East of Bird Dropping Island, the sea was calm and flat. Suddenly, a stream of bubbles erupted from the surface.
"Glug, glug."
Moments later, a strange periscope-like tube emerged from the depths.
"No abnormalities on the surface. Prepare to ascend," a voice reported from within.
"Then let's surface," another voice replied.
"Aye, Captain!" A white polar bear responded loudly to the captain's order, his paws fumbling somewhat clumsily with the submarine's controls.
The Polar Tang soon broke the surface. Trafalgar Law stepped onto the deck, gazing at the island in the distance. A frown creased his brow.
"This island is much larger than I anticipated."
He'd only heard some rumors, thinking he'd take a quick look around to see if he could cause some trouble for Doflamingo. But after seeing the vast, seemingly endless primeval forest covering the island, he changed his mind.
"Forget it. We'll head straight for the Grand Line."
Law had only recently set sail, and the Heart Pirates were less than a month old. Even including the bear, he only had four crew members. He simply couldn't spare the manpower for a needle-in-a-haystack search like this. Besides, the intelligence he'd overheard was second-hand at best; it wasn't necessarily accurate.
Just as Law was about to order a return to the depths, a pillar of fire shot into the sky, igniting half the horizon.
"Huh? What's going on over there?"
It seemed a battle was taking place on the island.
"Full speed ahead. Let's go take a look."
"Aye, Captain!"
"Glug, glug…"
The ground seemed to be flowing with magma. The terrifying heat ignited everything around, even the very earth.
"That liquid flowing out of your body… that's fat, isn't it?" Bellamy casually ripped off his burning sleeve, his gaze towards the man before him sharpening with a newfound seriousness.
Red Flame Eggert, the man rumored to spit fire from his mouth. The strongest pirate, publicly, in the North Blue – a man over five meters tall, who shook the earth with every step, and who was several times fatter than a pig.
The moment this man had emerged from the cave, Bellamy had greeted him with a vacuum slash kick. To Bellamy's surprise, Eggert neither dodged nor blocked, taking the attack directly on his blubbery stomach.
No Armament Haki, no Iron Body. He just stood there, allowing the vacuum slash to carve a massive gash across his belly. A flood of yellowish-white liquid poured from the wound.
Then, Bellamy saw the pirates surrounding him suddenly scatter as if they'd seen a ghost, desperately fleeing.
Seeing this strange liquid, and combining it with all the information he'd gathered, Bellamy had a hunch. He'd just grasped the crucial piece of the puzzle when a pillar of fire erupted, engulfing the entire strait.
The magma-like flames were frighteningly hot. Even the earth itself began to melt under the intense heat.
"Why aren't you burned to death?" After the fire pillar subsided, Eggert stared at Bellamy, who was virtually unharmed, in utter astonishment.
"Looks like I've been underestimated."
The flames required the outflow of his fat to ignite. How slow would he have to be to get burned by that? Even Drake had managed to dodge in time, let alone a spring-man like himself.
"So, do I need to introduce myself?" Bellamy chuckled, then shook his head. "Never mind. Nobody here would know me anyway."
He might have a bit of a reputation on Minion Island, but once he left its shores, who knew who he was?
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be a Fat-Fat Fruit user, right?"
Before arriving, he'd suspected that Eggert was likely a Devil Fruit user. Once they clashed, Eggert's Devil Fruit nature was immediately apparent.
"That's right. Who the hell are you two?"
His ability was too obvious to hide, so Eggert admitted it directly. These two had appeared out of nowhere and easily evaded his fat spray. When did two more powerhouses pop up in the North Blue?
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't know."
Bellamy gave Drake a pointed look, signaling him to go into the cave and rescue the captives. This fat pig's ability was a bit troublesome; it wasn't suited for a group fight. It would be easier to handle him alone.
Drake nodded in understanding and, right in front of Eggert, walked into the cave.
"Now then, let's have some fun, shall we?" This guy clearly had thick skin and plenty of blubber. He was perfect for testing out some moves. Bellamy beckoned him forward. "Be warned, I'm coming at you."
After giving a deliberate warning, Bellamy's figure vanished from the spot.
His speed was almost absurd. Eggert couldn't even catch a glimpse of his shadow the moment he disappeared.
"You guys… I hate people like you the most."
His massive body and barrel-like physique made his weaknesses glaringly obvious. Slow reactions, difficulty turning – against speed-type opponents, these weaknesses were amplified to the extreme.
Every time he encountered a speed-type opponent, it was a grueling battle. Eggert's obese face twisted into a monstrous grimace. After gaining the Fat-Fat Fruit, Eggert had faced many such formidable foes. But they had all died by his hand.
How had he managed to overcome his weaknesses and achieve victory against the odds?
It was because he was ruthless enough.
Eggert let out a savage laugh, his hands plunging into the gaping wound on his stomach and ripping it wider.
Tear! The sound of flesh ripping was sickening.
Fat erupted, gushing skyward like a fountain. A rain of fat began to fall.
Eggert laughed gleefully, mixing his laughter with a pained, hateful roar. "Die, you bastard!"
"Fat…"
He'd barely gotten half the name of his attack out when a tremendous force struck him from behind.
"Iron Body: Steel Foot!"
Bellamy had searched for a while to find Eggert's center of gravity, and this kick sent the massive man flying.
Five meters tall, with a waistline nearly as wide, Eggert floated in the air for a moment like a hot air balloon, before plummeting back towards the ground.
"That was reckless, you idiot," Bellamy muttered. "Were you trying to ignite the entire canyon?"
When Eggert started mutilating himself, Bellamy realized what he was planning. He immediately extinguished his cigar, interrupting the half-executed attack, and forcefully kicked Eggert into the air.
"But I must admit, I did underestimate you earlier." He bowed slightly. "Please accept my apologies."
One must always show respect to the strong. For that, he was willing to offer his apology.
Watching Eggert's impending fall, Bellamy's expression turned serious. "Now, I'll go all out and smash you to pieces in mid-air."
His body was already splattered with fat, and those flames were incredibly troublesome; once ignited, they were difficult to extinguish. If Eggert had managed to pull off that move, Bellamy would be a human torch right now.
"So, are you ready to die?"
As he spoke, he activated his power. "First Gear… Springman!!!"
A blast of hot air erupted from Bellamy's head, and a sound like a pounding war drum echoed through the canyon.
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