A Pirate's Spring Awakening

"Captain, your injuries…" Muret began, her voice laced with concern.

No matter how much Bellamy insisted he was fine, there was no faking the wounds covering his body.

"Should we postpone the deal for a few days?" she asked.

"No need." Bellamy's voice was firm. "We proceed with the exchange at once."

Drake's fighting strength was unimpaired, and Bellamy had complete confidence in his abilities. Besides, Bellamy himself was only injured, not out of commission. One arm was temporarily useless, true, but a little thing like that wasn't about to stop him. As for the searing pain that pulsed through his body from within, he simply ignored it.

Bellamy turned to their hostage. "Ask your people if they've secured the goods."

Vinsmoke Yonji had called for backup long ago; by his calculations, they should have reached the area by now.

"One moment." Yonji, surprisingly cooperative, dialed his Den Den Mushi. "Hello, it's me…" After a brief exchange, good news came from the other end. "We have the King Punch. Ready to trade whenever you are."

A grin stretched across Bellamy's lips. Even though he couldn't be sure if they were telling the truth, a thrill of excitement shot through him. No news could have pleased him more.

"Excellent. There's a reef nearby. We'll make the exchange there." The thought of finally getting his hands on such a powerful fighting style made Bellamy impatient. His wounds weren't even fully bandaged when he bellowed, "Hoist the sails! Let's move!"

The somewhat battered sailboat, under Bellamy's command, slowly began to head northwest. They hadn't sailed for long when Bellamy sensed something was off. Why was the ship listing more and more?

"Hold on, why is our ship leaking?!" he roared.

Drake offered a wry smile. "Captain, we'll have to make do. This was the most intact vessel we could find."

A Sea King had torn a huge hole in its hull. Though they'd managed a makeshift patch, it was still taking on some water. Ross was currently down in the bilge with two apprentices, bailing for all they were worth.

Hearing this, Bellamy could only manage a frustrated sigh. His own damn fault for losing their ship, the Sea Shark. He'd just have to deal with it. He just hoped this tub wouldn't sink before they reached the next island.

"Our losses this time were considerable," Bellamy mused aloud, more to himself than anyone. "Not only is the Sea Shark gone, but all the Clone Soldiers were wiped out too. We're short on deckhands for basic chores."

Ross, with the two apprentices, could barely cover the manpower needs. But Bellamy planned to head to the East Blue soon, and those two youngsters would be dropped off there. He didn't want to recruit just anyone. His best bet was to acquire more clones.

Can't ask the Vinsmokes for them directly, though, he thought. They might try to pull something, embed some kind of hidden command or weakness. That would be a pain. The advanced, almost 'black' technology in this world was astounding, and Bellamy had no idea what other tricks the Vinsmokes had up their sleeves. If this deal goes smoothly, he considered, perhaps I can probe them about it later.

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The arranged meeting point wasn't too distant for either party. Soon, the two ships spotted each other on the open sea.

Bellamy lowered his spyglass and roughly hauled the incapacitated Yonji to his feet. "Drake, you're with me."

Drake gave a silent nod and fell into step behind his captain.

"Wait!" Mia suddenly dashed out, pressing a small pill into Bellamy's hand. "Captain, take my potion, just in case." It was one of her concoctions.

Bellamy accepted it with a casual grin. "Don't worry so much." He smirked. "They're just the Vinsmokes." Gyahahahaha!

Just the Vinsmokes. Hearing those words, a flicker of something – perhaps annoyance – registered even in Yonji's engineered mind. This Hyena was unbelievably arrogant. Since when could the so-called 'Underworld Emperors' of the North Blue be dismissed so lightly?

Yonji didn't bother retorting, and not just because he was a prisoner. For genetically modified humans like him, emotions were largely suppressed. Rather than trade barbs, Vinsmokes preferred to pulverize their enemies with brute force. If he had the chance, Vinsmoke Yonji would have relished another head-on clash with Bellamy, relying on his own raw power.

Truth be told, Bellamy genuinely didn't rate the Vinsmoke Family highly. These genetically engineered soldiers clearly had no grasp of Haki, nor did they know the Six Powers. They relied entirely on their Raid Suits to artificially boost their combat prowess. Once he figured out their fighting rhythm, opponents like that posed no real threat to him. To put it bluntly, he could probably beat them one-handed.

In Bellamy's view, the Vinsmoke family's obsession with technology was a misstep. All that advanced genetic engineering, and what did they do with it? Mass-produce Clone Soldiers, instead of focusing on true genetic enhancement or regenerative therapies for individuals. What good were hordes of clones? A single blast of Conqueror's Haki would flatten them all in an instant. Such wasted potential. Good technology, squandered.

