Bege looked towards another direction where fierce winds churned and lightning flashed, accompanied by booming sounds. Dragon's battle was not yet over.
Bege raised an eyebrow and shot over at high speed, wanting to find out just what kind of Devil Fruit user Dragon was.
Amidst the lightning and thunder, Bege thought he saw an exceptionally enormous figure. Just as he tried to get a clearer look, the winds swirled, and Dragon emerged, dragging a CP0 member with him.
Apart from some damage to his wide cloak, Dragon had no obvious injuries. The fight had likely been easier than anticipated.
"Bege, I thought I would have been quicker," Dragon remarked, also sizing up Bege with surprise.
Bege raised an eyebrow, blew out a smoke ring, and chuckled, "Are you saying your opponent was weak?"
"Of course not. It's that I am strong," Dragon said mildly, tossing the CP0 member in his hand to Bege. "If you didn't want this fellow alive, I would have killed him long ago. Capturing someone alive is much harder than killing them."
"Thanks," Bege said with a broad smile, tossing the agent into his internal castle to be imprisoned. He then added to Dragon, "I think I'm a bit stronger."
Dragon raised an eyebrow, his body enveloped in swirling winds as he flew swiftly towards the warship. His calm voice drifted back through the wind, "That's not necessarily true."
"Interesting. If I could spar with Dragon, wouldn't I find out his Devil Fruit ability? But this guy has no interest in sparring at all. How annoying." Bege shook his head and, stepping on the air, headed towards the warship.
On the large warship, officers from both crews were busy hauling away the ship's treasures. Enel sat at the bow, beating his Thunder Drums, sending bolt after bolt of devastating lightning into the sea. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of corpses floated on the water's surface, along with various electrocuted fish.
"Apart from the Marines who met the requirements and were captured, all other Marine guards have been eliminated. However, there's a group of beautiful women on board who were being sent to the Celestial Dragons as slaves. Should we kill them?" Moria walked over to report the situation to Bege.
Moria pointed to a corner of the deck where dozens of women were huddled—some older, some younger, of all shapes and sizes, even some petite young girls. They all shared one common trait: they were as beautiful as flowers.
Bege felt a pang of something akin to disarray just looking at them.
"Are you stupid? It would be such a waste to kill so many beautiful women. Take them all back to Sky Island. They can be my handmaidens in the future," Bege chuckled.
"Captain, can you handle them all by yourself? Why not share a few with the brothers?" Riki approached, a lecherous expression on his face.
Many of the men showed signs of interest.
"If you want them, fine, but you must use honorable means. You all know my rules. If anyone dares to use force, I'll castrate him myself." Bege's gaze swept over Riki and the others. A shiver went down their spines, and they nodded vigorously. Bege's rules were ironclad; no one could violate them. A subordinate who had once broken the rule had been made an example of, an image seared into the minds of all crew members.
"Could there be any survivors in the sea?" Bege asked in a low voice.
"Captain Demon Dragon, rest assured. Young brother Enel covered this entire sea area with lightning. Afterward, we searched the nearby waters and found no survivors," a Fish-man officer from the Revolutionary Army stepped forward and said.
"Godfather, don't worry! If they were in the sea, I would have electrocuted them long ago!" Enel jumped down, speaking confidently.
"Well done. Now, prepare to leave."
Bege retrieved a smaller airship from his internal castle for Dragon and his men. He, on the other hand, was going to absorb the entire large warship into his body-fortress.
Taking in the large warship required immense mental energy. After stowing the entire vessel, Bege's face turned a few shades paler, and sweat beaded on his forehead. He leaped onto the airship, which quickly fled the scene, heading straight for their pre-selected hiding spot.
On the airship, Bege sat on a chair, resting. The battle with Kemon and absorbing the large warship had greatly taxed his mental energy.
"Bege, you don't look too good. Were you injured in the fight?" Dragon asked, looking at Bege, who had his eyes closed.
"No, just a bit drained from taking in the warship," Bege replied faintly.
Bege suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Bartholomew Kuma with keen interest. "Kuma, I remember the Paw-Paw Fruit has an ability to repel all damage from the body, restoring it to its optimal state. Am I right?"
Bartholomew Kuma lowered the Bible in his hands and looked at Bege with surprise, his voice extremely deep and resonant. "That's correct. How would you know?"
"You're not the only one who's ever possessed the Paw-Paw Fruit," Bege casually fabricated an excuse.
"Here, try using that ability on me," Bege said with particular interest.
Bartholomew Kuma frowned slightly and looked towards Dragon, who gave a nonchalant nod. Kuma stood up, removed the leather gloves from his hands, and then, with his paw-padded palm, gently patted Bege.
"Damage Expulsion!"
A peculiar shockwave passed through Bege's body, and immediately, a red, paw-shaped aura appeared behind him. That was the damage Bege's body had sustained.
Bege instantly felt his entire body become light and clear. His face lit up with surprise and delight. "It really works! Kuma, there's no future for you following Dragon. How about it? Join my crew. Whatever Dragon can give you, I can give you too."
Dragon's face turned ugly, his dark eyes fixed on Bege. "Bege, poaching an important officer of our Revolutionary Army right in front of me? You really don't have any regard for me, do you?"
Hearing this, Bege burst out laughing.
"I'm just giving Kuma a choice. Who knows, he might actually want to join my crew."
He knew of Bartholomew Kuma's tragic end in the future and had some intention of saving him.
However, Bartholomew Kuma didn't respond. He waved his hand, dissipating the red, paw-shaped aura, then put on his leather gloves and sat down by the ship's railing, taking out his Bible to continue reading with intense focus.
Dragon shot Bege a defiant look, as if to say, you lose.
Bege felt a twinge of regret, but it was Kuma's own choice, and Bege couldn't force him.
After a night of flying, they landed on an uninhabited, deserted island.
In the deepest part of the island, Bege brought out the large warship. The officers from both sides began to sort through all the wealth—chest after chest of treasure, an exhilarating sight.
"And this is just the tribute from thirty-something affiliated nations. The World Government has over one hundred and seventy member countries. The scale of the Celestial Tribute collected regularly must be astonishing," Bege mused.
"If there's this much Celestial Tribute every time, those Celestial Dragons are the real nouveau riche. Dragon, how about we find a chance to rob the Celestial Dragons together?" Bege looked at Dragon with a smile.
"I haven't gone mad yet. The Celestial Dragons' Holy Land, Mary Geoise, is home to terrifying individuals. If the two of us went, it would be a suicide mission with no chance of survival. I advise you to give up that idea quickly," Dragon snorted.
"The Five Elders, you mean? I know. I was just kidding," Bege laughed casually.
Dragon's gaze sharpened, and he immediately stared at Bege. "You know about the Five Elders?"
"Of course, I do. The highest executives of the World Government, the five individuals who hold the greatest power in the world. And they're not even the most terrifying. The most terrifying is the head of the World Government, that Celestial Dragon to whom even the Five Elders must kneel." Bege leaned against the ship's railing, his mind recalling the mysterious Celestial Dragon from the manga who sat on the highest throne, to whom even the Five Elders bowed.
Dragon's expression turned grave. The others looked utterly shocked, horrified even. This was the first time any of them had heard such things.