Guys like Bellamy, trying to convince them with words alone is hard. Really hard. Once he sets his mind on something, he'll bash his head against a wall until it breaks, and he won't regret it for a second.
Driven by Bellamy's determination, Drake reloaded the cannon once more, aiming at his captain's head.
"Captain, get ready, I'm firing!"
After taking a cannonball directly to the face, Bellamy's appearance was truly pathetic. So much so that Drake hesitated briefly before lighting the fuse. Although he didn't agree with Bellamy's methods, he didn't want to see him fall like this. "But, since you insist..."
Taking a deep breath, Drake lit the fuse again.
BOOM!
The cannonball shot out. This time, everyone's hearts trembled along with the projectile. The Captain's already so badly injured... if he gets hit in the head again, he'll die, right? Even Drake felt a pang of regret. He could have aimed a little lower just now.
The cannonball traced an arc through the air, hurtling towards Bellamy's head.
An astonishing scene unfolded before their eyes. Bellamy suddenly tilted his head to the left. The roaring cannonball whizzed past, grazing his ear.
THUD.
An explosion, and a small crater appeared in the ground. Bellamy, however, was completely unharmed.
The scene was bizarre. From a distance, it looked like Bellamy was just incredibly lucky, the cannonball simply missing him. By an inch. The shot had been only an inch away from Bellamy's skull. It was an incredibly narrow margin; a slight deviation would have meant a direct hit.
But a miss was a miss.
Ross glanced at Drake, suspecting he'd intentionally missed. Muret and Mia seemed to think the same.
Only Drake knew the truth. He'd aimed perfectly, with no deviation from the first shot. The answer was clear: it wasn't luck. Bellamy had actively dodged it.
"Captain, another round?" Drake asked, seemingly having realized something.
"Yeah, one more. Let me get used to this feeling." Bellamy wanted to let out a hearty laugh, but the injuries to his mouth forced him to give up on the idea. It didn't dampen his good mood, though.
Paper Drawing was already within his grasp.
Another cannonball flew from the barrel. This time, everyone was a little more prepared.
The miraculous scene repeated itself. Without any extraneous movement, Bellamy simply tilted his head, and the cannonball flew past him once more.
With the sound of the cannonball exploding on impact, everyone finally understood.
This monster... had gotten stronger again.
Drake looked at the man with a complex expression. He seemed to be witnessing the birth of a monster with his own eyes. Though he desperately didn't want to admit it, this guy was truly terrifying. It was also the first time he'd learned that Paper Drawing could be mastered in such a way.
For a fleeting moment, Drake even considered contacting headquarters. But he immediately tossed the idea aside. It would be incredibly stupid. If he dared to report this kind of information, he'd undoubtedly receive a severe scolding.
Bellamy was just a thug from a small town in the North Blue. He hadn't even set sail yet, didn't even own a ship. No matter how terrifying he was now, without any real achievements, nobody would know who he was.
Evening, at the Black Fish Waterfall.
Because Bellamy's injuries were somewhat serious, the original training plan was temporarily put on hold.
A large pot of medicinal broth was simmering. Bellamy, clutching his jaw, carefully placed a bit of thin porridge into his mouth. "Ow... that hurts."
"Oh, so the Captain can feel pain?" Muret picked up a towel, dipped it in some medicinal solution, and gently dabbed it on his wounds.
"What kind of nonsense is that? I'm not made of iron, of course I feel pain."
"Really? I couldn't tell." Muret grabbed Bellamy's cheek and gave it a harsh tug.
"Ow, ow! Easy, easy!"
Seeing him cry out in pain, Mia let out a cold snort. "You've got some cracks in your skull. After you soak in the medicinal bath, we'll have to wrap your head in bandages." To keep the skull bones in place, the bandages would have to be very tight.
Hearing this terrible news, Bellamy's mouth twitched. "Isn't there any kind of anesthetic we could use?"
"No!" Muret answered immediately.
Judging by her attitude, Bellamy suspected that even if they did have some, they wouldn't bring it out. Tch, so this is what happens when you piss off women.
After resting by the waterfall for a night, Bellamy's injuries showed signs of improvement the next day. Most of the bruising on his face had faded. The damage to his skull was invisible, but his mouth didn't hurt as much anymore.
The advantage of a powerful physique was fully displayed. Bellamy's body was self-repairing at a rate ten times faster than an ordinary person's. It was just those few teeth... they wouldn't be growing back anytime soon.
Having brought so much equipment and a cannon on this long trip, training couldn't be delayed for too long. As soon as his injuries improved, Bellamy urged his crew to start training.
Drake activated his Zoan transformation and took two direct cannon shots. Minor injuries. The training effect was mediocre. Bellamy suggested he try not transforming, not using Iron Body.
But the beast's instincts hindered him. The moment the cannonball was fired, Drake's body would react instinctively, triggering his transformation. Moreover, the transformation speed was significantly faster than usual.
Until he overcame this instinct, Drake's Paper Drawing training would have to be put on hold.
The other members' physiques weren't strong enough. Taking a direct hit from the cannon might kill them outright. They needed to continue delving deeper into the Iron Body technique. At the very least, they needed to be able to activate Iron Body within the space of a breath.
The waterfall training was designed for this purpose. Bellamy's waterfall training plan was simple: place a large rock at the base of the waterfall. Have the crew stand on the rock and endure the force of the cascading water.
At first, they definitely wouldn't be able to stand. Bellamy dug several deep holes in the rock so they could place their feet inside, exposing only their upper bodies. This way, no matter how much they were pounded by the water, they wouldn't be washed away.
This method didn't feel like training at all; it felt like torture. Pure Bellamy-style.
Muret and Mia couldn't help but roll their eyes when they saw the deep holes in the rock. If the cannon fire training hadn't been so terrifying, they would have rebelled again.
"Captain, I just dug up a bunch of pretty, colorful mushrooms. I'll add them to your dinner tonight!" Without a reason to revolt, the two women seemed to be scheming something else.
"I don't like mushrooms," Bellamy said, his expression turning serious. "Ross, you eat them for me."
Young people need to suffer a bit; it'll make them stronger in the future.
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