Early August, Sea Circle Calendar 1517.
The battered ship had sailed for three days and three nights, and the faint silhouette of an island was now visible ahead. In these three days, while Bellamy slowly grew accustomed to his shrunken form, he also gained a deeper understanding of it.
During this time, to test the upper limits of his defense, he had Drake fully transform and unleash his full power against him. A single blow, with around 3000 Doriki (Rob Lucci's was 4000), slammed into him with one claw. Sparks flew, and only then was his defense barely broken. According to Drake's subsequent description, it felt like hitting a solid ingot of steel. After the strike, his entire claw was numb.
This form, which Bellamy had tentatively named "Gear Third: Body of Steel," was abnormally tough. In this state, the density of his entire body underwent a drastic change, as if his flesh and blood had been forcibly compressed into a body of steel. If it weren't for the fact that the recoil force upon release was too violent for him to handle, this form would be practically perfect.
Additionally, as time went on, a second side effect of continuously maintaining this new form began to slowly manifest. Even when not engaged in combat or training, keeping Gear Third active for 24 hours caused Bellamy's appetite to skyrocket in an exaggerated manner. The price of compressing energy was an immense consumption of stamina and vitality. Now, ten meals a day weren't enough to satisfy him; he would even wake up in the middle of the night, literally starved awake.
The ship's provisions were already scarce; how could they possibly withstand his voracious eating? Left with no choice, everyone had to grab fishing rods and try their luck. But the meager amount of food they caught couldn't possibly fill this bottomless pit. For three whole days, Bellamy was so hungry his eyes were practically green; now, even the rotten wood of the ship looked appetizing enough to take a bite out of.
The moment he spotted the island's silhouette, his stomach began to rumble, and saliva uncontrollably dripped from his mouth. After instructing his crew on some important matters, Bellamy used Moon Walk to leap into the sky, speeding towards the island ahead.
"I'm going on ahead to get a good meal. You guys find your way over later." With the Vivre Card, there was no fear of getting lost anyway.
This was Bellamy's second visit to the Lvneel Kingdom. The country didn't seem to have changed much since his last departure. This time, Bellamy had no inclination for leisurely strolls; he headed straight for the nearest restaurant. Upon entering, he immediately bellowed for them to bring out the food.
"Bring me all your staple dishes and meats, and make it quick!" Bellamy dumped all the money he had on him, roughly over a hundred thousand Beli, onto the table. The restaurant owner's eyes lit up at the sight of so much cash, his face instantly wreathed in smiles. "Please wait a moment, sir."
The aroma of food soon permeated the entire restaurant. The moment Bellamy smelled the roasting meat, he nearly lost control and charged into the kitchen. He had been truly starving these past few days.
"This time, I absolutely have to get a big ship." Even a cargo ship would do. In short, it had to be large, with its hold filled to the brim with dried meat, alcohol, and root vegetables. Basically, anything that stored well. Otherwise, a sea voyage of half a month would leave him fainting from hunger midway. A medium-sized sailboat could no longer meet Bellamy's needs. But a large sailboat, even just a cargo vessel, was quite expensive. Custom-ordering from a shipyard was out of the question – it would take at least half a year. He'd have to find a way to "acquire" one.
Under the allure of money, steaming hot food was quickly served. Bellamy directly grabbed a roasted pig leg and bit down, bone and all. With a crunch of his teeth, the large bone was instantly pulverized, as if he were chewing tofu. The platter had only been on the table for a few seconds, and in the blink of an eye, the half-man-sized roasted pig leg was gone. No matter how fast the kitchen cooked, it couldn't keep up with this speed. But Bellamy had only just begun to fill his stomach, and his appetite was thoroughly stimulated.
"Faster, faster!" "Why is the food so slow!" "Please wait, sir, it's coming, it's coming very soon!" The restaurant owner, in all his years, had never seen a customer devour meat so ferociously. Seeing that the kitchen genuinely couldn't cope, he rolled up his own sleeves and joined in the cooking.
Soon, platters of food were brought out one after another. The restaurant's stored ingredients were visibly diminishing. Before long, the restaurant owner approached Bellamy, a forced smile on his face, and began to apologize. "Sir, you see…" "This money, cough cough… it seems to be a little insufficient." Bellamy had eaten so quickly that he had already exhausted all the Beli he'd brought. He felt his pockets; they were empty.
"Wait for me a bit, I'll go pick up some money." He was only half-full and hadn't eaten his fill yet. He'd just pop over to the black market, get some cash, and come back to continue eating.
"Pick up some money?" The restaurant owner listened, completely bewildered. Could money really be "picked up"? Where could such a good thing be found? Could he tag along?
"Alright, get the food ready. I'll be back soon." The food at this restaurant was good and suited his taste; the owner deserved to earn his money.
Bellamy patted his stomach and was about to get up when a strange man suddenly called out to him, "Little brother, wait a moment."
Was he being called? Bellamy's body, shrunken by a third, now made him look like an underage boy. But clearly, he wasn't used to this form yet; being called "little brother" left him stunned for a good while before he reacted. "Are you calling me?"
"That's right, I'm calling you." The man, wearing a fake smile, walked over to Bellamy's side. "Little brother, I see you don't seem to have eaten your fill. How about I treat you to this meal?"
Interesting. Bellamy could sense the strong malice emanating from this man even without using Observation Haki. Slave trader? Or a human trafficker? He hadn't expected to run into this kind of trouble. However, he was planning to visit the black market anyway; this fellow's appearance was rather timely, saving him some effort.
"Alright then. Owner, more food!" The owner seemed to know this man. Seeing his actions, he discreetly shook his head at Bellamy. However, Bellamy seemed completely oblivious to the owner's signal, merely urging him to serve the food faster. The restaurant owner sighed inwardly, helpless, and dared not meddle further.
Bellamy's current appetite was comparable to a Tyrannosaurus Rex. This meal ended up costing nearly three hundred thousand Beli, and he only stopped eating when the man's face began to twitch. Throughout this time, the suspected slave trader had been constantly trying to pry information from Bellamy. But Bellamy didn't even bother to glance at him, just kept stuffing food into his mouth, treating him like thin air.
Only after Bellamy had eaten and drunk his fill did he finally lift his head to look at him. "What's your name?" "Actually, never mind, don't tell me." "Speak. What do you want from me?"
Such an arrogant attitude made the man feel a growing sense of unease. In fact, upon witnessing Bellamy's exaggerated way of eating, he had already had a bad premonition. Today's venture was most likely going to end in a bloody loss.
"I am Morti. This young brother truly has a remarkable appetite." Having somewhat prepared himself mentally, Morti put on his smile again and began to flatter Bellamy endlessly. "Little brother, it's like this." "Our team found a treasure map, but we don't have enough manpower and haven't been able to excavate it." "The moment I saw you, little brother, I felt a strong sense of kinship. So, I wanted to invite you to join our team, and we can all go treasure hunting together."
After delivering his prepared speech, Morti noticed that Bellamy's expression hadn't changed at all. Sensing his ice-cold demeanor, a few drops of cold sweat trickled down Morti's forehead. He seemed to have picked on the wrong target.
Just as Morti was about to give up, Bellamy suddenly spoke. "Take me there." "What?" "Aren't we going treasure hunting? Take me."