"If you're careless, you'll die." Bellamy didn't say this part out loud, because he didn't care whether the Golden Lion lived or died.
For fighters of the Golden Lion and Fujitora's caliber, to decide a winner, either side would have to pay a bloody price. Whether Shiki won or Fujitora won, the only one who would ultimately benefit was Bellamy.
Of course, just dangling a carrot wasn't enough to make the Golden Lion fight to the death. When the time came, Bellamy himself would join the fray, fighting alongside Shiki to take on Fujitora. With Fujitora's Admiral-level strength, Bellamy had never thought he could defeat him easily. This battle would surely last for days and nights before a victor was decided.
Fortunately, this kind of sustained battle of attrition was precisely what Bellamy excelled at. As long as the Golden Lion could hold off the ferocious assault of the Gravity-Gravity Fruit, Bellamy was absolutely confident that he would be the one to emerge victorious in the end.
When Bellamy had told Shiki that their opponent's Devil Fruit countered his, he wasn't lying. The Gravity-Gravity Fruit was indeed a powerful counter to the Spring-Spring Fruit. High-intensity gravity could forcibly compress his springs, rendering him immobile. Even if he managed to move, the amount of stamina and energy consumed would be staggering. Bellamy's raw power was not yet at the level where he could overcome such a disadvantage and defeat an Admiral.
For this reason, he had gone to great lengths to find the Golden Lion and use the Perennial Youth Operation as bait to lure him onto his pirate ship. And this was only the first step of his grand plan. After this, he had further, even more terrifying plans. But now was not the time to be complacent. The first step was not yet complete; he still needed to be patient.
"Familiarize yourself with your new legs. Is half a month enough?"
The Golden Lion's strength was key to this operation. If possible, Bellamy naturally didn't want him to be defeated easily. It would be a joke if Shiki was crushed by a hundred-fold gravity attack from Fujitora.
"Brat, we'll set off in half a month." The Golden Lion casually waved his hand, and his two famous swords flew into his grasp. Half a month was a wait he could afford. Besides, his new legs were indeed a bit inconvenient. After twenty years of not walking normally, he found he had some trouble controlling his calf muscles. For him, this was a great embarrassment. Regaining his normal walking ability as soon as possible became his most urgent task.
"Then it's settled."
Bellamy would use this half-month to find his target. Before the first step of his plan was complete, he hadn't told anyone who his target was. Not even Law knew who Bellamy wanted to capture. Now that the Golden Lion was hooked, Bellamy could begin the second step.
He quickly dialed Morgans's number. "Help me find someone. He's a blind man, likes to gamble..."
After giving Morgans Fujitora's description, Bellamy then called Viola. "I have a mission for you. Help me find a blind man in the New World."
Fujitora's characteristics were very distinct: a blind man with a sword and a scar on his face. Anyone who had seen him would have a deep impression. As long as they had enough manpower, finding him wouldn't be difficult. The hard part was getting away from him after finding him. Fujitora's Observation Haki was absolutely top-tier in the world. Anyone spying on him would be detected immediately.
However, Fujitora was a relatively gentle person and would not easily attack civilians. Most intelligence agents were not strong fighters, and the field agents were often just ordinary people. So, finding Fujitora was just a matter of time. Half a month should be enough to get some news. Even if they came up empty, Bellamy wasn't worried. The one who would be anxious was the Golden Lion. Bellamy had the patience to search the New World for a few months.
As for the Perennial Youth Operation he had promised, he had never actually mentioned it to Law. Because from the very beginning, Bellamy had no intention of letting the Golden Lion live.
Holy Land, Mary Geoise
The Five Elders were gathered together, arguing heatedly about something. They had already held three emergency meetings in this short period. Recent events had left them feeling overwhelmed.
The first was because of Doflamingo's death. Bellamy had suddenly attacked Dressrosa and killed him. The moment this news spread, it threw Mary Geoise into an uproar. The Seven Warlords were an important tool for the World Government to balance the powers at sea. The sudden death of one, especially a key figure like Doflamingo, had a great impact on their plans.
The second was because of Portgas D. Ace. After a thorough investigation, Ace's identity was finally confirmed: he was the secret, unborn child of Gol D. Roger. The Five Elders held an emergency meeting overnight to discuss how to deal with the lingering disaster left by Roger.
The third, and current, meeting was because of the Golden Lion's sudden reappearance. There was still no confirmed information as to why he had suddenly appeared in the North Blue. However, the Five Elders had already used some mysterious method to narrow down a few key figures.
Bellamy was among them.
"Immediately issue a Warlord summons to Bellamy."
"And if he refuses?"
"Then we'll surround and kill him!"
"No, we don't have enough manpower."
"Solving the Ace problem is more important."
The Five Elders were deeply divided on how to handle Bellamy. Some felt that dealing with Ace was more important, while others believed that if they didn't suppress Bellamy now, it would be too late.
"Alright, stop arguing."
"Send Bellamy a Warlord summons. Invite him to Mary Geoise for a talk."
"As for the Ace matter, let CP0 handle it."
"Fine, let's do that for now."
After some debate, the Five Elders finally reached a consensus. With Doflamingo's death, a spot had opened up among the Warlords. Currently, only Bellamy was qualified to fill it. To become a Warlord, one had to personally come to Mary Geoise and meet with the Five Elders. If he didn't even dare to set foot in Mary Geoise, then he was not qualified for the position.
Of course, whether Bellamy wanted to be a Warlord was also a big question. The Five Elders themselves doubted whether he would just throw the letter away upon receiving it. This mad dog was simply too untamable. The status and conveniences offered by the World Government might not be something he cared for.
The greatest benefit of being a Warlord was that the Marines and the World Government would formally recognize their status, canceling their bounties and ceasing all pursuit. As long as one could withstand the pressure from other pirates, becoming a Warlord was indeed a very good choice.