Mid-October, Sea Circle Calendar 1517.
News of CP9's complete annihilation reached Mary Geoise, and the Five Elders were enraged.
That same day, Spandam was convicted of dereliction of duty and sentenced to death. Before his execution, the profligate son was still shouting, "Lucci, you've ruined me!"
Along with this bad news, the Five Elders also received word of Bellamy's declaration of war against Doflamingo.
"This cannot be allowed to continue."
How many times had it been? They could not let this go on.
"I don't want to see this name again."
"Nor do I."
"Agreed."
"Dispatch Kizaru immediately! Have him proceed to the Seven Waters to pursue Bellamy!"
Foiled by Bellamy time and time again, the Five Elders had finally lost their patience.
"Will he make it in time?"
By the time they received the news, the Sea Train had already traveled a great distance. That useless Spandam... he deserved to die!
"He has to go, even if he's late. This mad dog is getting far too bold."
That bastard Bellamy... today he robs the Heavenly Tribute, tomorrow he wipes out CP9. If they let him continue, would he be attacking Mary Geoise the day after?
Wait a minute. That didn't feel like an exaggeration.
"I have a feeling that if we don't catch him this time, that mad dog's next move will be to charge up to Mary Geoise."
Mary Geoise was a large place; its defenses couldn't be maintained at peak condition at all times. The fact that a single Fish-Man had managed to storm the holy land and rescue so many slaves all those years ago showed that Mary Geoise's defenses weren't actually that formidable.
"He wouldn't dare! Even Kaido wouldn't dare to attack Mary Geoise."
Did he really think the Five Elders were just for show?
But after the outburst of curses, a silence fell over the meeting room. Because, judging by Bellamy's past actions, that mad dog absolutely would dare to charge into Mary Geoise and go on a killing spree. If that were to happen, the noble image the Celestial Dragons had worked so hard to maintain would be completely shattered. At that point, the member nations of the World Government might begin to have rebellious thoughts.
"What about the Seven Warlords?"
"We could try it."
The Five Elders were old foxes who had lived for centuries; they wouldn't let a momentary fit of anger jeopardize the bigger picture. Relying on a single approach wasn't safe enough. They might as well try a policy of appeasement and recruitment.
"Who would we have him replace?"
There were only seven positions. To bring Bellamy in would mean kicking someone out.
"Isn't he challenging Doflamingo?"
"Let them fight first."
"A good idea."
The Five Elders would be more than happy to see those two bastards fight. If one of them died, even better.
"Then, what about Kizaru?"
"We should still send him."
Mary Geoise, Marineford, the Seven Waters, the Sabaody Archipelago... all these islands and cities were located in the first half of the Grand Line and formed the Celestial Dragons' main power base. Bellamy was a walking time bomb, causing explosions wherever he went. If they could deal with him quickly, it was best to do so.
"Pass down the order. Have the intelligence departments fully cooperate with the Marines' actions."
"The moment Bellamy's whereabouts are discovered, report it immediately. No one is to act without authorization."
Once the World Government got serious, the power it could unleash would be beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
The New World.In the dim light of the ocean depths.A submarine was moving slowly.
"Bellamy!"
Law held a newspaper, his mouth agape in disbelief. Bellamy, whom he had met once, had publicly issued a challenge to Doflamingo.
Incredible! What kind of grudge did they have?
Law couldn't understand. Bellamy had only just entered the Grand Line not long ago, right? He had just recently seen his astonishing bounty, and before he had time to be amazed, he was now seeing this world-shaking news.
"This is insane."
Bellamy's unpleasant nickname, "Mad Dog," seemed to fit his image more and more. "I guess it's true what they say: a name can be given by mistake, but a nickname is never wrong."
But what was with the photo on this wanted poster?
The background of the photo was a chaotic street, with people frantically fleeing from Bellamy. Bellamy was grabbing a small girl with a cold expression, while the little girl was crying and struggling desperately. On the wanted poster, Bellamy looked like a villain who committed every evil imaginable, not even sparing a little girl.
Given his consistently terrible reputation, this didn't seem too hard to believe. However, Law, having met Bellamy once, didn't quite believe these rumors.
"Bellamy... doesn't seem like that kind of person."
But the photo on the wanted poster couldn't be fake. Had Bellamy undergone some drastic change since they had last parted ways? Law suddenly had a strong urge to meet with Bellamy again, to see what had happened to him.
In reality, the truth behind the photo was that Bellamy had been pulling the little girl aside, out of harm's way. A reporter had just happened to capture that moment but only published the part showing the girl's fear and tears. And so, the majority of the uninformed public now knew Bellamy as a villain who wouldn't even spare a little girl.
This was the terrifying power of rumors. Even Law was beginning to misunderstand Bellamy's character.
Character, in this chaotic world, might seem useless. But when it came to truly important matters, no one could afford to ignore it. Character might not define achievement, but it could reveal the darkness hidden in a person's heart. Law wanted to deal with Doflamingo, so he naturally wouldn't choose someone of poor character as an ally. This was a life-and-death matter; he couldn't be too cautious.
But for now, it was Bellamy who had unilaterally challenged Doflamingo. Law himself was still in the stage of gathering intelligence and acting in secret. The question of whether to get involved in their fight was now troubling him. This was a good opportunity, and if not for his lack of preparation, he would absolutely not let it pass.
But Law had only just entered the New World; he hadn't even found where Dressrosa was. Even if he wanted to intervene, it seemed he was a bit too late.
With his intelligence channels, Law had no way of knowing that Bellamy hadn't even entered the New World yet. The battle he was anticipating was at least a year away. There was no need for him to be in such a hurry.
As he was agonizing over this, a small line of text in the newspaper caught his attention.
"Seeking a doctor from Swallow Island. An old friend wants to see you. Contact xxxx."
Swallow Island! A doctor!
Wasn't this talking about him?
There was more than one doctor on Swallow Island, but he was indeed the only one who had currently set out to sea. To publish a personal ad like this in the newspaper... it seemed they were looking for him.
Who could it be?
For a moment, Law was at a complete loss.
"This contact method... is it the black market?"
Who was using black market channels to find him? Since going to sea, Law had been careful to hide his tracks. Few people should even know of his existence.
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