No matter how desperately the Marines pursued, the storm ultimately carried them further and further away from Bellamy and his crew. Faced with the tempest that swept across heaven and earth, even Onigumo could only sigh in helplessness. Without Admiral-level strength, human power simply couldn't contend with the might of nature. Watching Bellamy's gradually blurring figure, Onigumo had a faint premonition. The next time they met, killing him would likely not be as simple as it was today. This already chaotic world was about to welcome another villain of the worst kind.
"Damn it!" Onigumo slammed his fist onto the warship's railing in frustration.
"All forces, retreat." No matter how unwilling he was, this pursuit could no longer continue.
On a wildly pitching sea, Bellamy stood firm at the bow, resisting wave after wave of fierce winds and monstrous swells. The Marines' movements, naturally, had not escaped his perception.
"Given up, have they?" Indeed, continuing the chase any further was meaningless. Just resisting the storm was already exhausting him; Bellamy didn't believe Onigumo was faring any better.
"Slow our speed. Reef the sails a bit." Since the Marines were no longer pursuing, there was no need to push themselves so recklessly. This continuous, fierce battle had lasted for nearly an entire day. Bellamy now felt utterly drained, his whole body weak. If it weren't for the extremely harsh environment, he would have loved nothing more than to immediately return to his room and collapse into sleep.
"Still, that was really intense." Onigumo's appearance had completely exceeded Bellamy's expectations. To run headfirst into a veteran Vice Admiral without any preparation – that was damn exciting. He had been so close, just a hair's breadth away, from being killed by Onigumo's sword. If his Gear Third mode hadn't been so incredibly tough, and if Onigumo's own hands hadn't gone numb from wildly slashing with his Meito, the Bellamy Pirates would have had absolutely no chance of survival today.
Even among Marine Vice Admirals, Onigumo was considered one of the absolute top tier. If one didn't count Conqueror's Haki, his raw strength definitely wouldn't lose out to Doflamingo. That Armament Haki, capable of covering his entire body like armor – how many people in the entire pirate world could achieve that? Armament Haki, this special power, relied entirely on one's own physical prowess; it was the most orthodox foundation of strength. Such a straightforward path might seem unremarkable compared to other powers at first, but as long as one gritted their teeth and persevered, it would undoubtedly erupt with incomparable brilliance.
Bellamy's biggest weakness right now was precisely Armament Haki, yet there were no shortcuts to this power. And what he lacked most was time. "Time waits for no man!"
Fortunately, Bellamy hadn't come out of this fierce battle empty-handed. The appearance of that Fish-Man was rather timely, saving him a great deal of effort. Bellamy hadn't even carefully considered whether he could extract what he wanted from Arlong's mouth. A mere small fry; if not for his special status, he wouldn't even be in Bellamy's sights.
"Captain, the storm is starting to weaken!" Drake suddenly roared, interrupting Bellamy's thoughts. Only then did Bellamy realize with a start that they had already escaped the storm's most central region.
"Everyone hold on, we'll be out of it soon!"
"Awooo!" Hope was in sight; the morale of the Bellamy Pirates instantly soared. Even the two youngsters were running much faster.
An unknown amount of time passed until the dark clouds in the sky began to slowly thin. Bellamy and his crew had finally escaped from the storm. Only at this moment did Bellamy discover, to his horror, that the cargo ship they were on was damaged beyond recognition. Aside from the one mast he had forcibly kicked down, three other masts had sustained severe damage to varying degrees. Furthermore, the railings on both sides of the ship had been almost entirely smashed to pieces by the giant waves. All items that had been on the sides—cannons, barrels, gangplanks, small boats, etc.—were gone.
The most severe damage was to the ship's bottom; the several holes there were now almost impossible to plug. Currently, it was entirely reliant on the Clone Soldiers forming a human wall, forcibly blocking the breaches. If not for these useful clones, their ship would have sunk long ago.
"This is truly disastrous." This ship was practically a complete wreck. Bellamy even doubted if they could make it to the next island.
"Not good! Which sea region are we in now?" The thought of their current location made his expression change abruptly. This storm had blown too fiercely; he had now completely lost his bearings. Losing one's direction at sea was no laughing matter; he had to compare their position with a sea chart immediately.
Bellamy had naturally prepared a sea chart of the nearby waters before setting out, but things bought from the black market were definitely not as accurate as charts obtained from merchant guilds. If the gale had blown them into a completely unfamiliar sea region, then they would be in real trouble.
"Hold on… can't sleep now." Bellamy's legs were both trembling; he was truly out of strength. But there was no choice; he absolutely could not collapse at this moment.
"Ross! Ross, where did you go?!"
"Captain, I'm here!" Hearing Bellamy's call, Ross abruptly emerged from the ship's hold.
"The hold is your responsibility. Get all that water pumped out."
"Leave it to me, Boss."
"You two, go help as well." Bellamy pointed at Mia and Muret. "Everyone get moving! This is no time to rest!"
He himself hurriedly ran into the wheelhouse to study the sea chart with Drake. After escaping the storm, everyone in the Bellamy Pirates was once again frantically busy: bailing water, plugging holes, studying charts. Fish-Man Arlong, with a gaping hole impaled in his stomach, had actually been forgotten by everyone.
It wasn't until dusk began to fall and Bellamy finally figured out their current position that he suddenly remembered there was still a Fish-Man tied up on deck.
"So sleepy… can't hold on anymore…" Having pushed himself for so long, Bellamy felt that if he closed his eyes, he would instantly fall asleep. Forcing himself to stay alert, he quickly made his way to the deck and found this small fry.
"Good, not dead." Fish-Men truly had tenacious vitality. With such severe injuries and so much blood loss, he was merely on the brink of death. As long as he was still breathing, that was enough; Bellamy wasn't actually concerned about this Fish-Man's life or death.
He administered some basic first aid to Arlong, at least stopping the bleeding. As for that mast, it could just stay impaled in his stomach. He was going to be killed eventually anyway; once he had answered what Bellamy wanted, he could just toss the corpse, mast and all, into the sea.
Bellamy called over the two youngsters again, having them take turns watching over the Fish-Man. "Don't be fooled by how he looks like he's about to die. He can crush you with one finger." The strength of a Fish-Man was not something ordinary humans could withstand.
After he couldn't resist giving them a few instructions, Bellamy really couldn't hold on any longer. 'I'm going to rest first. You guys be careful. "
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