Not long after Bellamy and his companions departed, a strange, unsettling sound suddenly arose within the ruined courtyard.
Niebert's corpse gave several violent twitches, and then, unbelievably, the dead man slowly began to climb back to his feet. The noble, who should by all rights be deceased, meticulously straightened his attire before turning his gaze upon the devastated garden surrounding him.
"Just where did that pirate come from?" Niebert muttered, dusting himself off. "Even the threat of a hundred-million-Beli bounty didn't intimidate him." A bounty of that magnitude... In the North Blue, it typically signified an all-out pursuit by the Marines. A pirate with such a price on his head either ventures onto the Grand Line or eventually dies in some forgotten corner of the sea; there were rarely any other outcomes.
"Bellamy..." Niebert frowned thoughtfully. "The name sounds vaguely familiar." Clearly, he didn't recognize who Bellamy was. News of Red Flame demise had spread, but it had been deliberately suppressed by certain parties. Outside of the most well-informed circles, Bellamy's name remained relatively unknown in the North Blue.
Bellamy's abrupt decision to attack had genuinely caught Niebert off guard. Even now, having seemingly revived, his face still bore traces of profound shock. "Fortunately," he checked himself, "no vital areas were damaged." He let out a soft sigh. "Pirates... truly lawless creatures." Destroying his most beloved courtyard like this... That man named Bellamy had better pray he never falls into Niebert's hands again.
Normally, such venomous thoughts should have been accompanied by a hateful glint in Niebert's eyes. Strangely, however, he simply stood frozen in place, completely motionless, like a wooden puppet abruptly paused.
Before long, another peculiar noise echoed through the courtyard. Within a pool of blood, the bisected half-corpse of one of the pirates gave a few disturbing twitches before falling still once more. Nearby, however, the three other corpses, which were relatively intact, began to move with increasing violence. Slowly, impossibly, they started to rise from the ground.
One pirate, whose neck had been snapped sideways at an unnatural angle, suddenly grabbed his own head and forcefully twisted it back into place with several sickening cracks. "Ah..." he groaned, spitting out foamy blood. "Alive again." He then began assisting his other companions in their 'resurrection'.
Their method of revival was incredibly bizarre; seemingly fatal wounds simply healed over—at least, they appeared healed—and moments later, their bodies seemed completely unharmed, fully restored. At least, that's how it looked. If the nobles of this kingdom all possessed such an ability, then...?
A short while later, the sound of footsteps approached the courtyard entrance. King Bululu III, the man who should have been dead, had somehow already revived and now strode into the ruined garden. If Bellamy had witnessed this scene, perhaps he would have finally understood why this kingdom had consistently given him such a profoundly strange feeling.
"Well, well, look who decided to grace us with his presence," Niebert drawled, snapping back to awareness the moment the King entered, much like a video game character resuming animation when the player returns. "Isn't it His Majesty the King?"
"You bastard!" the King shrieked, trembling with rage and residual terror. "I almost died! Actually died!" Bellamy shoving his head down into his torso cavity... just a little more pressure, and Bululu III would have been truly gone. This world certainly had people unafraid of death, but such individuals bore absolutely no resemblance to pampered royalty and nobility like King Bululu III.
"But you didn't die yet, did you, Your Majesty?" Niebert replied smoothly, flashing his signature, unctuous smile. "I, however, did suffer the loss of a rather high-quality henchman." He gestured towards the bisected corpse. "He was a formidable pirate who had actually sailed the Grand Line, you know. Losing even one like him is a significant blow."
"Don't give me that bullshit! They were a pile of dog shit!" the King spat furiously. "If they were so 'formidable,' why didn't they come and save me?!" He was clearly livid about their perceived abandonment.
"Your Majesty," Niebert countered sweetly, "at our last council meeting, didn't you explicitly mention that you had grown tired of living? Seeing as that was the case, we merely decided to help fulfill your heartfelt wish." Niebert's smile seemed positively nauseating in Bululu III's eyes. "But, alas, it appears your wish wasn't granted after all. What a terrible pity."
"Bastard! You absolute bastards!" the King raged impotently. "A whole pack of bastards!" He seemed utterly powerless against Niebert. Aside from hurling insults, all he could do was stomp his feet furiously on the spot, an action that only served to further diminish his dignity. Before long, the King stormed out of the courtyard, panting heavily with exertion and fury.
Niebert watched his retreating back, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt. "The one who should die doesn't, while a whole group who shouldn't have, did," he muttered disdainfully. "Old fool. You've lived for so long already; haven't you had enough?"
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Aboard the Sea Shark.
On the spacious deck, Bellamy, having concluded his unexpectedly 'busy' shore excursion, was now lounging comfortably on a beach chair, soaking up the sun. The two women had disappeared into their rooms almost immediately upon returning, presumably tinkering with their potions or herbs again.
Although the sea was calm today, Bellamy hadn't given the order to set sail immediately. Taking occasional breaks was necessary too.
My nerves are wound way too tight right now, he admitted to himself. Ever since leaving Lvneel Kingdom, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was fundamentally off. Whenever his mind drifted, a persistent urge surfaced—an impulse to go back, just to check things out.
But why should he care about the fate of Lvneel Kingdom? What did it matter to him? Even if the entire country were wiped off the map the very next second, how would it affect him? He couldn't comprehend the origin of this nagging impulse. Could it be the threat of the hundred-million-Beli bounty Niebert mentioned? No, that was absurd. A mere hundred million was practically insignificant to someone like him, proficient in the Six Powers and already beginning to grasp Life Return. A bounty on him should start at two hundred million, at least. Besides, he possessed the Spring-Spring Fruit and had awakened rudimentary Observation Haki. He could scarcely find anyone in the entire North Blue capable of genuinely making him feel threatened.
So why this abnormal, persistent urge? Bellamy remained completely baffled. Could the Marines have already identified him as a significant threat and be mobilizing for a large-scale operation against him? No... it seemed far too soon for that.