Tossing about a pound of Blood Bait into the sea quickly hooked a Sea King. In contrast, tossing a pound of pungent dried meat merely attracted a large school of sharks. The effectiveness of the Blood Bait was indisputable.
Once a Sea King was hooked, the ship naturally burst into a flurry of activity. Ten crew hands worked diligently, assisting in butchering the massive creature, thoroughly salting large cuts of meat and hanging them up to dry. The internal organs spoiled quickly, so they were cooked immediately that evening, and everyone ate as much as they could stomach. The bones were ground into powder for Mia and Muret to study and experiment with.
Then there was the most valuable part: the bone marrow. After consuming Sea King meat multiple times, Bellamy had discovered that its marrow, particularly from the central spinal column, was the most nutrient-dense part of its entire body. A Sea King around thirty meters long would possess a spine exceeding twenty meters, and collecting all the marrow could yield several pounds worth. Consuming several pounds of this marrow in one go was enough to give even Bellamy, a powerhouse with overflowing vitality, an immediate nosebleed. It was truly potent stuff, a veritable super-tonic.
If only it could be processed into medicine, Bellamy often thought. Ever since acquiring two subordinates capable of pharmacology, he found himself wanting to turn every valuable ingredient into some form of potion or pill. Medicines were simply easier to carry and more convenient to use, especially providing a potential boost during intense battles.
Bellamy's target for this hunting expedition near the Calm Belt was five Sea Kings. They planned to drift and hunt at sea for approximately one month before beginning their return voyage. With their accumulated hunting experience and the specially formulated bait, the process had become remarkably easy.
Thus, the core group of the Bellamy Pirates—the five of them—once again entered a period of rapid growth. Their height and weight began to increase at a visibly accelerated rate. Even the two children accompanying them, benefiting from the daily feast, shot up noticeably taller.
Throughout this month, almost every morning, they practically bounced out of bed, overflowing with an almost excessive amount of energy. The surging vitality within their bodies felt constantly on the verge of exploding. If they didn't engage in grueling training for over ten hours each day, their entire bodies felt uncomfortably restless.
Bellamy, of course, was delighted by this. Wasn't this precisely the outcome he had aimed for, expending so much effort and risking the dangers near the Calm Belt? He estimated that by the time they set course back, his crew's average height would reach two meters. He and Drake, meanwhile, should approach roughly two and a half meters, with their weight likely exceeding two hundred kilograms. Drake's transformed Zoan form was already nearing ten meters in height. Bellamy couldn't be more satisfied with this rate of progress. If this were another world, he'd proudly declare himself an Ace Trainer.
With his companions rapidly getting stronger—especially Drake, who was desperately trying to close the gap—Bellamy naturally felt a slight pressure himself, compelling him to accelerate his own forward march. During this period, he focused on deconstructing and internalizing the Fierce Tiger Dojo's fist style, aiming to fully absorb its legacy and make it his own.
The true essence of the Fierce Tiger Dojo's teachings, at its core, was the imitation of primal beastly ferocity. It sought to make slaughter instinctual, using savage, primitive wildness to completely shed the restraints imposed by human civilization and rational thought.
Bellamy considered this martial philosophy fundamentally deviant. Humanity's greatest asset was its intelligence. Yet, the Dojo's legacy demanded the abandonment of reason, allowing primal instinct to reign supreme over the body. There was nothing inherently wrong with imitating beasts; Bellamy himself had incorporated the strengths of various creatures into his own style—the punching power of a mantis shrimp, the stealthy steps of an assassin's cat, the breathing techniques of a tiger. Where beasts possessed strengths superior to humans, learning from them was natural.
However, abandoning reason entirely was something Bellamy found distasteful. Instinct wasn't infallible. Experienced fighters could easily guide an opponent's instincts, seize control of their combat rhythm. Entrusting everything to instinct was not the path Bellamy wished to walk. That aspect of the Fierce Tiger style was dross, needing to be discarded. He would only take what he deemed useful.
"The profundity of this fist style is still somewhat lacking," he concluded after analysis. Breaking down the Fierce Tiger Fist, he found its techniques for circulating internal power and vitality weren't particularly advanced or sophisticated. Intentionally using its specific techniques to punch felt less direct, less swift, than simply channeling his body's innate spring force.
Bellamy realized he needed a better fist style, one that could truly elevate his understanding of pugilism. For instance... the style he had long yearned to acquire: Fish-Man Karate! The most famous fist style in the One Piece world, bar none. The signature martial art of the Fish-Man race, a technique Bellamy had coveted for a long time.
Can't rush it, he reminded himself. Now isn't the time to head to the East Blue. The crew was currently in a crucial rapid growth phase; he possessed the patience to wait for the right opportunity.
With his development in fist techniques temporarily bottlenecked, Bellamy shifted his focus towards mastering the secrets of the Six Powers and further developing his Devil Fruit abilities. His comprehension of Life Return, in particular, had progressed at lightning speed during this period. Although he still couldn't grasp the fundamental principle behind how Life Return worked, he found he could simply use it. And use it quite effectively, at that.
As he gradually gained mastery over this profound technique, Bellamy developed a deep, mountain-gazing reverence for the unknown genius who had created it. The originator of such an art must have achieved a level of physical mastery far beyond Bellamy's current imagination—to integrate nebulous concepts like stamina, energy, and vitality, and then guide them using the most fundamental life force itself... It was truly an amazing, almost magical technique. And it was pure physical skill, unadulterated by any external additions!