"What's he laughing about?" This man was strange. Mia couldn't understand what he was so worked up about.
Was it food poisoning? That shouldn't be possible. Although the ingredients she'd used had a slight toxicity, even poisoning wouldn't make someone act like a lunatic.
After finally calming down, Bellamy looked at the woman with a burning gaze. "What's your name?"
"My name is Mia. Why are you looking at me like that?" Mia felt uncomfortable under his stare. She had never met such a bizarre man. Even if he was trying to woo her, this was a bit much, wasn't it?
"Mia, I'm impressed by your cooking skills. How about it? Want to join my crew?"
Without any pretense, Bellamy directly stated his intentions. He wasn't afraid of being rejected. Because he had already made up his mind: if anyone dared to try and steal her away, he would kill them all.
"What???" Mia was stunned by the sudden invitation. "Join your crew? Are you a pirate?"
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Bellamy, captain of the Bellamy Pirates."
A pirate captain, huh? Hearing this information, Mia looked Bellamy over with interest. "Is this how you usually invite people to join your crew?"
"That's right. I'm always this direct. If you have any requests, just ask."
Provided, of course, that he could fulfill them.
Hearing his bold declaration, Mia covered her mouth and giggled. "Anything at all?"
"I set sail precisely to find a certain treasure."
"Then give me one hundred million Belly. Give me one hundred million Belly, and I'll be your crewmate."
Just Belly? That was wonderful.
Mia had no idea that the condition she considered extremely demanding had filled Bellamy with immense joy. If it was just money, that was incredibly simple. It was far better than searching for some random, mysterious thing.
"No problem. Then come with me."
He didn't even haggle. He agreed immediately. This straightforward attitude not only surprised Mia but also deeply shocked his two subordinates. This was one hundred million Belly!
"Interesting. Bellamy, is it?" Mia was starting to get curious about this pirate.
Since he had already obtained his greatest prize, the cooking competition was no longer important. Bellamy headed straight back to the dojo, and Mia casually forfeited her participation in the competition, following him.
One hundred million Belly… Bellamy naturally didn't have that kind of money right now. But he calculated that if he threw away his bottom line and ruthlessly plundered Neon Town, he could get one hundred million Belly very quickly.
But there was no need, absolutely no need.
Bellamy was a man of principle. He wouldn't target civilians for mere money, especially those ordinary, law-abiding citizens.
It wasn't because of any moral code. In the world of One Piece, adhering to morality was a death sentence. It was simply because he didn't like it. It was that simple.
Killing bandits? Bellamy wouldn't have any psychological burden.
Killing pirates? That was even more justified.
He enjoyed bullying pirates, slaughtering villains, and clashing with powerful opponents. But what kind of accomplishment was slaughtering civilians? He would look down on himself if he stooped to killing civilians for mere money.
Since he couldn't produce that much money right now, he naturally had to find a way to keep Mia around.
Back at the dojo, Bellamy led them to his room. "Everyone, sit."
After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Bellamy suddenly threw a question at Mia. "Mia, do you know about Devil Fruits?"
"Devil Fruits? The treasures of the sea? Of course, I know."
Mia had set sail specifically to find a particular Devil Fruit, so she naturally understood the value of these treasures.
"Good that you know."
Then the rest would be simple.
Bellamy turned to look at Ross, then at Muret. "I've eaten a Devil Fruit."
As he spoke, he transformed his arm into a spring.
Yes, in just one week, he had managed to turn his entire arm into a spring. On the night he had first obtained the fruit, he could only deform a single finger.
Bellamy's progress in developing the Spring-Spring Fruit was even faster than he had imagined. He didn't understand why, either. Perhaps it was because he had a very thorough understanding of the principles of springs, so his development was unhindered.
Seeing the arm transformed into a spring, Mia was deeply shocked. "This is…!"
Not just her, even Ross, who already knew his boss had eaten a Devil Fruit, was astonished. Bellamy had never revealed the specifics of his Devil Fruit to him.
Muret was even more surprised. Although she had had some suspicions, when the truth was presented before her, how could she not be shocked?
"The Spring-Spring Fruit. This is my ability."
Since he wanted to showcase his power, mere deformation wasn't enough.
So, in the next instant, Bellamy's figure vanished from the spot.
"Mia, do you think one hundred million Belly is a lot of money for me?"
Bellamy's voice suddenly came from behind Mia. Mia hurriedly turned her head. "Ah, this!"
So fast! She hadn't even seen him move.
"I'm a Spring-Spring Fruit user. You can't possibly catch my speed." Bellamy knew exactly what she was thinking.
"But it's just too fast. I didn't even see an afterimage."
Bellamy's strength far exceeded Mia's expectations.
"One hundred million Belly… I don't have it now, but I will in the future, and it will be far more than that."
"How about it, Mia? Will you come with me?" Seizing the opportunity, Bellamy extended his invitation to her again. This invitation was far more sincere than the previous one. After all, he had revealed his trump card to her.
The small room fell into a brief silence.
The number of surprises today had been too many, so many that Mia's thoughts were in disarray.
After much deliberation, she finally made her decision.
"Demon Chef Mia, reporting to the Captain."
Demon Chef? She already had her own epithet. This cook was indeed extraordinary.
Bellamy was overjoyed. "Good, very good."
"You won't regret this decision."
Finding a reliable chef was fantastic news.
"Then, to celebrate, let's have our chef prepare a sumptuous dinner."
"Hahahaha."
Hearing this, Mia couldn't help but roll her eyes. "The Captain sure knows how to exploit his workforce."
"You're not a mere worker."
Bellamy suddenly took off his outer garment, revealing the bandages wrapped around his entire body.
"Your soup, yes, the medicinal soup from earlier."
"Brew another pot. Have Ross take you to buy the ingredients."
Slowly unwinding the bandages, a large patch of dark purple bruising was exposed to the air.
"You understand what I need, right?"
"These injuries!" The terrible state of Bellamy's body left Mia speechless for a long time.
"Good heavens, I understand."
She finally understood why Bellamy was willing to promise one hundred million Belly to recruit her.
Mia couldn't help but glare at him. "I should have asked for more."
"Ask, and I'll give it to you, no matter the amount."
What was money? Strength was everything.