"How about joining my pirate crew?" Bege asked, looking at Warren Taylor with a smile.
Warren Taylor's stunning beauty and temperament had always intrigued Bege. He was a normal man with an appreciation for beautiful women and naturally wanted to keep her by his side, hoping something he anticipated might happen.
Besides, Warren Taylor's Devil Fruit ability was extremely useful; for that reason alone, he wouldn't kill her.
"Do I have any other choice?" Warren Taylor asked, a bitter expression on her face.
"Of course not. But I won't force you. Stay by my side, and you'll live well," Bege said softly.
Warren Taylor nodded, her face impassive, which he took as an agreement.
"You're tired too. Go get some rest. When you wake up, you'll be able to see that big fool," Bege said, and with that, his figure strangely vanished.
On the boundless ocean, the weather was clear, the sea calm. A ship sped across the waves.
On the ship's deck, Bege lay on a deck chair, shirtless, wearing sunglasses, leisurely sunbathing. He occasionally glanced to his side.
Beside him, on another deck chair, Warren Taylor lay dressed in light, cool clothing, a book in her hand, sipping juice from time to time, looking quite relaxed.
Over these past few days, she had accepted her reality, knowing she couldn't escape Bege's grasp, and had surprisingly found a sense of peace with it. Of course, a large part of her ability to be so composed was that Bege hadn't forced her to do anything she didn't want to.
Apart from occasional leering or suggestive comments, Bege had made no untoward advances and treated her with considerable respect.
Bege had also learned about Warren Taylor's Devil Fruit ability. She had eaten the Listen-Listen Fruit, which allowed her to hear all sounds within a radius of several hundred meters. It was somewhat like having super-sensitive hearing, but most crucially, she could also hear the inner thoughts of others.
It was an exceedingly useful auxiliary-type Devil Fruit.
They sailed the seas for five days and finally arrived at their next destination: Dressrosa Island.
This island would later become Doflamingo's base of operations, but for now, it was not yet under his control. Bege's purpose here was to find the island's Little People Tribe.
The Little People Tribe was a very peculiar race. They were tiny in stature, but their speed and strength were astonishing. On Dressrosa, they were known as "fairies" and "green managers," excelling in plant cultivation. It was said there wasn't a plant in the world their tribe couldn't cultivate.
Doflamingo had once controlled the Little People, forcing them to grow artificial Devil Fruits for him.
Bege sought out the Little People not only for their innate talent in cultivation but also for their princess, Mansherry.
In the original story, Mansherry was the user of the Paramecia-type Heal-Heal Fruit, capable of healing all injuries and illnesses in living creatures. At its most advanced level, the Heal-Heal Fruit could even restore anything to its original state by sacrificing lifespan, healing any damage. Without a doubt, she was the most outstanding doctor.
There was just one thing Bege wasn't sure about: whether Mansherry had obtained the Heal-Heal Fruit at this point in time.
The Little People actually resided on Green Bit, an island practically adjacent to Dressrosa, separated only by a narrow strait. An iron bridge connected the two islands.
However, in recent years, the waters near the iron bridge had become infested with Fighting Fish, which frequently attacked humans. Consequently, no humans had since used the iron bridge to enter Green Bit.
Bege had his ship dock directly at Green Bit. As soon as the ship approached the island, there was a disturbance on the sea surface. Red dorsal fins, one after another, cut through the current, following the vessel.
"Something's following us!" Warren Taylor heard the commotion beneath the waves and quickly ran to the ship's railing, spotting the numerous red dorsal fins.
Fighting Fish, each with bull-like horns, emerged from the water, their savage eyes fixed on Warren Taylor and the others on board. In the next second, they launched an attack, leaping from the sea onto the ship, their mouths full of sharp teeth snapping at them.
Warren Taylor's face paled in fright, and she quickly retreated.
The little giant, Ade, leaped forward, wrapping his arms around a Fighting Fish's body. The fish possessed immense strength and, with a couple of struggles, broke free from Ade's hold, snapping its jaws at him. Ade punched it off the ship and back into the sea.
Bege's men quickly intervened, knocking the other Fighting Fish back into the water.
The Fighting Fish were extremely savage and attacked the ship with even greater ferocity. The vessel shook violently, and several large holes were smashed into its hull.
Bege frowned, casually swinging his Fire Cloud Sword. One Fighting Fish after another was sliced apart, their remains crashing into the sea, staining the surface red with blood.
The Fighting Fish were exceptionally bloodthirsty; even the slightest scent of blood would be detected by them. Now that the sea was stained red, it agitated the entire school of Fighting Fish in this area.
Fighting Fish resting in the sea instantly turned bloodshot and surged from the strait between the two islands.
"Bege watched the ever-increasing number of Fighting Fish, a look of delight instead appearing on his face.
"These Fighting Fish are innately savage, aggressive, and possess astonishing strength. They'll make excellent fusion material."
Castle gates opened on Bege's chest, and his men walked out one by one. These men carried crossbows and lined the ship's railing.
"Fire!" Bege said coolly. Swish! Swish! Swish!
A series of whooshing sounds filled the air as crossbow bolts flew out, striking the Fighting Fish in the sea. The tips of these bolts were coated with a potent tranquilizer, capable of knocking out several elephants.
Any Fighting Fish hit by a bolt would pass out within seconds and float to the surface.
Some unhit Fighting Fish leaped furiously from the sea, charging towards the ship.
Bege's men quickly reloaded their crossbows and continued firing. A dense volley of arrows rained down, cutting off the Fighting Fish's advance, and all were knocked back into the sea.
The ship rocked violently; Fighting Fish were also attacking from below, trying to capsize it.
From the castle gates on Bege's body, several ferocious beasts flew out, all crashing into the sea. The Fighting Fish in the water immediately swarmed them, devouring the beasts until not even bones remained.
However, the Fighting Fish that had consumed the beasts' flesh began to shake their heads, as if intoxicated, before one by one, they floated belly-up.
Clearly, the beasts had also been injected with large amounts of tranquilizer.
Before long, a vast expanse of unconscious Fighting Fish floated on the sea surface, though many had already sunk.
"Retrieve the Fighting Fish."
His men began to haul in the Fighting Fish. Bege collected all of them into his internal castle, where there was a massive pool already filled with various marine beasts.
There were even a few colossal Sea Kings, though all these marine creatures were emaciated and listless. Bege fed them only once every three days, and each feeding included a large dose of tranquilizer, ensuring they remained without any fighting capability.
Hundreds, even thousands, of Fighting Fish were deposited into the massive pool within his internal castle.
Only then, satisfied, did Bege land on Green Bit.
Green Bit was lush and verdant, covered in incredibly tall plants, a complete primeval forest.
These giant plants were all meticulously cultivated by the Little People Tribe.