A Pirate's Spring Awakening

Mia hadn't truly submitted, and Bellamy was well aware of this. How could someone with real skill submit so easily? The more capable a person, the harder they are to subdue. This is a natural law, unchangeable by anyone.

Moreover, Bellamy hadn't given her a single Belly of the one hundred million he had promised. He simply didn't have that much money on him at the moment. And with her medicinal soup brewing skills, Mia could easily join a powerful pirate crew at any time. If Bellamy hadn't discovered her early, he wouldn't have had a chance with this chef.

After chatting with Mia for a while, he learned that she was also from the North Blue, but this was her first time setting sail. Bellamy could only marvel at his own luck; he had almost missed out on a great chef.

As for Ross's resentful glances, Bellamy simply ignored them.

With a proper chef on board, the most urgent need now was a navigator. He could take his time finding a first mate and other crew members. He wouldn't trust a novice with nautical charts and navigation.

Getting lost at sea was no joke. If a ship strayed from its course in the vast ocean, unable to find its way, it would be a death sentence for the entire crew. He was the captain; he couldn't entrust his own fate and the fate of his crew to an unreliable person.

Therefore, when searching for a navigator, ability came first, trustworthiness second, and loyalty last. If Nami weren't so young, probably not even an adult yet, he would have considered going to the East Blue to snatch her away.

"What a headache. I'll just have to take my time."

Anyway, he didn't even have a ship yet, so he could definitely put the navigator issue on hold.

As for his first ship, Bellamy wasn't worried in the least. There were plenty of pirate ships docked at the harbor; he could just go and steal one. Buy one? He was a pirate.

"But I really am running low on cash. Maybe I should go do a job."

He needed to buy ingredients, medicine, and so many other things. The little money he had would be gone soon.

"I'll just go kill a few pirates and collect their bounties."

Although Bellamy was a pirate, he was just a pirate who hadn't yet sailed the seas, a pirate with no bounty. Technically, he was a pirate in name only; the Marines didn't recognize him. That was fine, though. It gave him the perfect opportunity to kill a few pirate captains and get some money from the Marines.

Evening, Big Beard's Tavern.

As darkness fell, this tavern, one of the few pirate hangouts in town, began to bustle with activity. Bellamy had specifically chosen this time to find more targets.

Hearing the loud shouts of the pirates from outside, Bellamy revealed a cruel smile.

Bang! With a loud crash, the tavern door flew inward.

Instantly, the entire tavern fell silent.

The pirates all turned to look at the entrance, wanting to see who dared to be so.

"It's Hyena."

"What's he up to now?"

"Damn it, he's here again." Seeing the shattered door, the tavern owner's heart bled with pain. Bellamy's attitude made it clear he was looking for trouble. It seemed he was going to suffer a significant loss today.

The tavern owner, being an old pirate himself, quickly assessed the situation.

"Black Bull Pirates, Captain Black Bull: Bounty 2 million Belly."

"Shark Pirates, Captain Great Shark: Bounty 3 million Belly."

"Devil Pirates, Captain Hungry Ghost: Bounty 5 million Belly."

Bellamy, holding a stack of wanted posters, quickly selected three targets.

"Hyena, what do you want!" Bellamy's actions hadn't gone unnoticed by the pirates present. Or rather, he hadn't intended to hide anything.

Hungry Ghost, who had a bit of brains, quickly shouted to his crew and others, "Everyone, attack together! Kill him!"

"You're dead." Black Bull, a man of coarse appearance, drew the short pistol from his waist and fired a shot.

Bang.

The bullet shot out. Black Bull's gun and marksmanship were both terrible, and he hadn't expected to hit anything. The shot was mostly an act of venting.

But to everyone's astonishment, Black Bull's shot actually hit Bellamy.

The bullet pierced straight through Bellamy's shirt, leaving a large hole.

The tavern fell silent again for a moment. Suddenly, a few veteran pirates burst into laughter. "Just this? You dare to come and mess with us with this kind of skill!"

"Hahahaha." The other pirates joined in the laughter.

But the expressions of those pirate captains, including the tavern owner, slowly turned serious. They stared intently at Bellamy's chest, wanting to see what they expected to see.

However, Bellamy disappointed them.

Clink.

The bullet casing fell to the ground. Bellamy was completely unharmed.

"How is that possible!"

Someone who could withstand a bullet head-on was definitely not someone they could handle. How could such a person appear in Neon Town?

The pirates who could become captains had some level of experience. They understood very well what this scene represented.

Just then, Bellamy tilted his head and pulled out a wanted poster.

"Black Bull Pirates, Black Bull."

"I'll start with you."

Black Bull, who appeared rough and acted recklessly, was actually quite shrewd. The moment he saw Bellamy take out the wanted poster, he immediately turned and charged towards the back of the tavern.

He didn't choose to go through the front door, of course, because that would be suicide.

Crash!

The tavern wall was smashed open, leaving a large hole. Before the owner could even feel the pain, another sound followed.

Thud…

This sound of a heavy object falling wasn't very loud, but it nearly made all the pirates jump in fright. Because it was the sound of Black Bull falling to the ground.

"When did he…!" Hungry Ghost felt his legs trembling.

It was too fast, he hadn't seen anything clearly. When?! When did Black Bull fall? When did Bellamy attack? How was this possible?!

"No, please don't kill me." Seeing this, Great Shark, known for his ferocity, immediately dropped to his knees.

"Please, I'll give you as much money as you want, just don't kill me!"

Great Shark crawled towards Bellamy on his knees, weeping.

"Interesting." Bellamy crossed his arms and watched this trash with amusement. He was curious to see what this guy was planning.

After a while, Great Shark finally crawled to Bellamy's feet.

Just then, this trash, who was weeping and begging for mercy, suddenly sprung up from the ground. " Hungry Ghost, now's the chance!"

"Wait, why is there no movement behind me?"

Before he could figure out why, a fist slammed squarely into the center of his forehead, caving it in. Milky white brain matter instantly splattered out.

"Idiot, Hungry Ghost ran away long ago."

Bellamy scoffed and turned to look at the tavern owner. "Get their heads cleaned up and sent to my place."

"Yes, Bellamy-sama."

"Everyone is so obedient. Why was Hungry Ghost so naughty?"

"What do you all think?" Bellamy turned to look at the crewmates of Hungry Ghost, Black Bull, and Great Shark.

"Yes, Bellamy-sama!" Seeing him looking over, the pirates shouted in terror.

"Don't be afraid. I don't kill trash."

Killing these guys would only dirty his hands and serve no purpose. He wouldn't waste his energy on such garbage.

Hungry Ghost had taken the opportunity to escape through the hole Black Bull had made, but he wouldn't get far. In Neon Town, he was the local boss. Where could Hungry Ghost possibly run to?