Seven days later.
Muret approached Bellamy with a black pill in her hand. "Captain, this should be what you wanted."
"You've already made it?" Bellamy set down the giant boulder he was lifting and casually wiped the sweat from his brow. It was high noon, and the shirtless men were all training with fiery intensity in the clearing.
"How are the effects?" Bellamy gestured towards a corner, indicating they should talk there.
"We tested it on some animals. The effects are extremely significant," Muret said, her voice laced with worry as she glanced at her captain. "But the side effects might be a bit too strong."
Many of the poisonous materials Bellamy had brought back were highly destructive. It had taken her and Mia a long time to find a suitable formula. The mysterious resin the captain had brought back played a crucial role in the process. Muret had discovered in her experiments that the resin was highly versatile. This versatility meant that the material could substitute for many other substances and react with other ingredients. Moreover, when the resin was added, the resulting reactions were mostly benign.
The resin acted like an all-purpose catalyst; it could be added to almost any potion. Not only did it facilitate reactions, but it also enhanced the potency of the medicine and increased the success rate of the concoction. The aphrodisiac effect Mia had tested was merely its most superficial property.
Because of this resin, the poison pill they had created was far more potent than they had anticipated. It wasn't just the toxicity; the pill's ability to stimulate latent potential was also remarkably clear. In their previous animal experiments, a single half-pill, if it didn't kill the subject on the spot, would immediately unlock astonishing potential. It wasn't a forced power-up like a forbidden drug, but a visible activation of potential. The subjects became more agile, more intelligent, and had more comprehensive control over their bodies. It was as if a commoner had suddenly transformed into a genius.
If the side effects could be removed, this poison pill would be something people would fight to the death for. But with Muret and Mia's current abilities, simply creating such a pill was already a great feat. Improving it further was not something that could be done in a day or two.
Bellamy had asked them to make this medicine, clearly impatient to become stronger. Although they didn't know why their captain was always in such a hurry, they still managed to produce the finished product in seven days.
"Let me try it."
Since he had already made his decision, Bellamy would not easily change his mind. He took the pill and swallowed it in one gulp.
The moment the pill went down, an intense burning sensation erupted from within him. It was followed by a continuous wave of severe pain, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting... The powerful side effects all hit at once. Although he had been mentally prepared, the initial shock almost made Bellamy cry out in agony.
"Slow Light Wave."
Seeing that something was wrong, Muret immediately unleashed her Slow Light Wave at Bellamy. As soon as the invisible beam made contact, the side effects of the poison pill were instantly suppressed.
After a long moment, Bellamy let out a deep breath.
"Hah..."
"I feel much better."
Hearing this, Muret immediately stopped using her ability.
After the first wave of side effects passed, Bellamy did indeed feel fine. Under the intense stimulation of the poison pill, his body felt as if it had been completely awakened. He could feel waves of scorching power churning within him. The sensation was like having a high fever, his body engaged in a frantic battle against an invading force. Every cell in his body had been forcibly awakened at that moment.
This was exactly the feeling Bellamy wanted.
"If you ignore the side effects, this state is unbelievably good."
If a person's internal temperature gets too high, their brain can be damaged. If he couldn't control this side effect, Bellamy could become an imbecile. But he wasn't alone. With Muret, a Slow-Slow Fruit user, watching over him, she could immediately mitigate any issues. Muret was like a buffer, allowing him to safely undergo high-intensity training in this state.
"Captain, you have to tell me immediately if anything feels wrong," Muret said, touching Bellamy's forehead. It was frighteningly hot. Sometimes, she really wanted to curse Bellamy out. Was all of this worth it?
"I know."
Bellamy knew better than anyone what he was doing. This method of using potent poison to forcibly stimulate the body had never been tested for its effectiveness. He was using his own body for human experimentation, in the style of a mad scientist with no taboos. It was normal for his crew not to understand. It would be abnormal if someone actually shared his thought process.
"I feel pretty good right now."
His physique was strong enough to suppress the side effects of the poison for a short time. He still needed to experiment to see how effective high-intensity training would be in this state. But one thing Bellamy was certain of was that his poison resistance would continue to increase throughout this process. At the very least, it wouldn't be a pointless effort, and that was enough.
If this still isn't enough, then I'll take it with the 'potion'.
If he could get his hands on the Energy Steroids from Fish-Man Island, Bellamy would pop them more recklessly than Vander Decken. Overdrawing his life force, mortgaging his future—none of that mattered to him. If you couldn't even grasp the present, what was the point of thinking about the future?
What he wanted was to achieve Armament Haki on the level of a Warlord within a year. To achieve this goal, how could a few mere side effects possibly stop him?
With his goal set, Bellamy began his insane training.
Under the worried gaze of his ship's doctor, he first hoisted a massive boulder weighing dozens of tons onto his back and did several thousand push-ups. After that, he had Drake and Ross transform into their beast forms and relentlessly pummel his upper body.
After a hasty lunch, Bellamy headed to the most dangerous area on the island—the carnivorous plant zone—to begin his combat training. These carnivorous plants, upon hearing any loud noise, would shoot out from underground and devour any living thing in the area. The moment Bellamy arrived, he stomped heavily on the ground, awakening all of them.
Then, under Muret's anxious watch, he engaged in a chaotic battle with countless giant, thorny vines. The strength of these vines was astonishing; even a thousand-meter-long Sea King couldn't escape their grasp. Bellamy weaved through this sea of vines, knowing that a single misstep, a single moment of being ensnared, meant instant death. Even the Slow Light Wave might not be able to save him.
But the greater the danger, the more astonishing the results of the training.
As evening approached, the effects of the poison pill began to fade. Bellamy's scorching hot body slowly cooled down, indicating that the toxins within him had been completely purged.
"The effects are pretty good."
Especially when moving through the sea of vines, he felt his body was full of vitality, far more agile than usual. His mind was clearer, and his reflexes were much faster. After this combat training session, Bellamy could clearly feel that his fighting strength had increased.
He went back and took out his Doriki Telescope to test it. His normal attack now registered at 5200 Doriki. At his absolute limit, that number could probably reach ten thousand. Bellamy didn't test his limit, because without a truly strong opponent, he couldn't push himself to it. Only in a fierce battle against a powerful foe could he completely unleash his strength.
Koshiro had been right about one thing: his path was too scattered. Without specializing, it would be truly difficult to reach the very top.