"Y-you..." Bakkin stammered, staring trembling at Bege.
Bege took a step forward and grabbed her directly.
In the same instant, Weevil seized Bege's arm. The immense strength behind the grip made even Bege's expression flicker slightly.
"Let go of my Mom," Weevil ordered sternly, looking down at Bege.
"So the rumors about Weevil possessing Whitebeard's youthful strength weren't just boasts," Bege thought. Even so, the Weevil of this time was far from the terrifying force he would later become. Bege's arm muscles bulged instantly as he unleashed a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki directly at Weevil.
Weevil's expression immediately contorted in terror. With a casual wave of his hand, Bege knocked him back, sending him stumbling to the ground.
"Weevil—" Miss Bakkin started to speak, but a single savage glare from Bege instantly silenced her.
Bege turned back to Weevil, forcing a warm smile. "Weevil, my little brother, I need to speak with Mom privately for a moment. You wait here for us, just for a few minutes."
With that, he pulled Miss Bakkin out of the room. Weevil hesitated, wanting to follow, but another sharp look from Bege deterred him.
Outside the house, Bege lit a cigar and looked down at the cunning old woman. "I expect you to acknowledge me as Weevil's real older brother," he stated calmly. "And you will personally tell him that he is to follow me from now on. Only by doing this will you leave here alive."
"The renowned Demon Dragon, resorting to such despicable means to separate a mother and son?" Miss Bakkin sneered, her face darkening, though she clenched her teeth. Contempt twisted her ugly features as she taunted him, "If word of this got out, the entire world would surely condemn you!"
She had barely finished speaking when a violent, terrifying aura pressed down on her. Fear flared in her eyes again, and she hastily clamped her mouth shut.
"Mother and son?" Bege scoffed. "Is Weevil really your son? Ridiculous. I'm only asking you once: yes or no?" His cold eyes bored into Miss Bakkin. If she dared refuse… Bege fully intended to let her experience the brutal tortures of the Black Water Platform.
"I agree! As long as you spare my life, you can have Weevil!" Miss Bakkin hastily surrendered, begging for mercy.
"Now that's the wise choice," Bege chuckled, satisfied. "There's always hope as long as you're alive, isn't there?"
His gaze flickered towards the doorway, where Weevil was furtively peeking out at them. "Come on, my little brother is getting impatient."
Dejectedly, Miss Bakkin followed Bege back into the house. Weevil immediately rushed to her side, whispering, "Mom, are you okay?"
Miss Bakkin forced a smile onto her face. "Of course, dear! Your brother would never hurt me."
"My brother?" Weevil looked at Bege, a mixture of joy and apprehension in his eyes. "Is he really my brother? But… he's not very big."
"Of course he's your brother! Your real, blood brother! Don't you believe Mom's words?" Miss Bakkin recited, forced to play along with Bege's script to save her own life.
"I have a brother! That's great! I have a brother!" Weevil beamed, jumping up and down with excitement at the thought of having another family member.
"Weevil," Miss Bakkin said, her reluctance evident, "Mom has some important business to attend to and needs to leave for a while. During that time, you must stay with your brother."
Weevil shook his head vehemently, like a child's rattle drum. "No! I don't wanna leave Mom! Wherever Mom goes, I wanna go too!"
"Weevil! Aren't you going to listen to Mom anymore?!" Miss Bakkin scolded sharply.
Weevil looked utterly crestfallen, snot dripping from his nose.
"Weevil," Bege interjected smoothly, "Mom truly does have important adult matters to handle. It's best if we don't interfere."
"That's right, Weevil," Miss Bakkin added, adopting a coaxing tone. "Mom needs to go back to her hometown to take care of some things. It's very important to Mom. You be a good boy and stay with your brother. Listen to everything he says, alright? He'll take care of you and love you just like Mom does."
"Okay, Mom," Weevil finally conceded, though his reluctance was plain. He looked pleadingly at Miss Bakkin, like a sad child. "But you have to come back soon. Brother and I will wait for you."
"Don't worry. As soon as I finish my business, I'll come right back for you. You just remember to be good and listen to your brother."
"Okay! Don't worry, Mom! I'll definitely listen to brother! I'll be a good boy!" Weevil nodded vigorously.
Miss Bakkin managed another smile, patting Weevil's head. "Weevil, Mom will miss you dearly. Why don't you walk me off Leaf Island?"
Weevil nodded eagerly. Miss Bakkin shot a cautious glance at Bege. Seeing no objection, she let out a silent sigh of relief. She had feared Bege might kill her then and there; asking Weevil to escort her was a desperate gamble for survival.
Weevil walked with Miss Bakkin all the way to the shore as she departed on a small boat. Long after the boat had disappeared from sight, he remained standing there, waving, fat tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Don't cry anymore," Bege said, approaching Weevil and clapping a hand on his broad shoulder comfortingly. "Stick with your big brother from now on. Brother will give you the tastiest food and the most fun toys."
At the mention of delicious food, Weevil's eyes lit up. He nodded vigorously. "Okay! I'll listen to brother!"
And just like that, with astonishing ease, Capone Bege had successfully abducted the future Warlord of the Sea.
"Is this guy really your brother? Your actual brother?" Moria asked later, eyeing Weevil skeptically. He couldn't see any family resemblance between Weevil and Bege.
"Of course we're brothers! Real brothers! My mom said so!" Weevil shouted defensively.
"That's right, we're definitely brothers," Bege confirmed with a hearty laugh. Weevil joined in with his own simple-minded chuckle.
Meanwhile, far out on the open sea, Miss Bakkin frantically sailed her small boat, trying desperately to escape Leaf Island as fast as she could. Unfortunately for her, she had underestimated her opponent's thoroughness.
Another vessel rapidly approached from behind, effortlessly overtaking her small boat.
Hank and Sam leaped aboard. Miss Bakkin scrambled for the gun she carried, staring at them in terror.
"Demon Dragon promised to spare my life!" she shrieked.
Hank merely sneered. A dagger flew from his hand, embedding itself deep in Miss Bakkin's heart, killing her instantly.
Sam stepped forward, calmly decapitated her, tied her corpse to a heavy object, and tossed it into the sea. Her small boat was then scuttled, sinking quickly beneath the waves.
With Miss Bakkin dead, Capone Bege was now, effectively, Edward Weevil's only 'family' in the world.
Bege took Weevil with him and continued his voyage. After dealing with a few more minor pirate crews encountered along the way, they finally arrived at Merveille Island.
Merveille Island was indeed a small island located in a rather remote part of the New World.
Shortly after landing and venturing into the island's forests, Bege was immediately attacked by enormous, ferocious beasts. A giant black bear charged him on sight, its eyes filled with extreme savagery and aggression.
Bege dispatched it with a single sword stroke and continued deeper into the jungle. Every beast they encountered exhibited the same unnatural ferocity, confirming Bege's suspicion about the IQ plant's presence.
He opened a gate within his castle-body, and five scientists emerged – these were experts he had acquired from Vinsmoke Judge.
The scientists carefully examined the island's flora, eventually confirming the identity and location of the IQ plant.
Bege immediately ordered his crew members to begin excavating the valuable plant. It took over a month of painstaking work to completely clear the entire island of its IQ plant population.
During this period, news arrived from the Theta Intelligence Organization: they had located Caesar Clown.
As soon as the work on Merveille Island was concluded and the IQ plants secured, Bege departed immediately for his next objective.
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