As Bege looked upon the high-bounty pirates, one after another in their Level 2 cells, the smile on his face widened until he couldn't help but laugh aloud.
These individuals all possessed considerable fighting strength. There were six or seven pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million Berries. And now, they all belonged to him. Of course, he was pleased.
"You—you're 'Demon Dragon' Capone Bege, Captain of the Fire Tank Pirates!" someone among the prisoners recognized him, sending a shockwave of murmurs through the entire second level.
"Lord Demon Dragon! My bounty is 120 million! Let me out, and I'll gladly join the Fire Tank Pirates!" a burly man with a fierce face shouted urgently.
The other pirates quickly followed suit, begging Bege to release them and eagerly pledging their allegiance to his crew.
A strange, almost eerie smile touched Bege's lips. "Oh, I'll release you, alright. From now on, you'll all be my most loyal subordinates."
He glanced meaningfully at Moria and the others. Moria instantly understood the unspoken command and began moving down the cell block, systematically knocking out the prisoners one by one. The pirates, bewildered by the sudden turn of events, erupted in angry curses and desperate pleas for mercy.
Bege ignored the commotion, continuing down the corridor until he reached the very last cell. In the corner, slumped against the wall, sat a figure of immense size, nearly a small giant.
The giant's entire body was a canvas of horrific burn scars. More than a dozen knife scars crisscrossed his face, and one entire side was burned pitch black, rendering his features unrecognizable, like the visage of a demon. The sight alone was enough to inspire terror and dread.
His wrists and ankles were clamped in heavy shackles – Sea Prism Stone cuffs. Beyond that, thick chains further bound him, securing him tightly even within the confines of his cell.
For the Marines to take such extreme precautions, this man was clearly no ordinary prisoner.
"Who is this one?" Bege asked.
The Marine guide didn't dare look directly at the monstrous figure in the cell. He stammered, "He... He's the captain of the Tomb Pirates, 'Bone Demon' Marklode. He's a user of the Bone-Bone Fruit, with a bounty of 460 million Berries!"
Bege raised an eyebrow, looking at the disfigured giant with renewed interest. He'd heard of this man; Marklode had some notoriety in the New World. His Bone-Bone Fruit allowed him to freely manipulate his own skeletal structure – remarkably similar to Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai from the world of Naruto, though the Bone-Bone Fruit was likely even more potent.
"With his strength, it would have been difficult for Bonanton to capture him," Bege mused aloud.
"Vice Admiral Bonanton didn't capture Marklode, sir," the Marine explained. "It was Vice Admiral Sakazuki. Vice Admiral Sakazuki has been aggressively capturing pirates throughout the New World recently. More than half the prisoners here were apprehended by him."
Akainu, huh? Bege thought. That bastard certainly has the power to take down Marklode. He also noted internally that just over a month ago, Akainu had been a Rear Admiral; now he was already a Vice Admiral. His promotion speed is certainly fast.
"Demon Dragon," Marklode rasped from the cell, his eyes snapping open. They were bloodshot, filled with raw brutality and madness. "Help me kill Sakazuki, and I will submit to you."
During his battle with Sakazuki, his entire pirate crew had been virtually wiped out. Crewmates he'd lived alongside day after day were all dead, leaving him the sole survivor. The horrifying injuries covering his body were also courtesy of Sakazuki. His hatred for the Marine burned with searing intensity.
"Whether you submit or not isn't your decision to make," Bege stated coolly. Behind him, Moria violently ripped the iron cell door off its hinges and stepped inside.
Bege casually tossed Moria a syringe. Moria's large hand clamped down on Marklode's head. Restrained by the Sea Prism Stone, Marklode was powerless to resist as Moria easily plunged the needle into his neck, injecting the contents.
"Don't worry," Bege said calmly. "It's just a strong sedative. It won't kill you. Just take a nice, long nap."
Marklode quickly succumbed, slumping into unconsciousness.
Bege shattered the remaining chains binding Marklode and pulled the giant's unconscious form into his castle-body, dispatching him to Ben Kosa for the Fusion Bomb implantation procedure. He then proceeded to do the same with all the other high-bounty pirates Moria had knocked out. He couldn't trust any of them; without a means of control, Bege wouldn't dare utilize them.
