"All of you can just DIE!" Bellamy roared.
The colossal sea serpent whipped through the air in a wide arc, smashing aside everything in its path. Countless pirates shrieked as they were flung into the churning, blood-red sea below, vanishing quickly beneath the waves, silenced forever. The unfortunate Sea King itself had been slammed unconscious multiple times during the rampage, only to be brutally jolted awake again by the impacts. After completing one devastating sweep, the creature's head was already slick with its own blood. Bellamy, however, seemed to be enjoying himself, even taking a moment to give the makeshift serpent-flail an almost playful flourish. If not for the incredible resilience of Sea Kings, this one would have been battered into oblivion long ago by Bellamy's brutal handling.
"Hm? And who's this supposed to be?" Having cleared a swathe through a cluster of tightly packed pirate ships, Bellamy's eyes were drawn to a particularly gaudy figure on one of the remaining decks. "All that ridiculous golden armor... Isn't that Don Krieg? The self-proclaimed 'Pirate Admiral' of East Blue?" What was his bounty again? Can't recall. Pathetic, probably. Bellamy vaguely recalled hearing about the arrogant brute—supposedly a major power in the East Blue, commanding his own armada. Krieg had likely been one of the more vocal participants rallying forces for this hunt. Well then. Might as well test the mettle of this so-called East Blue 'powerhouse'.
Bellamy briefly dunked the Sea King's head back into the ocean, letting the cold water shock it into momentary alertness.
"Krieg!" Bellamy bellowed. "Catch! Call it... Snake Bite!"
Stomping hard on the wreckage of a nearby ship, Bellamy launched himself high into the air again, positioning himself directly above Krieg's flagship. The now-revived Sea King began thrashing wildly again. Harnessing its frantic energy, Bellamy gripped the colossal tail firmly and swung the entire creature downwards like a giant, living whip, aimed straight at Don Krieg. The massive serpent shot downwards like a living javelin aimed at the golden-armored pirate.
"HELP ME!"
Faced with a dozens-meters-long Sea King hurtling towards him, jaws agape... the 'Pirate Admiral' of East Blue's first reaction was to scream pathetically for help. It was almost disappointingly anticlimactic. And yet, somehow, this kind of coward had managed to dominate parts of the East Blue for years and even command some loyal subordinates.
"Boss! Look out!" Seeing Krieg in danger, his loyal first mate, Gin the 'Man-Demon', instantly leaped forward to intercept. But the terrifying force of a weaponized Sea King? Even Bellamy found it taxing to handle; how could Gin possibly hope to stop it? The Sea King, tormented and enraged by Bellamy's abuse, was practically exploding with fury. Spotting more humans directly in its path, the serpent lunged forward instinctively, its massive jaws snapping shut around both Gin and the cowering Krieg. Razor-sharp fangs punched through armor and flesh alike, impaling them both within its cavernous maw.
"Save me! Somebody, quickly!" Krieg continued to shriek, sounding like nothing more than a cornered mutt. This so-called 'Admiral' was utterly worthless.
Bellamy had only casually tested the man's reputation, and this was the result. Instantly, any remaining interest Bellamy had in Krieg evaporated. Complete trash. As for Gin... utterly irrelevant. Ignored.
"No wonder they call East Blue the weakest sea." Red Flame, for all his eventual failure, had at least managed to put up a decent fight. This 'Admiral' Krieg... Bellamy couldn't even be bothered to exert himself further against such pathetic opposition. With another contemptuous downward swing of the Sea King, he smashed Krieg's flagship in half.
Done with that sideshow, Bellamy allowed his attention to drift momentarily, checking on the status of his own crew amidst the wider chaos.
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The so-called Grand Fleet of nearly a thousand ships... if you discounted the numerous fishing boats, cargo vessels, and other non-combatants swept up in the frenzy, how many actual warships remained? And even among the proper warships, how many were equipped to handle surprise attacks from enraged Sea Kings erupting from below?
The Sea King attack had only just begun, yet dozens of ships had already been pulverized, their greedy crews paying the ultimate price. Witnessing this carnage, realization finally dawned on many. If we don't run now, we'll all die here!
But the ships were packed too tightly. Escaping required turning around first. Turning around required space, forcing nearby ships to move aside—an impossibility in the current panic. This disorganized mob, bound by no loyalty or trust, devolved instantly. It was a miracle they weren't already fighting each other for a chance to flee, let alone cooperating to make way.
With no coordination or central command asserting itself, the astonishingly large Grand Fleet simply disintegrated into chaos. The massive formation fractured into a dozen or more smaller, competing groups, each looking out for itself.
The professional bounty hunters clustered together, defending a perimeter, seemingly waiting for an opportunity rather than fleeing immediately. Most of the adventurers, who had just come for the spectacle, were now trapped within the swirling chaos, bitterly regretting their curiosity. The mercenaries, true to form, cut their losses, abandoned whoever might have hired them, and made straight for the edges of the chaotic zone, clearly wanting no further part in this madness. And the pirates—the largest and most varied contingent—descended into utter bedlam. Some tried desperately to flee, others opportunistically scavenged from wrecked ships, a few pockets tried to continue fighting the Sea Kings or each other, and some simply resorted to looting anything not nailed down. The already chaotic battlefield became exponentially more so.
And all of this chaos? It was proceeding exactly according to Bellamy's plan.
From the moment he'd learned the three powers were uniting against him, the thought had formed: kill them all. But he was only one man. Even with his power, slaughtering over a thousand ships and their crews was physically impossible through direct combat alone. And so, Bellamy had devised an incredibly audacious and risky plan. Unleashing that massive quantity of concentrated Blood Bait... exactly how many or what kind of deep-sea predators it would attract, even Mia, its creator, couldn't predict with certainty. Furthermore, Bellamy couldn't maintain his Observation Haki at peak intensity indefinitely; his mastery wasn't absolute yet. Fighting in this environment, surrounded by enraged Sea Kings... the moment his Observation Haki faltered, he himself could become prey. Despite him currently wielding a Sea King like a club... these creatures were colossal, easily tens or even hundreds of meters long. If one of them landed a solid blow on him, even with his current physical prowess, Armament Haki, and Iron Body active, it would be difficult, perhaps impossible, to withstand. It was a calculated risk.
The Sea Shark, flagship of the Bellamy Pirates, had miraculously survived the initial cannon barrage mostly intact. However, in the ensuing maritime mayhem, its luck ran out. A massive octopus-like Sea King emerged from the depths, its tentacles smashing the vessel into kindling.
Following the plan, the crew members—Drake, Ross, Mia, and Muret—had already abandoned ship via Moon Walk or other means, showing no hesitation or attachment to the vessel. As per the plan, their objective now was infiltration and survival. Sneak aboard enemy vessels, hide, lay low, prioritize staying alive above all else. Dodge, hide, blend in. Survive.
As for Vice Captain Drake, however, Bellamy had a different, crucial role assigned. In this battle, Drake's own formidable combat strength was critical. If Bellamy were to fall or fight himself to exhaustion, Drake was their final line of defense, their ultimate insurance policy.