"The only ones here are the Heavenly Tribute fleet... so where are Doflamingo's men?"
Having wasted some time on the Celestial Dragons' lapdogs, Bellamy took to the sky once more, searching for any opportunists who might be waiting in the wings. With a bounty of nearly 900 million Beli on his head, he refused to believe that the bounty hunters wouldn't be tempted. Moreover, Doflamingo had expended so much effort to hunt him down; it was unlikely he would give up so easily.
Soon enough, Bellamy spotted several suspicious-looking sailboats on the distant sea. Just as he was about to deal with the trash lurking in the shadows, a complication arose on the battlefield below.
"Hm? What's going on with Drake?"
Drake had just charged onto the fleet's flagship and was in the middle of a rampage. But in the blink of an eye, he had frozen. And what was with that terrified expression? Had he encountered a powerful enemy he couldn't handle?
"Even if you were facing an Admiral, you can't show that kind of face, Drake!"
As his vice-captain, how could he be afraid of a mere Admiral? Even if he were to be killed, he should at least splatter them with his blood on the way out!
"Gyahahahaha!"
Why was it that the thought of a possible death in battle filled him not with fear, but with a sudden rush of excitement?
"I think I'm getting crazier." Bellamy held up his right hand, which was reeking with the thick scent of blood. "Is this the price?" As his hands became stained with blood, his humanity and reason began to slip away.
"But this world never gave me a choice."
Bellamy stood in the sky, looking down upon the roiling battlefield. His crew was fighting and bleeding below. They didn't have to be this desperate. But to realize his own insane ambitions, Bellamy had forcibly dragged them into this cruel world.
"There's no stopping now."
There was truly no stopping. From the moment he chose to enter the Grand Line, everything was set in stone. Even if it was just for the sake of these few crewmates, Bellamy could not stop his advance here.
"This will not be our end."
He had not yet reached the pinnacle of this world. How could he fall in a place like this?
On the deck of the flagship, the fleet commander held up a Den Den Mushi, shouting loudly.
"Back down! Back down at once!" he screeched. "Do you have any idea who you're facing? This is Saint Charlos!"
Above the Den Den Mushi, a virtual projection appeared. A fat-faced man with sausage lips and two thick streams of snot running from his nose—a Celestial Dragon who looked like a complete idiot—was lounging on a throne, lazily staring at Drake.
"Lowly commoner, why do you not kneel when you see me?"
To the Celestial Dragons, any creature not of their blood was a commoner. This even included the three Marine Admirals.
"Damn you!"
Drake clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. The humiliating rage had already filled his chest. But... this was a Celestial Dragon!
To the natives of this world, no matter how outrageous the actions of the Celestial Dragons, they were to be accepted as a matter of course. Because they were the true rulers of the world, any act of resistance against them was forbidden. This ideology was like a brand on the mind, seared deeply into the consciousness of every intelligent being in this world. This was the result of centuries of "hard work" by the World Government and the Marines.
"You bastard! Why do you not kneel before the great Saint Charlos!"
With a Celestial Dragon backing him, the cowardly commander immediately became bold. "Are you trying to defy the will of the Celestial Dragons? Do you have any idea what you are doing?"
The immense pressure exuded by the Celestial Dragon's presence made Drake grit his teeth and slowly begin to back away. No one knew the turmoil raging in his heart at that moment.
Damn it all, why would a Celestial Dragon be in a place like this!
Even now, Drake didn't realize they had attacked the fleet escorting the Heavenly Tribute. If he had known, who knows what new level of terror would have flooded his heart. The weight represented by those words—Celestial Dragon—was so immense it was crushing Drake, making it almost impossible to breathe. Even after having fallen to the life of a pirate, when faced with a Celestial Dragon, Drake found himself completely unable to muster any will to resist.
And this was the so-called "order" that the Marines desperately maintained, even at the cost of countless lives. The Marines were, truly, guilty of the most heinous crimes.
"So, it's a Celestial Dragon."
A familiar voice, thick with disappointment, came from behind Drake.
"Captain!" Drake didn't need to turn around to know who it was. At that moment, he was suddenly overcome with shame. To be intimidated by an idiot of a Celestial Dragon... he had brought great shame upon Bellamy.
"Drake, you've disappointed me."
The projection of the Celestial Dragon above the Den Den Mushi was still dripping snot. With vacant eyes, limp limbs, and a bloated, idiotic face, he looked like the lowest of the low. And Drake had been frightened into retreat by this moron. Was this the power the Celestial Dragons held over the people of this world? It was truly an eye-opener for Bellamy.
"Lowly commoner, why do you not kneel when you see me?" Saint Charlos stared at Bellamy through the Projection Den Den Mushi from thousands of miles away. "You have committed an unforgivable crime. Put on a slave collar yourself and come crawling to me in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise."
Saint Charlos let out a lazy yawn. "You, there. Get him a slave collar."
"Y-yes, great Saint Charlos!" The commander bowed and scraped at the air before turning to produce a slave collar. "Did you hear that, commoner? Put it on, now!"
"Your name is Charlos, is that right?" Bellamy looked up at the projection of the imbecile and suddenly asked his name.
"Insolence! How dare you speak the name of the great Saint Charlos!" the commander shrieked, holding the Den Den Mushi aloft. "Kneel and beg for forgiveness, commoner!"
Bellamy was growing tired of the noise. He reached out, grabbed the commander's tongue, ripped it out, and then stuffed it back into his mouth.
"Just hold this Den Den Mushi properly and let me finish."
He casually patted the commander's cheek. Seeing the look of submission in his eyes, Bellamy turned his gaze back to the Celestial Dragon's projection.
"I will go to the Holy Land, Mary Geoise," he said. "Wait for me there."
When Bellamy finally set foot in Mary Geoise, he would make these Celestial Dragons understand that death was a blissful escape.
"Hurry up, commoner. Saint Charlos doesn't have much patience."
Saint Charlos didn't catch the meaning behind Bellamy's words. He actually thought Bellamy was preparing to come and be his dog.
"Don't be impatient. You will see me."
Bellamy grabbed the Projection Den Den Mushi and crushed it into dust. And with that, Saint Charlos's idiotic, bloated face vanished from the air.