"Captain, who is this Fujitora Issho, that we're going to such great lengths for him?"
To ensure the successful capture of Fujitora, Bellamy had been constantly busy. The secret preparations he was making were even more thorough than before the attack on Dressrosa. Drake was very confused by this.
"Don't be careless, Drake. Fujitora's ability is a powerful counter to all physical fighters."
"Have you heard of the Gravity-Gravity Fruit?"
"Gravity-Gravity Fruit? You mean... gravity?"
Drake seemed to have thought of something. If it was that kind of ability, then this person was indeed not to be underestimated.
"A hundred-fold increase in gravity in an instant is enough to crush anyone without a strong enough physique."
"An ability like that is extremely troublesome even in the hands of a weakling, not to mention that Fujitora himself is a master swordsman."
Bellamy wasn't very clear on Fujitora's skill in swordsmanship. Whether he was a great swordsman or not was something he would only know after they fought. But his development of the Gravity-Gravity Fruit had certainly reached an extremely profound level. He could pull meteors down from the sky. The display of such an ability was even more outrageous than the Float-Float Fruit.
"You big meanie, you're going to do something bad again, hmph!" Mansherry climbed up from Bellamy's shoulder and jumped onto Drake. During this time, the user of the Heal-Heal Fruit had been constantly by Bellamy's side, providing him with continuous, deep healing.
Only after truly experiencing Mansherry's ability did Bellamy learn that the Heal-Heal Fruit's bug-like restorative power could be slowly applied to the body through prolonged, continuous contact, without needing her to expend her own lifespan. After learning this, Bellamy's shoulder became Mansherry's permanent seat. Whenever he had free time, he would call the palm-sized princess over to continuously use her ability on him.
Drake gently patted Mansherry's head, signaling her to go back. During this time, Mansherry had gotten to know them well. Mia and Muret were both very fond of the naive and cute princess. Drake, having achieved his revenge, had undergone a change in temperament and was no longer so bitter. Mansherry's situation was similar to his own, so Drake's attitude toward her was surprisingly good.
"Little one, you don't even know who I'm going to deal with. How do you know I'm doing something bad?"
"Hmph! You're the biggest meanie in the world anyway. Whatever you do is a bad thing."
Mansherry huffed twice and turned her head away, not wanting to talk to him.
Bellamy was momentarily stunned by her words, then burst out laughing. His deepest, most hidden thoughts had been spoken aloud by a little Tontatta.
Mansherry's words were not an exaggeration. If Bellamy's ultimate goal was achieved, then everything he was doing now, from the perspective of the civilians living in this world, was the worst possible evil.
But is a corrupt order really better than chaos? Bellamy didn't think so. So he had unhesitatingly chosen another path. A path that was destined to be misunderstood by the world. If he continued down this road, Mansherry's casual joke might really become a reality. One day, Bellamy would become the most evil villain in this world.
Drake looked at his laughing captain and couldn't help but rub Mansherry's head.
"Mansherry, don't say such silly things. Pirates are bad guys by nature. And your identity now is also a pirate."
"Oh, that's right!"
"Darn it!"
Mansherry puffed out her little chest, her cheeks puffing up like a balloon.
"Why do you all have to be pirates? Wouldn't it be better if everyone lived in peace and safety?"
"The Tontatta Tribe has never done anything wrong. Why are we always bullied by humans?"
Bellamy shook his head noncommittally. "The Fish-Men lived peacefully in the deep sea, yet for some ridiculous reasons, they are hunted down by humans everywhere."
"In this world, you can't obtain peace just by wishing for it."
"You not only need the strength to protect yourself, but also the courage to resist tyranny."
"If the enemy is too strong, you must also have the prestige to rally support and the wisdom to see into the hearts of men."
"A peaceful life is not something you can get just by asking for it."
"Do you understand?" Bellamy looked at Mansherry's confused eyes and knew she hadn't understood much.
"If you don't understand, then forget it."
"Just do your job."
Mansherry's life experience was clearly not enough for her to fully comprehend what Bellamy was saying. Drake, on the other hand, was deeply moved by his words. In this world, obtaining a peaceful life was truly a difficult thing. Most people became pirates either because they were forced to, or because of the general environment. If they had a choice, how many people would truly enjoy a life of living on the edge?
"Darn it, what he said actually makes a lot of sense."
"But why should I believe what a big meanie says?"
Mansherry wrung her little hands, conflicted.
Bellamy paid no more attention to the little princess. "Drake, go get Franky."
"Yes, sir."
They didn't have to just wait around during this time. The Golden Lion's enterprise was vast. In this half-month, they could completely remodel the Redwood Treasure Ship. The entire Bellamy Pirates, along with their ship, were currently on the floating island. With Bellamy's current status, he didn't even need to ask to take some of the Golden Lion's materials. He just mentioned it casually, and one of Shiki's subordinates immediately came over with a large pile of supplies.
After Franky arrived, Bellamy took him to the floating island's shipyard. The design of this aerial shipyard was rather peculiar. Since there was no seawater in the sky, the Flying Pirates didn't need buoyancy. The entire shipyard was not rectangular, but a strange inverted triangle. When a ship entered, it would be wedged into the triangle and held firmly in place.
Even Franky found this aerial shipyard to be an eye-opener. In this world, besides this floating island, only the sky islands might have such a strange structure.
"Franky, is half a month enough to cover the exterior with armor?"
"More than enough."
Bellamy planned to add a layer of metal plating to the entire Redwood Treasure Ship. Although the redwood itself was already very sturdy, in the battles they might face in the future, mere wood seemed insufficient. A thin layer of armor would slightly reduce the ship's speed, but it would increase its defense by a large margin.