"Bounty: 30,000,000 Berries. Captain of the Red Flame Pirates, 'Red Flame' Eggert," Chardin recited menacingly from a wanted poster.
"Tell me, where is he now!"
With the hope of rescuing her father within reach, this usually gentle woman's temper flared uncontrollably. She held a flintlock pistol firmly against a pirate's head, demanding answers.
Bellamy didn't stop her, letting her vent her anger.
But these pirates weren't easily intimidated. They laughed boisterously, even having the gall to flirt with her. These pirates were scum, but they weren't the type to give in easily. Moreover, they were members of the strongest pirate crew in the North Blue. Chardin's current level of resolve was far from enough to extract information from them.
The interrogation lasted half the night, ending with her shooting one of the pirates dead. The death of their comrade didn't make the other pirates soften; instead, they yelled at her to hurry up and shoot.
Seeing Chardin on the verge of an emotional breakdown, Bellamy decided he'd seen enough and prepared to personally apply some torture.
In terms of torture, Bellamy, with the knowledge of an entire civilization's history, was definitely among the best in this world. He didn't need to resort to excessively bloody methods for these small-time crooks. He simply had Ross grab some bird feathers and tickle the pirates' feet all night.
The next morning, they confessed everything. It was both easy and simple, and he didn't even have to get his hands dirty.
Chardin was dumbfounded, realizing for the first time that tickling could be so excruciating.
Separating the pirates, Bellamy conducted a thorough, isolated interrogation and finally obtained the information he wanted.
It turned out that the Red Flame Pirates were involved in dealings with both Doflamingo and the Marine garrison on Minion Island. The Red Flame Pirates provided large quantities of raw ore, the local Marines were responsible for smelting and manufacturing, and Doflamingo handled the final step, selling the products through various channels.
It was a complete arms smuggling chain.
"I just wanted to get out for some fresh air and practice sailing," Bellamy muttered. "I didn't expect to stumble upon something like this."
Doflamingo, huh? Was it time to clash with him already?
Bellamy, who had been unenthusiastic about the rescue mission, suddenly became excited.
"Gyahahahaha, very well. Since I've found this, I might as well cause him some trouble."
Bellamy wasn't one to leave empty-handed. He'd come all this way, wouldn't it be rude to leave without saying hello?
"You guys wait here. Drake, come with me."
Chardin was simply too much of a liability. If a fight broke out, Bellamy wouldn't be able to go all out with her around.
So, he decided to have Mia and Ross stay behind to guard her. He and Drake would go to the Red Flame Pirates' base and destroy it.
"Wait, Mr. Bellamy, please take me with you," Chardin pleaded, instantly sensing Bellamy's intention to leave her behind.
"Oh, if you want to follow, then follow," Bellamy said casually.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Bellamy's figure vanished. Drake gave Chardin a silent look, then followed Bellamy's shadow, disappearing into thin air as well.
"Little Chardin, you'd better run fast," Mia said, spreading her hands helplessly. "If you're too late, you might not see anything." She couldn't disobey the captain's orders.
The easternmost part of Bird Dropping Island was a region of extremely complex straits. This area was densely packed with reefs and strong currents, and few ships dared to approach.
Such a place should have been deserted. Strangely, however, a large group of people wearing iron shackles appeared on the edge of one particularly narrow strait.
When Bellamy arrived here, flying through the air from the center of Bird Dropping Island, he happened to see the layout from above.
The bottom of this strait had been dug out, creating dozens of large holes. A large group of slaves were moving back and forth within these caves, seemingly transporting goods.
Judging by the shape of the strait, its interior had likely been hollowed out, and it might even contain a shipyard and docks. The Red Flame Pirates could directly set sail from inside the canyon, making it both safe and concealed.
Even Bellamy was momentarily tempted by such a large, secret base.
This was the Red Flame Pirates' main base, so there would naturally be guards and sentries. Bellamy made no attempt to conceal his approach, flying straight in from above, and the alarm was immediately raised.
"Woo! Woo! Woo, woo!"
"Enemy attack!"
The entire pirate base immediately erupted into chaos, and groups of pirates rushed out of the caves. The slaves, terrified, squatted on the ground, covering their heads with their hands and shivering. They didn't even dare to run, indicating they had probably experienced similar situations before.
Bellamy stood in the air, enduring a barrage of gunfire and cannon fire. Letting the bullets hit him, he casually swatted away an accurately aimed cannonball and looked down at the scum below, asking, "Where is 'Red Flame' Eggert?"
If Eggert wasn't here, he'd have to go searching for him at sea, and Bellamy didn't have that kind of time.
"Who are you? How dare you provoke our Red Flame Pirates!"
A burly man carrying a huge cannon barrel yelled loudly, then suddenly rushed below Bellamy and fired a shot upwards.
"Are the local pirates all so rude?"
Bellamy kicked the cannonball. At the moment of contact between his heel and the projectile, his heel suddenly caved in, absorbing all the impact. Then, double the force was attached to the cannonball, sending it rebounding at high speed.
Cannonballs were already incredibly fast. With double the spring force added, there was a loud bang, and a large crater appeared where Bellamy had been standing. As for the burly man, he had long been reduced to mincemeat.
"The charge captain is dead! Go get the Captain!"
After the charge captain was crushed with a single kick, the pirate grunts no longer dared to approach recklessly.
Bellamy, with his hands in his pockets, leisurely kicked at the air and slowly descended to the ground.
"Looks like your captain is home. I'm really lucky."
He took out a cigar and lit it, patiently waiting in place. He hadn't come to this bird-shit-covered place to kill a bunch of trashy pirates. Only 'Red Flame' Eggert was the key to everything.
A large group of pirates surrounded him, but they hesitated to attack. As time passed, more and more pirates emerged from the cave.
By the time Drake arrived, using Moon Walk, the open space in front of the strait was filled with cannons, sniper rifles, and machine guns.
"Captain, were you waiting for me?" Drake asked, a little puzzled as to why Bellamy hadn't attacked.
"No, I'm waiting for someone important," Bellamy replied, pursing his lips. This important person seemed to be taking his sweet time.
Just then, a violent tremor came from inside the cave, as if a massive creature was moving towards them.
"Oh, look, it seems the VIP has arrived."
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