everyone! Meeting in the mess hall, now!" Bellamy roared, his voice booming through the ship, instantly jolting every crew member awake.
Soon, every member of the Bellamy Pirates, including the two young interns, had assembled in the dining area, awaiting his orders.
"Moments ago, our intelligence contact, Eddy, relayed some bad news." Bellamy produced a rough sketch. "Memorize this face. This is Eddy." He continued, "The Black Market, the Vinsmoke Family, and forces from Lvneel Kingdom have formed an alliance. They're preparing a joint operation to hunt us down. They've placed a massive bounty on my head through underworld channels—a full 200 million Beli."
Bellamy paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping across the faces of his crew. He saw no trace of fear in any of them.
"Excellent." He nodded, deeply satisfied. The core crew members he had carefully chosen and patiently nurtured—not a single coward among them. Couldn't ask for better.
"Do you know what my first thought was upon hearing this news?" A cruel, predatory smile spread across Bellamy's face. "My first thought was... I'm going to grind every last one of them into dust right here on these seas." His voice dropped, filled with menace. "Everyone who dares to take part in this hunt—whether they're bounty hunters, rival pirates, or those damn Vinsmoke clone soldiers..."
"They all must die!"
"Your will be done, Captain," Drake responded instantly, his voice firm and unwavering. "Excellent!" Bellamy acknowledged Drake's resolute loyalty with appreciation. Ross blinked, then hastily chimed in, "Yeah! Damn straight, Boss! What he said!" He shot Drake a look. Damn suck-up. "Me too, Boss! Count me in!" Mia and Muret exchanged a look. Bellamy's tone left no doubt about the gravity of the situation. "As you will, Captain," they echoed, their expressions serious.
With his core crew's resolve affirmed, Bellamy turned his attention to the two interns, Mani and Muret's younger brother. "This upcoming battle will involve everyone. Including you two." These two kids were essentially liabilities in a fight, but they couldn't exactly run away now. It was safe to assume the entire North Blue underworld would soon be hunting for their ship. Apart from his ship, these kids had nowhere else to go.
"Don't be scared, kids," Bellamy said, attempting something like reassurance. "Even if you get your head chopped off, it'll probably only hurt for a second." His bedside manner clearly needed some work.
Mani promptly burst into tears. "Waaah! Boss, I don't wanna die! I'm only ten! I haven't even had a boyfriend yet! I haven't eaten a giant fancy cake! I haven't been to Emerald City! I haven't—" "Alright, alright, settle down," Bellamy cut her off, placing a hand firmly on her head. "Look, he's not crying," Bellamy said, gesturing towards Muret's brother. Mani sniffled, pouting. "Yeah, right! He looks like he's about to faint!"
"Look, kids," Bellamy said, his tone hardening slightly. "It's too late to learn any fancy fighting skills now. Just remember what I told you before: in a fight, the more you fear death, the faster it finds you." A storm was brewing, and Bellamy didn't have time to coddle them.
"Here, take this." Bellamy unholstered his own sidearm and tossed it to Mani. "Remember: when you shoot, keep your hand steady." He then looked at Muret's brother. "As for you, if things get really bad... find a barrel and hide in it."
He was preparing for slaughter, not babysitting.
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