"Finally, we have news of Bellamy!"
Vice Admiral Onigumo had been searching the seas for nearly half a month with nothing to show for it. The moment he received the report, he couldn't contain his excitement. "He's on Stilt Island? Excellent!"
So, this route had been the right one after all. Bellamy was on an island not far ahead.
"We cannot let him escape again."
They had already wasted far too much energy on Bellamy. In a recent communication with Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku had already expressed his dissatisfaction. The Marines had too many other matters to attend to; they couldn't afford to expend excessive resources on a single rookie pirate.
If they failed to capture Bellamy this time, Headquarters would certainly not authorize them to continue the pursuit.
"The only places Bellamy can go next are Fruit Island and Sun and Moon Island."
The first half of this sea route was fixed. As long as Bellamy needed to resupply, he would inevitably have to land on one of the next two islands. All Onigumo had to do was analyze which island Bellamy would choose and wait for him there in advance.
"It's unlikely to be Fruit Island."
Fruit Island wasn't far from Stilt Island, and it lacked any large towns. There was no reason for Bellamy to go to an island known only for its fruit production.
"His next destination must be Sun and Moon Island."
Onigumo pulled out a sea chart and quickly located Sun and Moon Island.
"If he travels in a straight line, he can make it in about a month," Onigumo muttered, making a few calculations on the chart. "Wait... that's not enough time."
If Bellamy also took a direct route, he could reach Sun and Moon Island in about twenty days at most. If the Marines didn't intercept him within that window, Bellamy would be long gone.
This was the most frustrating and helpless part of the Marines' pursuit of pirates. They possessed overwhelming power, yet they were often powerless against these elusive fugitives. If Bellamy decided to just run amok all over the world, Onigumo could do nothing but chase after him, with no guarantee of ever catching him.
The most fortunate thing now was that they still had a chance to corner him at sea before he reached Carnival City. If Bellamy made it there and boarded the Sea Train, they would truly have no chance at all. Who knew where he would run off to then?
"If we don't catch him this time, we'll never get a chance this good again."
Onigumo knew perfectly well that if Bellamy managed to get deeper into the Grand Line, tracking him down would become infinitely more difficult.
"Hello, is this Vice Admiral Garp?" Onigumo dialed Garp's Den Den Mushi and relayed the information he had.
"Yes, it is."
"I will take full responsibility for the mission from here on out. You and Vice Admiral Doberman should return to Headquarters."
Garp and Doberman were on two different sea routes; there was no way they could make it in time. Besides, Onigumo felt that he alone was more than enough to deal with Bellamy. He didn't feel he needed any help.
"Understood. Take care of yourself."
Before hanging up, Garp specifically instructed Onigumo to capture Bellamy alive if at all possible. Onigumo agreed readily enough, but the moment the call ended, his expression twisted into a grimace of cold fury.
"All hands, full speed ahead!" he roared. "Our target is Sun and Moon Island!"
Bellamy, this time, I will cut you down with my own sword!
Dressrosa.
Within the brilliantly lit palace.
"Fuffuffuffu."
Doflamingo stared at the latest intelligence report, unable to hold back a burst of laughter.
"What a true mad dog."
That lunatic Bellamy had actually robbed the auction house on Stilt Island. Not only that, but after the robbery, he had casually set the entire place on fire, burning everything to ashes.
"Diamante, can you tell me why I am still seeing this name?"
So much time had passed, yet not only had Doflamingo not seen Bellamy's head, but that mad dog had somehow made it onto the Grand Line. For a while, Doflamingo had assumed his subordinates had already taken care of the small-time pest. But when this new report was placed before him, he was forced to give it his full attention.
The vast majority of his operations were on the Grand Line. If a mad dog like that were to fixate on him, the consequences would be far more severe than just heavy losses. That madman Bellamy didn't even care about the Celestial Dragons; why would he show any mercy to Doflamingo's businesses?
Diamante's face was also a bit pale. He had spent a fortune hiring a host of old pirates to go back to the Four Blues. But those wastes had all been wiped out without making so much as a ripple. This had forced Diamante to go to the Gold Emperor for help again. He had paid a hefty sum just to use the Gold Emperor's intelligence network. The Gold Emperor had even sent some of his own men to help ambush Bellamy on the first island of the Grand Line.
Furthermore, the additional bounty and other expenses had actually come out of Diamante's own private funds. He had truly spared no effort in his attempt to kill Bellamy.
"Young Master, please don't worry," Diamante said. "Bellamy won't be jumping around for much longer."
The measures he had put in place had, ultimately, produced some results. They had now pinpointed Bellamy's location. As long as they set up an ambush on the subsequent islands, the mad dog wouldn't be able to escape.
"Do we have enough men?"
Doflamingo didn't really want to pay attention to such a minor character, but a man like Bellamy was a walking time bomb, causing explosions wherever he went. It left him with no choice but to divert his attention. Besides, the nearly 900 million Beli bounty on Bellamy's head was a huge temptation. They certainly wouldn't let anyone else claim that prize.
To that end, the Donquixote Family had mobilized almost its entire force, dispatching a large number of family officers and combatants. They were determined to take Bellamy's head without any chance of failure.
"Absolutely enough!" Diamante declared, pounding his chest in assurance. "Lao G, Gladius, Violet, Machvise, and Dellinger. A total of six officers, thirty warships, and five thousand combatants. Add to that the men provided by the Gold Emperor... Bellamy's death is certain this time."
Diamante had sent out nearly every available hand in the Donquixote Family.
In truth, however, only two officers, fewer than seven ships, and about a thousand combatants could actually reach the nearest island in time to set the ambush.
After spending so much effort and money, if he failed again, Diamante had no idea how he would explain it to the Young Master. So, he deliberately concealed this crucial piece of information.
"Diamante, I don't want to see this mad dog again," Doflamingo said with a noncommittal nod. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, Young Master!" Diamante responded loudly, his voice full of confidence.
But inwardly, his mind was racing. Can Lao G and Gladius really handle Bellamy?
He had a nagging feeling that this could all go terribly wrong.
No, I have to contact the Gold Emperor again.
He had already begged him so many times, what was one more? That man, the Gold Emperor, though a bit greedy, had one great virtue: as long as you paid him, he was easy to talk to. And if you paid him enough, he was very easy to talk to.