Evening.
The Bellamy Pirates sat around a crackling bonfire, tearing into a delicious meal.
But tonight, the atmosphere at dinner felt off.
Usually, mealtimes were a rare chance to rest. The crew would sit together, share a drink, and properly relax.
Tonight, however, they were joined by a "mummy" wrapped head to toe in bandages, with only two eyes showing. Dark bloodstains were still visible through the thick layers of gauze, a testament to how severe the man's injuries were.
Bellamy glanced around at his crew and took a savage bite of roasted meat. "What's wrong? It's just a few injuries. Drake's not dead yet."
Muret shot him a glare. "Captain, that was too reckless."
She had been terrified when Bellamy dragged a blood-soaked Drake back that morning. If she hadn't used her Slow-Slow Beam to buy him some time, he would have died from blood loss.
"As long as he's not dead, it was worth it." Bellamy crunched down on a large bone, grinding it to dust.
That morning, a single misstep had trapped Drake in the sea of vines. Fortunately, Bellamy had acted quickly, managing to pull him out by force. But in those few seconds, Drake's body had been pierced by dozens of thorns. His physique, as tough as steel, and his fledgling Armament Haki were completely useless against carnivorous plants that preyed on Sea Kings.
The situation had been critical; Drake's life had hung by a thread.
Thankfully, their ship's doctor was the user of the Slow-Slow Fruit. Under the effect of her Slow-Slow Beam, Drake's massive blood loss was forcibly stopped. As long as the bleeding could be controlled, a Zoan-type user's regenerative abilities meant that even the most grievous wounds could heal. Drake, being an Ancient Zoan, had even greater recovery powers than a typical Zoan user.
Still, his severe injuries served as a warning to Bellamy: the carnivorous plant zone was far too dangerous for them. Even if he could move through it freely, that didn't mean his crew could. The plan to awaken Observation Haki in Ross and the others would have to be postponed.
However, while the others couldn't handle it, Heracles could.
The power of his Bug-Bug Fruit was no less formidable than an Ancient Zoan. In fact, Bellamy felt that Heracles's knack for surviving near-death situations was perfectly suited for such a life-or-death gamble.
At this thought, Bellamy turned to look at the three-meter-tall giant. "Heracles, you'd better start taking your training more seriously."
"???" Heracles scratched his head, not quite understanding what Bellamy meant.
But the others knew their captain all too well.
Ross glanced at the immobilized Drake beside him and quickly ducked his head, hoping the captain wouldn't notice him. Mia and Muret first shot Heracles a pitying look, then huddled down, not daring to meet Bellamy's eyes.
"What's wrong with everyone? Why are you all looking at me like that?" Heracles was completely baffled.
"It's nothing. Eat your food," Bellamy said with a grin, then turned his gaze back to the others. "Every single one of you is going to take a trip in there sooner or later."
What a joke. He was about to take on Dressrosa, and these guys still thought they could get by on luck? Did they think the Donquixote Family was a pushover? Even he didn't dare to underestimate some of the Devil Fruit users in that crew.
"Ugh..." Hearing Bellamy's reprimand, the crew couldn't help but let out a collective groan. It seemed there was no escaping this trial.
Bellamy ignored their whining and casually patted the motionless Drake. "You just lie there. I'll go grab a clone to take care of you later."
Although this morning's venture had been dangerous, it hadn't been for nothing. When Bellamy scanned Drake with his Observation Haki, he could clearly feel a faint spiritual power stirring within him.
It was the sign of Observation Haki's initial awakening.
By shoring up this final weakness, Drake could now be considered a formidable figure no matter where he went. An Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user, proficient in the Six Powers, and a master of two types of Haki. It was the perfect build for a powerhouse. As for Conqueror's Haki, that was too rare to be forced.
Bellamy's next goal was to ensure all his crew members completed their training in the Six Powers and mastered two forms of Haki. His pirate crew only had six people so far; being small meant that every single member had to be capable of holding their own.
It wasn't that Bellamy didn't want to recruit more people or expand his influence, but his rise had been too fast. In just two years, they were already preparing to attack a Warlord of the Sea. If they didn't desperately increase their own strength, Bellamy knew he would die a miserable death. Expanding their forces would have to wait until he had time to spare.
Actually, after learning about Luffy's current situation, he could have taken the time to go to the East Blue and try to recruit Zoro. Bellamy had been mulling it over. He could use the World Economic News Paper's network to find out Zoro's whereabouts, then make a trip back to one of the Four Blues to bring the formidable swordsman into his crew.
The price, however, would be a round trip of at least four months at sea.
Bellamy didn't want to delay the battle with Doflamingo for too long. He had already issued his challenge; he couldn't just hide and never show his face. One year was the absolute deadline he had set for himself. After one year, no matter what, Bellamy would set out for the New World to face Doflamingo in a battle to the death.
"Plans never keep up with changes," he muttered.
He had only just established a connection with the World Economic News Paper. Before that, he had been completely in the dark about world events. If not for the information from his past life, he would have been like a headless fly upon entering the Grand Line. He was sure plenty of reckless rookies like him had met their end on one of those seven routes.
When he was in the East Blue, he hadn't heard any news about Zoro. Even his brief visit to Shimotsuki Village had been a rushed trip that yielded nothing.
"Forget it. If we're fated to meet in the future, we can talk then."
After some deep thought, Bellamy abandoned the idea of returning to the Four Blues to recruit Zoro. Zoro's current strength couldn't keep up with their pace, and with a major battle looming, dragging him into the New World would be doing him more harm than good.
As for Usopp and Sanji, Bellamy had never even considered them. One was too weak, and the other was too sentimental.
The shipwright Franky, on the other hand, was right there in Water 7. Their journey to the New World would definitely take them past the Sabaody Archipelago. If the opportunity arose, Bellamy certainly wouldn't let it slip by. A shipwright was a desperately needed position on his crew, currently filled by the boatswain, Ross. But Ross's skills were worse than an ordinary carpenter's. If he had a choice, Bellamy naturally wanted to find someone more reliable.