At that moment, this secluded underground village was preparing a grand feast, a celebration of everyone's escape from the clutches of evil. Bellamy simply shook his head inwardly at this, not bothering to interfere. He had come here for two reasons: first, for the so-called "Elixir of Life," the potion that could boost poison resistance; and second, to get to the bottom of Doc Q's origins. Everything else was irrelevant.
The chef, Mia, had come along this time, and since a banquet was being prepared, her participation was naturally required. What puzzled Bellamy slightly was the villagers' apparent fear of Mia. Whenever she approached, they reacted like mice spotting a cat, their bodies trembling, and sweat beading uncontrollably on their foreheads. He couldn't fathom what they were afraid of. It was baffling, truly inexplicable.
An old man approached Bellamy, informing him that the village was already preparing the potion and asking him to wait a little longer.
Bellamy immediately called a halt. "This is my ship's doctor," he said, gesturing to Muret. "Take her to where you make the potion. Give her the recipe, and let her handle it."
He trusted these people's words at most half the time. He'd specifically brought Muret along as a precaution.
The old man mumbled hesitantly for a while, but ultimately didn't dare refuse.
Muret followed the villager to prepare the potion, and Mia was busy with the banquet preparations. Suddenly, Bellamy found himself with time on his hands. He was not one to sit idle, and this peculiar underground village intrigued him. This was the perfect opportunity to explore.
He'd been so busy upon entering the village that he hadn't had a chance to properly take in his surroundings. Now, with some free time, the unique scenery immediately captivated him.
First, there were the dense, tangled plant roots overhead. They spread out in vast patches, as thick as interwoven strands of hair, hanging from the ceiling of the underground cavern. The roots emitted a faint, fluorescent glow, illuminating the entire space. Some of the longer roots were so low, he could touch them just by reaching up. This made the cavern remarkably bright, as if it were perpetually daytime.
The residents seemed long accustomed to this environment, having built their houses near these roots. Bellamy even noticed some roots deliberately pulled into homes, seemingly used as lighting fixtures. This bizarre symbiosis of humans and plants fascinated him, further fueling his desire to explore.
A subterranean village of a thousand people, as one might imagine, couldn't be very large. It wasn't long before Bellamy had explored the entire village, taking in both the interesting and the mundane.
There was only one place, a cave entrance sealed shut with heavy iron chains, that the villagers absolutely refused to let him enter. This, naturally, piqued Bellamy's curiosity. The village had once been occupied by pirates, and given their greed, it was surprising that such a place still existed.
He made a quick guess: this cave probably had something to do with Doc Q.
After some questioning, his suspicion was confirmed. This cave was where Doc Q was born, lived, and grew up. After he left, it was immediately sealed. At the mere mention of the place, nearly all the villagers displayed expressions of terror.
However, the details they provided were incredibly vague. They spoke of ghosts, curses, spirits, the Grim Reaper, and all sorts of nonsense. They couldn't offer any more specific information.
What exactly had happened in this place?
Bellamy sought out the oldest villager and, with a relentless determination to get to the bottom of things, questioned him for several hours before finally understanding the situation. Apparently, this cave was cursed. Whenever the cave entrance was opened, people in the village would start to die. But as soon as the door was closed, the deaths would immediately stop.
This bizarre phenomenon terrified not only the villagers but even the pirates who had occupied the place. That's why it had remained sealed, no matter who was in charge.
But Bellamy wasn't the type to be scared of such things. Even if there were ghosts inside, he'd try to kill them first. If opening the door caused people to die, then he'd simply have everyone move out. If there was no one left, how could anyone die?
Bellamy's curiosity had been thoroughly ignited by this uncanny cave. He suspected it might hold some secrets about Doc Q. The potion was nearly ready, and the banquet preparations were almost complete.
In that case, he would have everyone temporarily relocate for a few days, then open this cave and see what was hidden inside. Once Bellamy made up his mind, it was nearly impossible to dissuade him.
He quickly issued his decision as an order to everyone in the village.
The newly arrived pirate is going to open the cursed cave!
Upon hearing this news, the joyful expressions on the villagers' faces instantly vanished. The banquet they had been preparing for most of the day suddenly lost its festive atmosphere, and the way everyone looked at Bellamy and his crew completely changed. Those who had been grateful became indifferent, the indifferent became resistant, and those who had always been hostile towards pirates turned openly resentful.
This sudden shift in the villagers' attitude made Mia deeply uncomfortable. She was reminded of something Bellamy had once told her: Don't be too kind to them. It will make them feel entitled.
The captain wanted to open a dangerous cave and, fearing for their safety, asked them to move out for a few days. And because of this, these villagers resented them?
We just saved your lives, you lunatics!
It was absolutely outrageous!
"If I'd known this would happen, I wish we hadn't saved them," Mia muttered, suddenly feeling incredibly aggrieved. Even the delicious spread of food before her had lost its appeal.
Bellamy, however, had been mentally prepared. He'd never expected these villagers to be overly grateful. Such things were meaningless.
In the future, on the Grand Line, he was very likely to clash with Doc Q, to engage in head-on battles. Information related to Doc Q was crucial to the fate of the entire Bellamy Pirates. How could the resentment of a few villagers possibly matter to him?
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