The fierce bombardment had lasted for nearly ten minutes. The residents of Sun and Moon Island trembled, fleeing frantically towards the outskirts of the town. The burning flames stained the entire sky red. No one knew if the two beings at the center of the bombardment were dead or alive.
"Stop, please stop!"
Some of the weaker-willed individuals could no longer bear the horrific reality of the situation. After all, Vice Admiral Onigumo was among those being shelled.
"Someone, please, just make it stop! I'm begging you, stop!" a Marine soldier cried, collapsing to his knees and pleading with his comrades to cease their actions. His sobs moved everyone who heard them. In truth, these Marine soldiers wanted nothing more than to stop their terrible actions. But the Vice Admiral had put his life on the line to eliminate that evil pirate. Was it really okay to give up now?
Just as they hesitated, a Tyrannosaurus rex leaped onto the warship.
"ROAR!"
Drake roared and charged straight into the ranks of the Marines, unleashing a frenzied slaughter upon his former colleagues. Behind him, the rest of the Bellamy Pirates boarded the other warships, forcibly halting the naval bombardment.
Among them, however, Lao G was nowhere to be seen. At this critical moment, the turncoat had hidden himself away somewhere. A character like him truly couldn't be relied upon for anything.
The cannonade, which had lasted for so long, finally began to die down. A strange silence fell over Sun and Moon Island. The once-bustling port district had been completely reduced to a wasteland. All the buildings had been destroyed. In the streets, raging fires consumed everything, showing no signs of extinguishing.
Just then, a tall figure, holding a dark silhouette, slowly walked out of the sea of flames. It was hard to imagine that any living creature could have survived such a terrifyingly destructive bombardment.
"Is that Vice Admiral Onigumo?!"
The Marine soldiers looked at the dark figure with immense anticipation. The height and build seemed to match Onigumo's.
Seeing this figure, Bellamy's crew felt a surge of worry. Had their captain truly been defeated? When Bellamy had entered the fray, he hadn't been this tall. His opponent was, after all, a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral. Even Drake, who had the most confidence in Bellamy, wouldn't dare to claim that the captain was guaranteed to win.
Soon, the dark figure stepped out of the sea of flames.
Bellamy gently placed the mangled corpse in his hands on the ground. "To have this battlefield as your grave... I imagine you won't have any objections."
Onigumo had stayed true to his convictions, dying in a battle to protect justice. It was a perfect final curtain. With this place as his grave, his soul would surely find peace.
As a respectable opponent, Bellamy would naturally not desecrate his remains. With a single punch, he blasted a large hole in the ground and buried the severely charred body.
"As for a tombstone... I won't be making one for you."
The Grand Line was too chaotic, full of pirates everywhere. If a Marine Vice Admiral's tombstone were erected here, it would sooner or later be dug up by someone looking to vent their anger. It was better for him to sleep eternally here. Except for those present, no one would ever know he was buried here.
"Oh my god, how can it be Bellamy!" Upon seeing the figure clearly, the Marines fell into despair.
Vice Admiral Onigumo had died in battle! How was this possible? This was the great Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Onigumo!
Drake and the others, however, let out a huge sigh of relief. "The captain is alright, as expected."
"As expected of the captain, he even took down a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral."
Lao G, hiding in a corner, realized things had taken a terrible turn the moment he saw Bellamy's figure. The situation had developed far beyond his expectations. Bellamy had actually been able to kill a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral in a direct confrontation. Even Doflamingo would not find it easy to eliminate a Vice Admiral. Bellamy's combat strength was completely inconsistent with the intelligence reports.
"Oh no, how am I going to explain myself later?"
Given Bellamy's notoriously ruthless temperament, would he be beaten to death on the spot for daring to hide and desert on the battlefield? The more Lao G thought about it, the more terrified he became. But he didn't dare to run. Sun and Moon Island was only so big; where could he possibly go? He knew Bellamy had Observation Haki and could find him in an instant.
Left with no other choice, Lao G could only find a Marine warship and sneak aboard. "I hope they didn't notice I was gone just now." It seemed his only hope for survival was to cling to such a slim chance.
Lao G still didn't understand that Bellamy couldn't care less about his life or his loyalty. His only use was to provide the Bellamy Pirates with intelligence. Beyond that, he held no value to Bellamy.
On the warships, the battle had already reached a fever pitch. Lao G's addition did little to change the tide of the fight. The morale of the Bellamy Pirates was sky-high. Though they were few in number, they had forcibly pushed the Marine forces onto the back foot.
Seeing that they didn't need his help, Bellamy completely relaxed. He had not emerged from that fierce battle unscathed. His body had been scorched by flames several times over. The burnt skin would rapidly heal, only to be quickly burned again. After this happened several times, a thick, charred crust had actually formed over him. If not for his thorough preparations and the vast amount of life force he had stored, Bellamy would surely have been severely burned by now.
Even so, under the bombardment of the cannons, he had still suffered considerable internal injuries. But compared to Onigumo, his injuries were nothing.
Bellamy cracked off the charred crust on his body, revealing fair skin beneath.
"It's been a while since I've been in such a sorry state."
Stark naked, Bellamy let the sea breeze blow over him for a moment, then began to walk towards the residential area. The battlefield here didn't need his supervision. He trusted Drake and the others to handle the remaining Marines.