"This secret is very helpful to me." Bellamy poured another glass of wine for Fujitora. "Thank you."
Fujitora chuckled softly and drained the fine wine in his cup. "I've thought about it carefully during this time. I truly cannot agree with what you intend to do."
"I understand." If Fujitora could accept his ideas, Bellamy wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble to capture him by force.
"Do you not blame me for using such a despicable method to capture you?" Even Bellamy himself felt a little contempt for his own tactics. His personality had always been to face things head-on. But to achieve his ultimate goal, he had chosen to stoop to this level.
"Your methods were indeed a bit dishonorable," Fujitora admitted. "But a loss is a loss. I am not a sore loser." He took his defeat lightly, even though the price of this failure could very well be his life.
"If I had the chance, I would have truly liked to fight you head-on," Bellamy said. Both the Golden Lion and Fujitora Issho were enemies he yearned to defeat in a direct confrontation. But he was out of time. The Summit War was about to begin, and he had to make all preparations before it started. He had already paid a heavy price since his transmigration. He could not tolerate even the slightest possibility of failure, and for that, he was willing to lower his own standards.
"It was not an honorable victory. My apologies," Bellamy said with self-deprecation, pouring another glass for Fujitora.
"Your Excellency Bellamy, if you truly accomplish that feat, may I make a request?"
"Please, speak."
Fujitora suddenly fixed his eyes, which had been blind for many years, on Bellamy's. In that moment, Bellamy felt an incredibly clear gaze upon him.
"I would like to request that Your Excellency avoid unnecessary slaughter," Fujitora said. "Most of those Marine soldiers are innocent. They do not know the truth hidden behind this world, nor do they know of the World Government's filth and sin. Most of them are simply fighting to protect their homes and their families."
Bellamy was silent for a moment, unsure how to respond. The Summit War would gather hundreds of thousands of Marines. With a single swing of his arm, he could crush a whole swath of them. Hold back? Impossible. In a war of that scale, how could one possibly hold back? Fujitora was asking for mercy, but Bellamy truly couldn't provide it.
"I can only promise you that I will not attack unarmed civilians." Since his arrival in this world, Bellamy had never shed the blood of a civilian.
"I was asking too much." Fujitora sighed in disappointment and said no more.
The atmosphere in the cell instantly turned cold, and Bellamy lost the desire to continue the conversation. "Your Excellency Fujitora, if you need anything, please let me know. I will do my best to accommodate you." In terms of material needs, Bellamy would certainly not mistreat him. He had always admired Fujitora as a person. "Well then, farewell."
Turning to leave the cell, Bellamy thought for a moment, then returned to his room and dialed a special Den Den Mushi.
"Lao G, it's me."
Since Doflamingo's death, that useless old man Lao G had been completely liberated. No one cared if he was still alive, and no one cared about his past identity. As a result, Lao G, who had been living in hiding and barely dared to leave his room, had suddenly become active. Recently, he had established a small intelligence organization on the Grand Line and was wandering around various routes under the pretext of gathering information. Bellamy hadn't contacted him in a long time, and Lao G had been living quite comfortably. Now, receiving Bellamy's call, a shiver went down his spine, and he immediately tensed up.
"Boss, what can I do for you?"
Bellamy thoroughly despised this waste of space, but his own forces were indeed a bit thin. On the Grand Line, Lao G was currently the only person he could use.
"I want you to head to Alabasta immediately. I need all recent intelligence on that country. All of it, do you hear me?!"
"Y-yes, Boss!" Hearing Bellamy's sharp tone, Lao G instinctively straightened up and responded loudly.
"Focus your attention on the movements of Nico Robin and Princess Vivi. As for their portraits, buy them on the black market yourself."
"Yes, Boss, but the funds..."
"I'll find a way to get the money to you. If you can't handle this, I'll personally feed you to the sharks." Bellamy's patience with Lao G was running out. If he couldn't even handle such a simple task, there was no need for him to continue living in this world.
Lao G's fear of Bellamy was no less than his fear of Doflamingo. Now that Doflamingo was dead at Bellamy's hands, how would he dare to talk back? Other than agreeing, he didn't dare let out so much as a peep in front of him. "Yes, yes, I understand, Boss."
Bellamy had his reasons for specifically using his own subordinate instead of buying information from the World Economic Journal. There were some things he didn't want too many people to know. Especially the fact that he was keeping an eye on Nico Robin and Princess Vivi; he didn't want Morgans to find out.
Lao G had been deliberately hiding his tracks ever since he started working for him. To this day, not many people knew he was still alive. Even fewer knew he worked for Bellamy, so he could be safely entrusted with some secret missions. Although the old fool's strength was a bit lacking and he had no loyalty to speak of, he should still be able to complete such a simple task. He was, after all, an old pirate of the New World. Having lived for so long, even a piece of mud has some grit.
"Don't let this information get out, and don't let anyone know you're working for me. Do you understand, Lao G?"
"Understood, understood! I understand, Boss." Lao G wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He had previously considered using Bellamy's name to recruit people. Thankfully, it was just an idea he hadn't acted on.
"Hide your identity and do what I've told you to do," Bellamy commanded. "Anything else, I won't bother with, nor do I care to."
After giving his orders, Bellamy hung up the phone. After this trip to Nuts Island, he would immediately set out for Alabasta. By his calculations, it was highly likely he would encounter Luffy, Crocodile, and Ace all at the same time in that desert city. He might even run into the recently defected Blackbeard.