"What did you say!"
Sengoku shot up from his seat, his reaction so violent that he accidentally knocked over the water glass on his right.
"Report, Fleet Admiral."
The messenger bit his lip and repeated the news. "Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Onigumo pursued Bellamy to Sun and Moon Island. After a three-hour battle, he was unfortunately killed in action."
Sengoku could hardly believe his ears. Onigumo... killed in action, just like that.
"Did this Bellamy have help?"
It was unbelievable. A rookie pirate who had just entered the Grand Line had actually killed a Marine Vice Admiral. When had the Marines become so weak?
"Reporting to the Fleet Admiral, the information sent back by the soldiers indicates he did not."
In truth, the messenger also doubted the accuracy of this information. The Marine Intelligence Division had already begun a more detailed investigation.
"What about those soldiers? What happened to them!"
Onigumo had led a force of twenty warships filled with elite Marines. If he was dead, what had become of those soldiers?
"All killed in action."
The messenger's reply made Sengoku's fists clench involuntarily.
"Damn it! You bastard!"
Sengoku slammed his fist onto his desk in frustration. The solid wood table instantly shattered into pieces.
Marine Headquarters had fewer than ten Vice Admirals in total. Including those from the various branches, there were still fewer than twenty. Onigumo was a veteran Vice Admiral from Headquarters, his strength ranking among the top. What was supposed to be a simple mission had ended with him dead. Not only that, but nearly a thousand elite soldiers had been lost with him. Each of these elites from Headquarters was a carefully selected reserve officer; they were, in a manner of speaking, the future of the Marines.
To lose so many at once... Sengoku's heart felt like it was bleeding.
"It's all my fault."
Sengoku closed his eyes in anguish. Tsuru had warned him to take this strangely-acting man seriously. But he hadn't paid much attention to Bellamy, and it had led to this grave mistake. He shouldn't have been so hasty as to let Onigumo pursue him alone. If only he had sent a few Rear Admirals along with him. Even if they couldn't win, they could have at least escaped. It was no disgrace for the Marines to make a strategic retreat when facing a superior pirate force.
Now, with such a huge loss, Sengoku was filled with regret.
"You are dismissed."
"Fleet Admiral, please take care of your health." The messenger gave a solemn salute, turned, and left the room.
Just then, an old woman happened to push the door open and walk in.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru."
"Mm." Tsuru nodded to the messenger and walked into Sengoku's office. Seeing the mess on the floor, she frowned slightly.
"Don't blame yourself too much, Sengoku."
She had overheard the messenger's report outside. She too was saddened by Onigumo's tragic death. But she had suspected something like this might happen, which was why she had specifically arranged for three Vice Admirals to go after him in the first place. It was just that no one had taken Bellamy seriously enough, and in the end, it still led to tragedy.
"Raise his bounty."
The Marines had been suppressing Bellamy's bounty until now. It seemed they couldn't hold it back any longer.
In truth, once a bounty reached a certain level, it became less effective. A bounty of over 500 million Beli was enough to be considered a major pirate even in the New World. Very few fools would dare to provoke such a monster for mere money. But the bounty still had to be issued. It not only represented the Marines' stance but, more importantly, there were still those occasional self-proclaimed adventurers in the world who would hunt these villains for the reward. Though rare, they did exist. The Marines were happy to use mere money to cause these villains some trouble.
Although it had been many years since a major pirate had been captured or killed in such a laughable manner.
"Let's raise it to 500 million."
Sengoku sighed and sat back down in his chair. He wasn't particularly concerned about the exact number for Bellamy's bounty and set it casually. A villain capable of killing a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral could not be taken down so easily. The amount of the bounty was largely meaningless.
"Should we dispatch an Admiral to pursue him?"
Since Tsuru was already here, they might as well discuss the problem of Bellamy. What were they going to do with this man? The chaos Bellamy had brought to the world was growing larger and larger. One could only imagine the turmoil he would cause if he continued his journey through the Grand Line.
Just as Tsuru had said before, he could not be left unchecked any longer.
"Let Garp go."
Tsuru shook her head, rejecting Sengoku's idea. They had failed to stop Bellamy at Sun and Moon Island; tracking him down again would not be so easy. The three Admirals all had important duties and could not be away from their posts for long. Right now, it seemed Garp was the only one they could send. Or perhaps Tsuru could lead a team to hunt him down herself.
But after some consideration, Sengoku still decided to send Garp. Tsuru was getting older, and her strength had diminished. When facing such a dangerous man, it was better to let Garp handle it.
"Has Drake truly fallen completely?" Sengoku had heard of this elite from the secret unit. He must have played a significant part in this battle. Could he really bring himself to attack his former comrades?
"He has completely sided with Bellamy." Tsuru nodded helplessly. She knew very well why Drake had defected. If it was Bellamy, perhaps he could truly help him get his revenge. And what reason did the Marines have to stop a man from avenging his father? From the moment Drake betrayed them, there was no turning back. This kind of blood feud could not be resolved with words.
"Increase Drake's bounty to 100 million."
Drake was an Ancient Zoan Allosaurus user. A bounty of 100 million Beli was actually on the low side for him.
"As for the rest of them, is there anyone else we need to pay special attention to?"
"No, the rest are just ordinary people."
The Bellamy Pirates had an unusually small crew, and the various members had long been thoroughly investigated by the Marine Intelligence Department. Besides Drake, the others were all ordinary people who didn't seem particularly special. No one knew why someone like Bellamy would recruit them. And after being at sea for so long, Bellamy seemed to have no intention of expanding his pirate crew. Usually, a pirate like him would have already gathered a crew of several hundred by this point.
Even Tsuru couldn't see through to Bellamy's true intentions. What did this man want? Why did he go to sea? Why did he enter the Grand Line? Why did he harbor such hostility towards the Celestial Dragons?
The Marines knew nothing about it.
If only Drake hadn't defected.