The captured clones were still in their nutrient tanks, unopened. These specialized soldiers needed to have various brainwashing protocols set before they were activated and put into service. As the most famous product of the Germa Kingdom, the clones available for sale to outsiders were fully developed, mature products.
Next to the nutrient tanks was a specialized programming device. Anyone with a normal level of intelligence could easily complete the final programming here. Bellamy immediately locked the loyalty of the ten clones to himself.
Then, he opened the nutrient tanks. Ten tall, naked men awakened from their slumber. After a moment of disorientation, the clones approached Bellamy and knelt on one knee.
"Greetings, Master."
"Good."
"Get dressed." Bellamy nodded in satisfaction.
As mass-produced weapons of war, the clones came with a complete set of clothing, weapons, and even sunglasses.
"Ross, come here."
Calling over the boatswain, Bellamy pointed to the clones and said, "These ten guys are under your command now."
"Be careful, don't let them die so easily."
They were needed to operate Red Flame's ship; these guys were the best labor force.
"Understood, Boss." Ross grinned, accepting the order. It wasn't easy. After following the boss for so long, he finally saw a glimmer of hope for the future. Just gaining ten subordinates made Ross feel a little pleased with himself.
After dealing with the clones, there were still a large number of treasures in the base to be collected. Bellamy ordered Ross to take some men and move all the treasure to their new ship. As for the remaining massive stockpile of weapons in the warehouse, he planned to burn them all before leaving.
The quantity of these weapons was too large, and he had no intention of becoming an arms dealer, so he could only burn them all at once.
Bird Dropping Island was located slightly to the left of the center of the North Blue. There were no large Marine bases nearby. Continuing west through the Calm Belt, one could reach the Grand Line in about a week.
From a purely smuggling perspective, this was an ideal location as a cargo transit point. This batch of goods was likely stored here jointly by several major powers with Red Flame.
Now that it had all been burned, one could imagine the reaction of the owners once they found out.
The World Government, Doflamingo, the Germa Kingdom, corrupted Marines, the black market... These were the currently known factions that had dealings with the Red Flame Pirates. There were likely many more unknown ones.
"The North Blue... is probably going to be in chaos."
If these forces united, the tiny Bellamy Pirates would be crushed in an instant.
But that was impossible. Never mind the World Government, even Doflamingo and the Germa Kingdom would absolutely never work together. Both sides were ambitious; how could they be willing to submit to others?
Bellamy wasn't worried about them uniting. But he wasn't without his concerns. If Drake chose to betray him, the World Government could easily capture him.
It was time to have a frank conversation with Drake.
Inside the base, everyone was busy. Even the rescued slaves were forced to work; this was deliberately done to keep them occupied and prevent them from causing trouble. Bellamy was busy, very busy, and had no time to deal with them. Only after he had dealt with everything else would he have the time to arrange for the slaves.
Under some random pretext, Bellamy called Drake to an empty small room, locked the door, and asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time.
"Drake, why did you choose to join my pirate crew?"
Suddenly being brought to a small room, Drake had wondered what was going on, but he hadn't expected Bellamy to ask this question. He hesitated for a while, then gave the answer he'd prepared. "I heard of the Hyena's infamous reputation and came seeking you out."
"I wanted to become a true pirate, so I specifically sought out the guy with the worst reputation."
This reason was so strong that it made Bellamy chuckle wryly.
"Alright, Drake, don't try to fob me off with that kind of talk."
"Tell me what's really on your mind."
If he still refused to speak, Bellamy would have no choice but to abandon him, burying him forever in this pirate base.
"You know what I'm asking."
"Give me your answer." Undisguised killing intent radiated from Bellamy.
Drake finally understood that Bellamy had already figured out his true identity. This was forcing him to make a choice: complete loyalty, or open hostility.
He couldn't understand how, despite his caution, his identity had been exposed. Drake racked his brains but couldn't figure out where he'd slipped up.
He would never know how Bellamy had learned his true identity. This was Bellamy's greatest secret.
After a long silence, under Bellamy's intense pressure, Drake was caught in a dilemma. According to headquarters' intelligence, Bellamy greatly admired Doflamingo. If this intelligence was true, Drake would immediately turn against Bellamy.
But having lived together for so long, Drake knew exactly what kind of person Bellamy was. Headquarters' intelligence officers believed that Bellamy greatly admired Doflamingo and wanted to become his dog. Drake would never believe that, no matter what.
But if the statement were changed to "Bellamy greatly admires Doflamingo and dreams of killing him," Drake would absolutely believe it. In fact, in his own mind, he'd rationalized it as Bellamy admiring Doflamingo because he wanted to kill him more than anyone else.
This, in fact, aligned with his own true purpose for going to sea.
After much deliberation, Drake ultimately chose to trust his own judgment. He slowly recounted a piece of history that the World Government was trying to erase.
Years ago, Drake's father had accidentally obtained the Op-Op Fruit but, instead of reporting it to the World Government, he'd planned to sell it. The Op-Op Fruit was one of the most valuable Devil Fruits in the world, capable of granting eternal life. This fruit was worth more than 5 billion Berries.
His father, being a Marine, knew that if the World Government discovered he had the Op-Op Fruit, the only outcome would be confiscation and a minor promotion.
Lured by the immense profit, Drake's father had fallen. He'd contacted Doflamingo, planning to secretly sell the fruit. Drake had actually known about this, but he was too young at the time to stop it.
Then, something happened that he couldn't accept.
A man named Corazon stole the Op-Op Fruit, and his father, because he'd lost the fruit, was shot dead by Doflamingo. The World Government acted as if nothing had happened and even tried to erase this history.
The vengeance of a father's murder was irreconcilable.
After that, Drake was taken in and trained by Vice Admiral Tsuru, becoming a spy for a Marine Headquarters secret special forces unit.
"You're saying you've always wanted to get revenge on Doflamingo?"
Upon learning Drake's intentions, Bellamy finally realized that he and Drake were actually on the same side. Not only did they have no conflicts of interest, but they were also comrades who could rely on and trust each other.
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