"Doffy, secret intel just came in." "Send it up." "Yes, sir."
An important piece of intelligence was delivered. Not long after, Doflamingo burst into delighted laughter, "Fuffuffuffuffu!" "Finally caught a trace of you, Bellamy!" He hadn't forgotten about this bastard who dared to provoke him so wildly. Donquixote Doflamingo had never been a magnanimous man.
"Put a bounty on him in the black market! Two hundred million—no, three hundred million Beli!" "Within one month, I want to see Bellamy's head!"
They were far away in the New World; by the time they could rush to the North Blue, Bellamy would have long vanished. But it didn't matter. The black market was teeming with experts; as long as the bounty was high enough, plenty of powerful individuals would come out to risk their lives.
"Doffy, isn't three hundred million a bit too much?" It was worth noting that Doflamingo's own current official bounty was only 340 million Beli. A respectable Warlord of the Sea offering a sky-high price of three hundred million to hunt down some "Hyena." It was too demeaning. Besides, Bellamy's current black market bounty was already a substantial 280 million; adding another 300 million would make his total bounty higher than Doflamingo's.
Doflamingo tossed the intelligence report over. "This Hyena's strength is growing incredibly fast. Sending a few scrubs will just be feeding him kills." Destroying half a city with a single punch – even Doflamingo himself would need to activate his Birdcage to achieve such explosive power. Of course, the nature of their Devil Fruits was also a factor. Doflamingo's String-String Fruit was extremely versatile, while the Spring-Spring Fruit was all about burst power.
Still, three hundred million felt excessive. Their earnings from black market activities over an entire year didn't even amount to three hundred million Beli. His subordinate executives were somewhat reluctant; there were better ways to spend so much money than wasting it on Bellamy.
Doflamingo thought about it carefully. Three hundred million did seem a bit much; with a bounty that high now, even he felt tempted to handle it personally. If it weren't for the death of a high-ranking executive from his Family, he wouldn't actually care that much about Bellamy.
"Let's do this then. I'll give you the money; you handle this matter." By saying this, Doflamingo was essentially indicating a compromise. He would provide the funds specifically for avenging the executive. But how the executives used that money was their own business. This way, he both bought their loyalty and saved some funds – killing two birds with one stone.
Diamante understood the meaning behind Doffy's words and immediately nodded, signaling his comprehension. "Leave this matter to me." "Regarding the North Blue, perhaps we can ask the Vinsmoke family for assistance." They were still unaware that the Vinsmokes had just suffered a major defeat at Bellamy's hands. Reiju had kept the news that the main members of the Vinsmoke family were nearly wiped out by Bellamy under tight wraps. The rumors circulating outside mostly suggested that the Vinsmokes had suffered a minor setback but were largely unharmed.
"Handle it cleanly." "Rest assured, Doffy. You'll see Bellamy's head soon enough."
Seven days after the Bellamy Pirates set sail.
The official bounties for Bellamy and his crew were finally issued. Bellamy sat in the wheelhouse, holding a newspaper, his face etched with displeasure.
Bounty: 60,000,000 Beli – Mad Dog Bellamy.
"Captain, your bounty was definitely suppressed." Considering what Bellamy had done, sixty million was nothing; even 360 million wouldn't have been an exaggeration. But the World Government simply didn't want others to know what he had done, forcing the Marines to push his bounty down. Truthfully, sixty million was already very high in the Four Blues; any higher might provoke the Marines' top combatants into action.
Bellamy wasn't just unhappy about his bounty amount; he was even more annoyed by the new epithet. "If I find out who gave me this nickname, I swear I'll twist their head off."
"How did your talk with the Marine contact go?" Bellamy had already taken an opportunity to inform his other companions about Drake's identity. They were trustworthy crewmates; there was no need to keep hiding it. Of course, this didn't include the two apprentices.
"Headquarters said they would dispatch a Rear Admiral to handle this matter and instructed me to cooperate with their operation covertly." Only a Rear Admiral. It seemed the Marines didn't consider him particularly important either.
"They won't even send a Vice Admiral?" Bellamy was actually quite keen on sparring with a Vice Admiral. He lacked a clear benchmark for his current combat strength. Of course, this definitely didn't include Garp. Bellamy always maintained sufficient respect for the peak powers of this world. Arrogant he might be, but he wasn't stupid.
"Perhaps it's partly because of me," Drake added. Drake was, after all, an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user proficient in the Six Powers; even within the Marines' secret units, he was considered elite.
"Is that so? I wonder who they'll send then." Since it was just a Rear Admiral, Bellamy had no further concerns.
According to their current course, they would reach a deserted island tomorrow, where they would briefly resupply and rest. And the Marines, having received advance intelligence, would surely have set up an ambush there.
"When the time comes, just show your face briefly, then head back to the ship and keep watch." "I'll have Ross stage a little scene with you." The later Drake's true allegiance was exposed, the more advantageous it was for Bellamy and his crew. If possible, Bellamy naturally hoped it wouldn't be revealed until after they entered the Grand Line.
"Understood."
The plan was simple and crude. After all, Bellamy's decision had been made on a whim from the start. He just wanted to gauge the Marines' attitude towards him and test his own strength along the way. A Rear Admiral wasn't too high or too low; it was just about right.
Just then, an abrupt ringing sound suddenly broke the silence.
"This is Bellamy." Eddy, their informant on the island, relayed new information: a new, enormous bounty had just appeared in the black market.
Black Market Bounty: 150,000,000 Beli – Mad Dog Bellamy.
Bellamy's current total black market bounty: 430,000,000 Beli. Adding the official Marine bounty, that made a grand total of 490,000,000 Beli!
"Gyehahahahaha!" Hearing this number, Bellamy burst into excited laughter. "Now that's more like it! A mere sixty million? Who are they looking down on!" "Excellent! With such a high bounty, those greedy hungry jackals won't be able to resist!"
Over four hundred million, nearly five hundred million Beli, offered for a newcomer still messing around in the Four Blues. Even the titans of the New World would be tempted. In the eyes of some, wasn't this just like picking up free money? As long as they could find Bellamy, it was practically 500 million Beli for the taking.
Bellamy was still unaware that Doflamingo had obtained his location and was now secretly mobilizing forces to rush over. If he knew, he might have been even more excited.
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