"Drake, get ready. We're going out."
"Where to?"
"To the black market to grab someone."
That matter had dragged on long enough; it was time to resolve it. Bellamy didn't explain the specifics. Once they arrived, Drake would understand.
Minion Town, Harbor District.
In the Four Blues, trade was still very frequent. Minion Island was in a reasonably good location, with many merchant ships coming and going daily. As the saying goes, "live off the sea if you're near the sea." With such an advantage, a group of merchants who relied on maritime trade naturally emerged on the island.
The Portgas family was one of them.
Portgas, a seemingly ordinary name. But the Pirate King's wife was named Portgas D. Rouge. And Ace's full name was Portgas D. Ace.
"So, it's really damn irritating," Bellamy muttered. He had no idea how much attention the Navy paid to this family, but getting tangled up in this mess was annoying. However, ignoring it wasn't his style, so he'd come today.
Bellamy, carrying an unconscious man, strode up to the Portgas Trading Company's entrance. "Hey, someone, go tell your boss I have business with him."
"It's the Hyena!" The company employees recognized him immediately.
"What's he doing here again?"
"Oh no, the Hyena's here to cause trouble!" The Hyena's infamous reputation was, once again, proving effective.
Bellamy simply scoffed, not bothering to refute the claims. Although he wasn't actually here to cause trouble. If he were here to cause trouble… He looked up at the three-story building that housed the trading company. If he were to cause trouble, one kick should be enough, right? He calculated his current strength and realized he was still a bit short. "Learning Tempest Kick should do it." Three stories…if one kick wasn't enough, two would definitely bring it down.
He didn't think much of the Portgas Trading Company. If it weren't for the "D." in their name, he wouldn't even remember them. But that was the power of a name. Whether one wanted to admit it or not, a name held that kind of intangible power. Just like how Bellamy was now extremely curious about this family.
Before long, a commotion erupted from inside the company. A moment later, a rotund, obese man emerged from the building, accompanied by a large group of sailors.
"Hyena, what do you want?" This fat man was the company's owner, the current head of the Portgas family. He looked like nothing more than an ordinary merchant.
However, Bellamy's visit was merely a test. If he gained something, all the better. If not, it was no loss. What he wanted to see was the CP agents' reaction after this test.
"What was your name again? Whatever, it doesn't matter." Bellamy tossed the man he was carrying onto the ground. "I came here to sell you something."
"Sell me something?" Old Portgas frowned deeply, utterly confused by the Hyena's intentions. "Bellamy, what exactly are you here for?"
Just as Bellamy was about to explain, a tall, slender woman suddenly pushed her way through the crowd. "Hyena, you bastard! You dare show your face here again!"
Bellamy recognized this woman. It was from her that the Hyena had forcibly stolen a precious treasure, which he'd apparently sold for a good sum of money.
"Woman, watch your language." In situations like this, it was time for a subordinate to step up. Bellamy gave a casual glance, and Drake naturally understood what to do.
One minute later, the ground in front of the Portgas Trading Company was littered with injured men. The father and daughter clung to each other, weeping loudly. What they were crying about, exactly, was unclear.
"Alright, shut up, all of you!" Bellamy barked. "I said I'm here to sell something." The man he'd knocked unconscious and dragged here seemed to be on the verge of waking up. Bellamy promptly kicked him awake and pointed at the woman. "Last time, I stole a necklace and sold it to him."
"Now, I'm going to sell him to you. Will you take him or not?"
This man was the owner of a black market pawn shop, whom Bellamy had knocked out and brought here directly. As for the necklace, it had long since been sold off to who-knows-where; there was no way to get it back.
"You bastard! That was my mother's keepsake!" The necklace held great sentimental value for her, which was why the Hyena had targeted it in the first place.
"I know. That's why I brought the guy back, didn't I?"
"But what use is he to us?" If Bellamy could return the necklace, the Portgas family would actually be willing to buy it.
"What use is he? What the hell do I care?" He was just finding a random excuse to come here. The fate of the pawn shop owner, the needs of the Portgas family? What did any of that have to do with him? He was a pirate, not some do-gooder.
Just then, the pawn shop owner lying on the ground finally regained consciousness. He quickly grasped his current situation and identified the culprit. "Hyena, you're insane!"
"I'm Major D. Yen's man!"
"What? A Major?" A mere Major dared to threaten him? Bellamy suddenly felt he'd been a bit too lenient lately. It seemed his attitude towards these pirate scumbags had indeed been too gentle.
So, Bellamy grabbed the pawn shop owner's right hand and twisted it like a pretzel. The poor guy didn't even have time to scream; the excruciating pain instantly knocked him unconscious again.
Having dealt with this minor annoyance, Bellamy turned back to the father and daughter. "Astronomy, navigation, piloting, ship repair… anyway, get me a copy of every kind of book." A trading company that specialized in sea transport was bound to have related books. "Oh, and get me some sea charts, too." Sea charts were, of course, essential.
It seems the Hyena just wants these items. Hearing Bellamy's request, the Portgas father and daughter were actually relieved.
"Also, I need a skilled navigator." With a navigator, those books wouldn't really be necessary. "Who's your company's navigator?"
He'd decided before he came that, regardless of whether the Portgas Trading Company could provide what he wanted, he'd just make up a bunch of demands, making it seem like he was genuinely there to cause trouble. This was for the Navy's benefit, and for Drake's.
Hearing that he also wanted a navigator, Old Portgas immediately jumped up. "Impossible! I won't give you a navigator!"
"Why not?"
"My daughter won't become a pirate!" The fat man leaped up from the ground. It was clear that Old Portgas was utterly furious.
"Huh?" So this woman was a navigator. "Hey, kid, want to intern on my ship?" Although he knew it was unlikely, Bellamy still extended an invitation. Inviting a distant relative of the Pirate King to join his crew seemed rather interesting.
Of course, it was only mildly interesting. He wasn't particularly interested in this seemingly frail woman.
"You're dreaming! I'd rather die than join your ship!"
The Hyena's actions had indeed been excessive, and Bellamy, after a moment's thought, decided not to force the issue. "Fine then. Just remember to send the things over." With that, he turned and left.
At the chaotic entrance of the trading company, the Portgas father and daughter stared blankly at Bellamy's retreating figure, unable to believe he had actually left just like that.
"Since when did the Hyena become so easy to talk to?"
Making such unreasonable demands was considered "easy to talk to." If Bellamy knew what they were thinking, he would be even more determined to stick to his path.