Leaving the prison behind, they found the crew had thoroughly looted the entire G-6 base, stacking chests upon chests of treasure and supplies. As the Sky God departed, Bege ordered the complete destruction of the base, leaving nothing but rubble in their wake.
Not only had he exacted his revenge on the Marines, but he had also acquired a significant batch of powerful fighters, most notably Marklode. The massive gains tempted Bege to continue his rampage against other Marine bases, but ultimately, reason prevailed.
The attack on G-6 had succeeded largely due to the element of surprise. By now, Marine bases across the New World would undoubtedly be on high alert, possibly even setting elaborate traps. Attacking again would likely yield little reward and carry immense risk. If he were unlucky enough to encounter an Admiral, escape would be incredibly difficult.
Knowing when to quit while ahead, Bege steered the Sky God directly back towards Skypiea.
The destruction of Marine Base G-6, the death of Vice Admiral Bonanton, and the significant Marine casualties sent shockwaves of fury through Marine HQ. Bege's and his crew's bounties were raised once again.
In retaliation, the Marines even tracked down Bege's foothold on Jaya Island and utterly destroyed his operations there. Fortunately, Brook managed to escape the Marine pursuit with Laboon's help.
But that was the extent of the Marines' current reach. While they undoubtedly possessed methods to reach Skypiea if they truly committed, Fleet Admiral Kong wasn't yet prepared to launch an all-out invasion of the sky islands regardless of the cost.
The destruction of his Jaya base infuriated Bege. He immediately repaid the favor in kind. Operating alone, he infiltrated another Marine base in the New World, destroyed it with devastating speed, and liberated another group of pirates and criminals held there.
The Marines were apoplectic, but they had no effective way to deal with Bege. Their only recourse was to increase his bounty yet again.
After these consecutive increases, Capone "Demon Dragon" Bege's bounty soared to a staggering 950 million Berries, his name once again shaking the seas.
Following this incident, Bege retreated deep into Skypiea. He began large-scale arms manufacturing, focusing his efforts on establishing his burgeoning weapons trade.
Time flowed by like water.
In the skies near Upper Yard lay the Wild Beast Archipelago, a cluster of sky islands consisting of one medium-sized main island and over a dozen smaller ones. Originally inhabited, Bege had relocated the residents and stocked the islands with hordes of savage beasts. This archipelago became the primary training ground for Bege and his subordinates.
These were no ordinary beasts. They had all been injected with a potent "Berserk Agent," a concoction developed by Ben Kosa and Vinsmoke Judge using research derived from IQ Plants. The agent catalyzed the beasts, causing them to grow enormous and inducing a state of perpetual rage.
Furthermore, Bege had Ben Kosa use his Fuse-Fuse Fruit abilities to merge these berserk beasts. Bege personally ventured into the Calm Belt to capture Sea Kings and trawled the White-White Sea for powerful Sky Beasts. Using these formidable creatures from the sea and sky, Kosa fused monster after terrifying monster.
The creatures placed on the medium-sized central island, known as Mid-Beast Island, were the most horrifying – monstrosities often resulting from four or five fusions. Only Bege, Modi, and the other top-tier members of the crew were permitted to train there. The smaller surrounding islands housed monsters of varying strength, suitable for mid- and lower-level officers and regular crew members.
Bege spent nearly every day on Mid-Beast Island, honing his swordsmanship against its ferocious inhabitants.
Near the center of Mid-Beast Island, thunderous roars and crashing sounds echoed constantly. A terrifying monster, dozens of meters tall, was currently rampaging through the terrain. It possessed the head of a bull, the body of a massive bear, and thick, heavily scaled limbs. A huge, python-like tail whipped menacingly behind it. Each punch it threw generated visible shockwaves, capable of obliterating swathes of forest over ten meters wide with a single blow.
This bull-headed monstrosity was known as the Nightmare Beast, named for its terrifying, nightmare-inducing presence. It was the most formidable creature on the island, the result of nine separate fusions using only the most powerful captured specimens.
Across the entire archipelago, only Bege possessed the strength to contend with it.
The Nightmare Beast served as Bege's primary training partner.
And the reason for its current destructive rampage was simple: it was locked in a deadly battle with Bege himself.