Late July, Sea Era 1517.
A News Coo soared leisurely over the boundless ocean.
"Boss! Boss! Our bounties are finally out!" Ross burst into the wheelhouse, waving a newspaper excitedly.
Just one encounter with the Marine Science Unit, and boom—bounties issued immediately. It was clear the Marines hadn't taken them seriously at all before this. Even after Bellamy had personally killed Red Flame and his crew had destroyed a Marine base, they still hadn't registered on the radar of anyone important. Although he'd suspected as much, confirming the truth still left Bellamy feeling distinctly annoyed.
"Let me see that." Taking the paper from Ross, Bellamy's eyes immediately locked onto the main headline.
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE - HYENA BELLAMY - 35,000,000 BELI!
Below it, a subtitle read: "Extremely Vicious! Responsible for Destruction of Marine Base!"
Huh? Bellamy noticed something odd. There's no mention of me killing Red Flame. Who suppressed that information? The Marines couldn't possibly be unaware that his crew had wiped out Red Flame. The battle site had been chaotic; witnesses must have escaped. So, who had intervened to keep it out of the official report?
Just then, Drake pushed the wheelhouse door open. "Captain, I have an important matter to report." His gaze swept over Ross and any other crew members present. "Everyone else, out."
As Vice Captain of the Bellamy Pirates, Drake commanded respect. Ross muttered something under his breath but quickly ushered the others out. Soon, only Bellamy and Drake remained in the spacious wheelhouse.
Drake collected his thoughts before speaking. "Captain, I received an active communication from HQ just moments ago." He paused. "They... reminded me to maintain a low profile during deep cover assignments."
"Meaning?" Bellamy prompted, confused.
Drake's expression turned slightly awkward. "It seems... HQ believes I was the one who killed Red Flame."
So, the Navy's clandestine intelligence units still didn't have accurate information on Bellamy's capabilities. Not only that, but they'd erroneously attributed Red Flame's defeat to Drake, assuming Bellamy had just been tagging along or scavenging the credit.
"I see now." Bellamy finally understood why his bounty had taken so long to be issued. Someone within the Navy's intelligence apparatus must have deliberately suppressed or delayed the reports about him. If they hadn't run into Sentomaru and the Science Unit, his bounty might have remained suppressed even longer.
"Interesting," Bellamy mused. "So, the Marines still don't have an accurate assessment of my true strength?" Sentomaru, at least, should have a clear idea after their encounter. Did that mean information wasn't freely shared between different Marine departments?
When Bellamy voiced this question, Drake immediately began to explain the complex internal structure of the Marines.
"Thinking of the Marines as a monolithic entity is a fundamental mistake," Drake stated. "It's an incredibly complex organization, even before considering the World Government pulling strings behind the scenes."
"First, Marine Headquarters is nominally under the direct command of the Fleet Admiral. Legally, Marine HQ has authority over all Marine forces. But the reality is quite different. The three Admirals, for instance, don't report directly to the Fleet Admiral. Their ultimate authority comes directly from the Gorosei. Orders from the Gorosei supersede those from the Fleet Admiral. That's precisely why someone like Vice Admiral Garp vehemently refuses promotion to Admiral—he doesn't want to be a direct pawn of the Celestial Dragons and the Gorosei."
"Secondly, Marine HQ technically oversees numerous departments: the Science Unit, Weapons Development, Espionage, Intelligence, Administration, Medical Corps, the Great Prison Impel Down, Recruitment, and various Elite training forces. The nominal heads of these divisions are typically Vice Admirals. However, not all Vice Admirals answer solely to the Fleet Admiral. The three Admirals each represent significant factions, with numerous Vice Admirals aligned under them. Furthermore, key divisions like Intelligence and Espionage often fall under the direct purview of someone like Vice Admiral Tsuru, 'The Great Staff Officer'. Tsuru holds a unique position, operating with a degree of independence within the structure. The Science and Weapons divisions are heavily staffed and influenced directly by World Government personnel, not just Marines."
"Then you have the regional branches across the Four Blues, the Grand Line, the New World, and even posts on the Red Line. The farther a branch is from Marineford, the less direct control HQ exerts. And woven through this entire massive, convoluted system is the constant interference and political maneuvering of the World Government itself. The upshot is, even the Fleet Admiral's direct sphere of control is surprisingly limited."
"For a clandestine unit within the Marines to immediately receive detailed combat data from the Science Unit about you... it would only happen if someone high up had already flagged you as a person of extreme interest." Drake concluded, "As for how the Marines will react once they do get an accurate assessment of your strength... I trust I'll be notified promptly."
After hearing Drake's explanation, Bellamy casually tossed the newspaper back to him. Drake scanned the page and quickly found his own entry.
WANTED: 8,000,000 BELI - 'RED FLAG' X DRAKE.
"Pathetically low," Drake commented flatly. 8 million was indeed a laughable underestimation. The value of his Ancient Zoan fruit alone far exceeded that. "And this photo... is atrocious." If even Drake found it bad, it must truly be dreadful. The bounty poster used an old photo from Drake's younger days. It depicted a rather awkward-looking young man in a hooded jumpsuit, looking utterly foolish.
"Tell me about it. Take a look at mine," Bellamy grumbled. His own wanted poster featured a picture of him gleefully snatching a lollipop from a crying little girl, complete with his signature arrogant laugh. It was beyond ridiculous. Did a 35 million Beli pirate command absolutely no respect in the North Blue? Couldn't they get a decent photo?
"Why are the others' photos relatively normal?" Bellamy scanned further down.
WANTED: 5,000,000 BELI - 'DEMON CHEF' MIA. WANTED: 1,000,000 BELI - SHIP DOCTOR MURET. WANTED: 100,000 BELI - BOATSWAIN ROSS.
Seeing Ross's meager bounty, even Drake raised an eyebrow. "100,000? Isn't that... rather low?"
"Ross hasn't exactly racked up any impressive combat victories," Bellamy shrugged. "Plus, let's be honest, the guy looks kind of shifty. Like any other street punk. It's normal he'd be underestimated." Bellamy smirked. "Take this newspaper back to Ross for me, will you?"
He leaned back. "There's no place for fodder with such a pathetic bounty in my crew. Tell him starting today, his training regimen just doubled."
Looks like Ross was in for a rough time.