As the transaction was imminent, the two vessels soon drew alongside each other. Bellamy's little boat, dwarfed by the Vinsmoke warship, looked particularly pathetic and rundown in comparison.

"Damn, they're loaded," Bellamy muttered, eyeing the Vinsmoke ship that easily spanned several hundred meters. The sheer wealth and resources of these established families were truly something to covet. Most of his crew's treasure was buried near that reef; the rest had gone down with the Sea Shark. Right now, Bellamy was practically broke, without enough Beli on him to even buy a newspaper.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Yonji. My, you look rather worse for wear," a woman's sultry voice purred. She gracefully leaped down from the warship, a distinctive purple, butterfly-wing patterned cloak billowing behind her. Her uniquely curled eyebrows were an exact match for Yonji's.

"Did you bring it?" Bellamy cut straight to the point, impatient. He couldn't care less about the Vinsmoke family's internal drama.

"So, you're Bellamy," Vinsmoke Reiju, eldest daughter of the Vinsmoke family and leader of this delegation, observed him with a curious gaze.

Bellamy unceremoniously shoved the battered Yonji towards her. "If you're planning to fight, let's get on with it." He didn't for a second believe the Vinsmokes would meekly hand over what he wanted. A family of assassins with a legacy spanning centuries? They wouldn't be that compliant.

"Fight?" Reiju chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "Oh no, nothing like that. We've come in good faith this time." She produced a notebook from within her cloak. "This is what you want. The King Punch." She added with a charming smile, "It took me quite a while to transcribe the entire thing."

A handwritten copy? Bellamy's brow furrowed. Manual transcriptions were prone to errors and omissions. Still, it wasn't as if he had better options. Bellamy had no direct channels to contact Elizabello II in the New World. Whether this version of the King Punch was genuine, or if it contained inaccuracies, would be difficult to ascertain on the spot.

"Mind if I take a look?"

Bellamy gave Yonji a shove with his foot, sending him stumbling towards Reiju. It was effectively releasing the hostage. His action seemed to puzzle Reiju. Giving up his leverage so easily? Wasn't he afraid she'd renege on the deal?

Truthfully, Bellamy wasn't worried. He'd come prepared for a fight anyway. If anything seemed off, he'd simply attack.

Reiju considered for a moment, then tossed the handwritten King Punch manual across to him. "Be my guest. Inspect it as you wish."

The Vinsmokes' compliant attitude struck Bellamy as odd. This notorious family, being so agreeable? It felt off. In reality, Reiju's line of thinking mirrored his own: out here on the vast ocean, there was nowhere to run. If things went sideways, they'd just fight it out. With both leaders sharing this pragmatic, confrontational mindset, the transaction proceeded with surprising smoothness.

Bellamy casually flipped open the manual and began to skim through its pages rapidly. After a considerable while, he closed the book, then shut his eyes, mentally running through the described techniques. Following the instructions in the manuscript, he focused on circulating his vital energy as described. He could feel it working, the flow responding as it should.

"It's most likely genuine," he concluded. Bellamy's eyes snapped open, a wide, exultant grin nearly splitting his face. He almost let out a booming laugh. Gyahahahaha! "Alright then," he declared. "Transaction complete!"

To think he'd obtained the King Punch so easily! Bellamy was already itching to get back and thoroughly devour the contents of this manual.

"Hold on a moment," Reiju called out suddenly as he turned to leave. "Hyena. Interested in further collaboration?" She smiled invitingly. "A deeper partnership with the Vinsmoke Family, perhaps?"

Bellamy hadn't expected this. Leave it to a family that thrives in the underworld, he thought. Completely willing to cast aside personal grievances or honor when profit was on the table.

"What kind of cooperation are you proposing?" he asked, intrigued despite himself. This family of assassins did have quite a few valuable assets. Their Clone Soldiers, in particular, had proven remarkably effective. After using them once, Bellamy was definitely sold on their utility.

"Shall we discuss the details inside my ship?" Reiju gestured invitingly. "Our family suffered considerable losses in our recent… misunderstanding." Her eyes gleamed. "But if it leads to a friendship with Mr. Bellamy, then perhaps it was all worthwhile."

Yeah, right. Such platitudes were just empty words. Only a complete moron would actually believe them.

Bellamy offered a noncommittal smirk. "Alright then. Let's talk." He was, at the very least, curious to hear what the Vinsmokes were really plotting.