"Captain, who's this?"
The captain had just stepped out for a moment, and now he had returned with a strange man. Who was this guy wearing a rhinoceros beetle helmet?
Wasn't this Bellamy's first time at sea? Why did it feel like he was so familiar with this island? Even the most oblivious members of the crew were beginning to sense something strange about Bellamy. Why would a small-time hoodlum from the North Blue be so knowledgeable about the Boin Archipelago? And this wasn't the first time something like this had happened with Bellamy. The captain always seemed to know secrets that ordinary people couldn't possibly know.
Yet, they had followed Bellamy all the way from the North Blue. The Bellamy Pirates' greatest weakness had always been their virtually non-existent intelligence network.
"This is Heracles."
Bellamy seemed oblivious to his crew's strange glances as he introduced the wild man beside him. "He's a native of the Boin Archipelago. For the time being, Heracles will help us get familiar with this island."
"Hello, everyone. I am Heracles, a brave warrior," Heracles introduced himself boisterously, not showing a hint of shyness.
The members of the Bellamy Pirates studied him for a moment but couldn't discern anything special. He really did seem to be just an ordinary native.
After a round of simple introductions, Bellamy clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright, let's get back to building the house. Let's try to get a place to live set up before dark."
"Wait a moment. Are you planning to live here?" Heracles suddenly spoke up, interrupting their work.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem with this spot?" Bellamy's understanding of the Boin Archipelago was naturally no match for a local.
"This place... it's too dangerous."
Just as Heracles was about to explain why this area was uninhabitable, the sea at the edge of the island suddenly began to churn violently.
"Watch out! Something's coming!" Heracles, who had been secretly on alert the whole time, immediately shouted a warning.
"Hm?" The crude emotional wave... it was a Sea King.
Bellamy swept the area with his Observation Haki and instantly identified the creature beneath the waves. "I see."
This spot was too close to the coast. The aroma of food wafting from the Boin Archipelago would constantly attract Sea Kings, making it an unsuitable place to live. Bellamy was curious, though. When these Sea Kings charged onto the island, how did the Stomach Baron prey on them? It couldn't possibly go through a full feeding cycle for every single one that came ashore. A normal Sea King was only a few hundred meters long, not even enough to be a light snack for the Stomach Baron.
"Let's watch and see."
Bellamy suppressed his killing intent and waved his crew back. "Step back a bit. Let it come ashore."
Though they were all a bit confused, they followed their captain's orders and moved to the side.
Before long, under everyone's watchful eyes, a giant sea lion leaped out from beneath the waves and onto the shore. The sea lion spotted Bellamy and his crew standing on the coast, but it paid them no mind at all. Instead, it waddled its large rear end towards the abundance of food in the forest. Clearly, the fragrant food was far more appealing to it.
"What a huge Sea King."
The sea lion was over a thousand meters tall, like a moving mountain. Its terrifying size granted it immense power far beyond that of any human. With just a few ordinary steps, the sea lion kicked up a gale and made the earth tremble. The sheer power of its presence made Heracles break out in a cold sweat.
But when he looked at Bellamy and his crew, he saw that their expressions were completely unfazed, as if they hadn't even seen the giant beast. Aren't they scared at all?
Heracles didn't understand. The Bellamy Pirates had hunted hundreds of Sea Kings at sea. A mere thousand-meter-long Sea King was not enough to elicit a surprised expression from them.
"Let's go. Follow it and see what happens." If Bellamy's guess was correct, this Sea King wouldn't be alive for much longer.
The six of them followed the path carved out by the Sea King, heading deep into the forest. The giant sea lion, seemingly oblivious, happily devoured all sorts of fragrant food. To it, this place was paradise. The ground was covered in delicious food; all it had to do was open its mouth, and it would be filled to the brim. No need to swim far to find food, no need to hunt, no need to fight. It was pure bliss.
The sea lion swallowed a large section of the forest in one gulp, a look of satisfaction on its face.
Behind it, Heracles watched the scene and shook his head. "It's getting close to that area. Its life is on a countdown." As a native, Heracles had seen this scene countless times.
"So there's a danger zone up ahead?" Hearing Heracles's comment, Bellamy had a flash of insight.
"Yes. There's a large patch of carnivorous plants growing up ahead. It's the most dangerous place on this island."
Heracles's judgment was, as expected, spot on. The sea lion, completely unguarded, charged into a seemingly ordinary part of the forest, preparing to feast. Suddenly, countless thorny vines shot out from underground, wrapping around the sea lion's entire body. The thinnest of these vines was thicker than a tree trunk, and their speed was surprisingly fast. In the blink of an eye, the thousand-meter-long sea lion was bound tightly.
With vines so thick, their texture was likely tougher than steel rebar. They were also covered in countless barbs. Once tightly bound, the Sea King's fate was sealed.
"ROAR!"
The sea lion let out an angry roar and began to struggle desperately. But its fate had been determined the moment it set foot on this island. No matter how much it struggled, the vines binding it only grew tighter. The barbs on the vines easily pierced the sea lion's skin, and blood rained down like a torrential storm.
"It's finished."
Anyone could see that the Sea King was completely helpless against these vines.
"The most dangerous things on this island are these carnivorous plants," Heracles explained. The monthly feeding cycle of the island wasn't much of a threat to him, as long as he was prepared.
"Carnivorous plants?"
Bellamy looked at the massive vines and gently shook his head. In truth, not even Heracles knew that there were no other plants on this island. The island itself was a single, giant plant, and all the vegetation on it were various organs growing from the Stomach Baron's body.
The trees that grew cakes and roasted meats were merely the "nectar" the Stomach Baron used to lure its prey. And the predatory vines before them were likely the Stomach Baron's primary feeding organs.