"Captain, it seems we can't find the Boin Archipelago's location on the sea chart."
After robbing the auction house, Bellamy's crew had commandeered a decent pirate ship along the way and immediately set sail for the next island. Now, Bellamy and Drake were poring over a sea chart. Bellamy held an Eternal Pose, tracing it over the map, but after a long while, he still couldn't find what he was looking for.
"This island... it's too mysterious."
There was simply too little information available about the Boin Archipelago. The fact that they had managed to find an Eternal Pose for it in the auction house was incredibly lucky. In truth, Bellamy had only gone in with the intention of trying his luck, never expecting to actually find what he needed in the auction house's vault.
There was an important reason for this stroke of luck: the Celestial Dragons periodically hired people to travel to the Boin Archipelago to collect special medicinal herbs. If not for this, it was highly unlikely an Eternal Pose for the Boin Archipelago would have been left in the auction house. Bellamy had also managed to extract information about these special herbs from the auction house manager. They could prove to be a significant aid in their upcoming training.
The problem they faced now was how to actually get there.
From what Bellamy knew, the living island was located somewhere in the latter half of the Grand Line, and it moved, albeit slowly. Finding "it" with just a sea chart was practically impossible. Although they had the Eternal Pose to guide them, Bellamy lacked a specific route. They had no idea how long they would have to sail to reach their destination.
As the captain, Bellamy would not gamble with the lives of his entire crew. He wouldn't set out without having a rough idea of the Boin Archipelago's general location.
"We'll still have to take a ride on the Sea Train."
With the guidance of the Eternal Pose, its needle would shift dramatically as soon as they got close to the Boin Archipelago. At that point, Bellamy could calculate its approximate position based on the change in the needle's angle.
"We'll go to Sun and Moon Island first to resupply, then head to Carnival City to catch the Sea Train." Bellamy drew a straight line on the sea chart, its end point marking Sun and Moon Island. "It should take us about another twenty days to reach it."
Their first foray into the Grand Line had been surprisingly smooth. Although they had encountered various natural disasters along the way, they had managed to weather them all. The biggest crisis ahead was the bounty and pursuit initiated by Doflamingo and the Gold Emperor. It was easy to imagine that for the rest of their journey, as long as they didn't turn back, they were bound to run into the lackeys of these two powers. Furthermore, such a high bounty would certainly attract a large number of bounty hunters.
The journey ahead was guaranteed to be arduous.
Bellamy was already prepared for this. But as long as they could survive this most difficult period, it would no longer be others causing trouble for them, but Bellamy actively seeking trouble himself.
"Drake, what's the word from the Marines?"
Bellamy hadn't received any news from the Marines for a long time. He knew he had to find another informant on shore.
"Captain, the Marines haven't contacted me in a long time."
Drake and the Marine spy unit hadn't completely severed ties. They maintained a sort of tacit silence, neither bringing up his betrayal nor initiating contact.
"Call them and ask. See what their attitude is."
Bellamy had killed Smoker. There was no reason for the Marines to be this quiet. They hadn't increased his bounty, nor had they sent anyone to hunt him down. The recent newspapers hadn't even mentioned the death of Marine Captain Smoker. It was as if it had never happened, which was not the Marines' style.
"Understood."
Drake nodded and quickly dialed the spy unit's number on a special Den Den Mushi.
"Hello, it's me."
This particular type of Den Den Mushi could contact personnel thousands of miles away. Its only drawback was that it was a one-to-one dedicated line, and they were extremely rare and difficult to obtain.
"Drake, do you have intelligence to report?" The voice on the other end belonged to Drake's direct superior.
"The Bellamy Pirates' next destination has been determined. Do the Marines have a plan?"
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. After a moment, an old woman's voice suddenly came through.
"Drake, do you truly understand what you are doing?"
Drake knew that voice all too well. It belonged to the elder he respected most, Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, I..." Faced with her question, Drake didn't know how to respond.
Just then, Bellamy took the Den Den Mushi from his hand.
"This is Bellamy," he said. "I've heard a great deal about you."
This was their first conversation, separated by thousands of miles, yet it felt as if they already knew each other exceptionally well.
"It seems Vice Admiral Tsuru holds me in high regard."
"Mr. Bellamy, we both know you are not supposed to be in this world."
Tsuru's words stunned Bellamy. Has my identity as a transmigrator been discovered?
But then he reconsidered. The world of "One Piece" was hardly normal. All sorts of strange and bizarre races were scattered everywhere—the Snake-Neck Tribe, the Three-Eye Tribe, the Minks... There were dogs with waists tens of meters long, pigs with legs only a few centimeters high, and giant crabs scuttling all over the desert. There were even Lunarians. Being a transmigrator was only rare; in terms of strangeness, it didn't even rank. It would only be truly strange if an Ultraman suddenly appeared.
"Does Vice Admiral Tsuru mean that she wishes I wasn't here?"
"Mr. Bellamy, this sea is already chaotic enough. Your appearance will only intensify that chaos."
That much was true. Bellamy was already planning to give this world a great gift. If he succeeded, it might trigger a cataclysm more terrifying than the Great Age of Pirates. Tsuru was already wary of him, but if she knew his true plans, she would undoubtedly hunt him, a complete and utter madman, to the ends of the earth.
"Ah, is that so?" Bellamy said lightly. "Then come and kill me. If you kill me, all your problems will be solved."
The madman was actually giving Tsuru a subtle hint over the Den Den Mushi. With her wisdom, she easily understood the hidden meaning in his words.
I'm about to cause some real trouble, so hurry up and come kill me.
"If you don't come, you'll all regret it. Gyahahahaha!"
Through the Den Den Mushi, Tsuru could hear the madman's wildly arrogant laughter. She couldn't help but take a deep breath to calm her complicated emotions.
"He's a mad dog, through and through." she thought grimly. "Can Onigumo really handle him alone?"