If Heracles had stayed on the Boin Archipelago forever, he might never have understood the actions of Bellamy and his crew. To gain strength faster, they were willing to overdraw their own lives and potential. Why on earth were they doing it? This question had been troubling Heracles ever since that group meeting.
A few days later, Bellamy found him and extended a formal invitation.
"Heracles, want to go out to sea with me and see the world?" Bellamy asked. "This island is too small. A man like you shouldn't waste his entire life here."
Heracles was already in his thirties. If he didn't leave with Bellamy now, the next chance to leave might be a long, long time from now. He had thought about this before. Was he really going to spend his entire life on this island?
Heracles didn't know who his parents were. As far back as he could remember, he had been on this island. Once, some shipwrecked pirates had washed ashore and taught him language and writing, but they hadn't taken him with them. After that, he had lived like a true wild man on the Boin Archipelago for decades.
Until the arrival of Bellamy and his crew, which once again disrupted his peaceful life.
The Boin Archipelago was both large and small. Besides him, there were no other intelligent beings to communicate with. Heracles had spoken more in this recent period than he had in his entire life.
Faced with Bellamy's invitation, he truly hesitated.
After spending more than three months together, he felt he had gotten to know Bellamy and his crew quite well.
Captain Bellamy was a truly ruthless man—ruthless to others, and even more ruthless to himself. The intensity of his training was enough to make Heracles's liver tremble just by watching.
Drake was a quiet man, but he always gave off a very reliable feeling. Heracles had sparred with him several times, all ending in crushing defeat.
Then there was Ross. Heracles had become quite friendly with him during this time. That cheeky fellow was Bellamy's die-hard loyalist; he would do whatever Bellamy told him to. From Ross, he had learned of Bellamy's many past glorious achievements.
As for the two women, they had been busy making medicine this whole time, so Heracles hadn't had much contact with them.
Should I leave with them?
As a man, Heracles had always longed to leave this place and see the outside world. If he had never been exposed to the outside world, he might not have had such a strong desire. But as it happened, he had been exposed to a great deal of information from the outside.
After a period of internal struggle, Heracles made his final decision.
"Heracles, user of the Bug-Bug Fruit, at your service, Captain Bellamy."
Heracles knelt on one knee before Bellamy and revealed the ability he had kept hidden all this time. It turned out he had eaten a Devil Fruit when he was very young, which was how he had been able to survive on this island.
Heracles was the user of the Bug-Bug Fruit, Model: Heracles Beetle. The rhinoceros beetle-like helmet he wore on his head was not a decoration, but part of his transformed state. If Heracles hadn't said it himself, Bellamy would have never noticed.
"A Heracles Beetle? Not a rhinoceros beetle?"
Learning that Heracles was a Bug-Bug Fruit user was a pleasant surprise for Bellamy. After all, a Devil Fruit user was, in any case, stronger than a non-user. And his fruit ability seemed to be a Zoan type.
Bellamy wasn't very familiar with the Bug-Bug Fruit. It was the first time he had heard of a Heracles Beetle, but it seemed similar to a rhinoceros beetle.
"Tell me about your ability."
Heracles began to explain his abilities in detail. The so-called Heracles beetle was a large beetle that looked very much like a rhinoceros beetle. It was the largest beetle in the world. It could fly, had a hard carapace, and possessed terrifying strength.
In addition, Heracles had an astonishing recovery ability. Even if he suffered a fatal injury, as long as he had a breath left in him, he could enter a pupation state. This state was much like a silkworm's transformation. As long as he could break out of the chrysalis, he would not only be reborn but also experience a great increase in strength. This was a unique ability of Bug-Bug Fruit users and the biggest difference between the Bug-Bug Fruit and other Zoan fruits.
This type of fruit shouldn't be classified under the Zoan category. Besides Paramecia, Logia, and Zoan, Devil Fruits could very well have another branch: the Bug-type.
"This ability must have its limits, right?"
If it truly allowed for infinite strengthening, the Bug-Bug Fruit wouldn't be so obscure. Besides Black Maria, Bellamy had never heard of any other powerful Bug-type users.
"Of course. Every pupation is a battle with death. If your willpower isn't strong enough, you will die silently in the chrysalis." Heracles had gone through pupation three times, and each time he had been a step away from death. If he could help it, he never wanted to experience that feeling again.
"That's a pretty good ability."
It wasn't that Bellamy praised everything he saw; this ability was genuinely impressive in his eyes. If he had this pupation ability, he could try out some of his more death-defying plans. Like eating a hundred Energy Steroids in a day, or challenging Fujitora to see what it felt like to be crushed into dust by several hundred times gravity.
He was truly envious. What a pity.
With a hint of regret, Bellamy patted Heracles's shoulder and helped the three-meter-tall man to his feet.
"Since you've joined my pirate crew, you're one of us now," Bellamy said. "Your position, for now, will be Combatant and Assault Captain."
His ship had only a few people, so everyone held multiple roles. But the position of Assault Captain was one Bellamy had specifically created for Heracles after hearing about his abilities. As the name suggested, the Assault Captain was the one who charged at the very front, and usually the one who died the fastest. Back when the Bellamy Pirates were poor and had nothing, this person was usually Bellamy himself. But now that his crew had grown, he was no longer needed for ordinary battles. A reliable Assault Captain had become a necessity, and Heracles fit the role perfectly.
He could fly, his carapace was tough, and he had a built-in recovery ability for serious injuries. He was a born Assault Captain.
"By the way, Heracles, why do you always stay in your hybrid form?"
Ever since he had met Heracles, he had always had the appearance of a rhinoceros beetle. Bellamy was very curious about this.
"I've always been like this," Heracles said, scratching his head. He had eaten the Bug-Bug Fruit when he was very young. He didn't know when, but he had gotten used to walking around in his hybrid form, even when he slept.
"I see."
Something clicked in Bellamy's mind. Heracles had eaten the Bug-Bug Fruit for nearly thirty years. Could it be that he had unknowingly awakened his fruit? It seemed possible.
"Change into your other forms and let me see."
Heracles complied and reverted to his original form. Soon, a rough-looking man with a full beard appeared before Bellamy. It suited his image well.
Next, Heracles initiated another transformation: his full Heracles Beetle form.
With a series of thunderous roars, Heracles's body began to expand rapidly.
"Not good."
Bellamy immediately realized what was happening and quickly leaped into the air. Before his very surprised eyes, Heracles's body swelled up like a balloon.
Ten meters, twenty meters, thirty meters...
An ordinary giant was only about ten meters tall, but after reaching thirty meters, Heracles was still growing.
Forty meters, fifty meters, sixty meters!
Finally, Heracles transformed into a giant beetle over sixty meters long and about thirty meters high. The wings on his back, with just a few casual flaps, stirred up a violent storm.
"This guy is ridiculously huge!"
What was the height of that guy nicknamed the "Colossal Battleship," Sanjuan Wolf? It seemed to be around one hundred and eighty meters. Although there was still a big difference, Heracles could fly. At his current size, he could easily earn the title of "Giant Airship."
It seemed that Bellamy had unintentionally picked up a huge bargain.
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