When Mia rushed in, something completely unexpected happened: the shattered corpse suddenly dissolved into a puddle of green liquid. It was as if its allotted time in the mortal realm had ended, and the unknown creature vanished from this world.
When they questioned the half-trained witch, she wasn't entirely sure what had happened. They asked the villagers, but they were equally clueless.
Staring at the puddle of green liquid on the ground, Bellamy sank into thought. After a long while, he came back to his senses, realizing that everyone was waiting for his orders.
"Um, let's seal this place up with dirt."
The stuff looked unnatural; it was better to bury it.
With the so-called "curse" resolved, this eerie cave could no longer hinder their steps. They'd killed the "ghost," what else was there to worry about?
Under the fearful gazes of the villagers, Bellamy strode into the underground cave that had been sealed off for years. Holding a large handful of glowing roots, he completely dispelled the darkness within the cave.
After carefully scanning the area, Bellamy discovered that this was indeed a cave where humans had lived for a long time. The cave was fully equipped with living necessities, and there were even traces of leftover food on the dining table.
If it weren't for the several gruesome corpses scattered on the ground ahead, this cave would have seemed completely ordinary.
Bellamy walked up to one of the corpses and examined it carefully. "They've been dead for a while."
It was a dried-up corpse, revealing nothing. Only that they might have suffered greatly before their death, that can be determined due to their facial expressions being extremely distorted.
Drake followed closely behind him, entering the cave. He seemed very wary of these supernatural things. Bellamy could feel that his entire body was tense.
"Don't be nervous. I've already killed that thing."
It was understandable that people who didn't understand these supernatural things would be very afraid.
The two women also followed, and a few bolder villagers peered in from outside.
"Search everywhere. See if there's anything noteworthy."
Since this place had hidden a "ghost," there had to be something unusual about it. With this thought in mind, Bellamy's group began a careful search.
Before long, Mia discovered an ancient book near the bed.
"Wow, what's this?"
The moment she saw the book's cover, she couldn't help but gasp. The text on it looked incredibly similar to the long-lost Book of Curses.
Anything related to voodoo was extremely sinister. She only knew a few half-baked witchcraft techniques; she wouldn't dare touch something like this carelessly. But if this book was genuine, it was a rare treasure. It would be a huge loss not to take it.
"Captain, I'm going out to prepare some things. Don't touch this book."
Mia needed to prepare a ritual before she dared to pick up the book.
"A book?"
They'd found something so quickly, and it was a book. He wondered what was recorded inside. But since Mia said not to touch it, they would wait.
This cave wasn't very large. Passing the bed, the only large item in the room was the dining table. Bellamy's gaze slowly shifted to the table: a dirty, messy surface, some mold spots, a wine glass, and a withered apple.
"An apple?"
Seeing the apple, he seemed to remember something. In the original story, Doc Q's first appearance seemed to be related to apples. What exactly happened? He couldn't quite recall.
There wasn't much information about Doc Q. While searching his memories, Bellamy reached out to grab the apple.
Just as his hand was about to touch the withered apple, the light in the cave suddenly dimmed. Bellamy's heart skipped a beat; he felt as though something bad was about to happen.
A sudden gust of wind howled around them, but this was underground; how could there be a strong wind?
Then he noticed that the fluorescence from the plant roots was rapidly fading. Black liquid began to seep out from the dark corners, spreading from all directions. The entire cave seemed to be rapidly devoured by darkness.
When he snapped back to his senses, he realized that the withered apple had sprouted countless black hairs.
"When?!" Seeing these hairs, the hairs on Bellamy's entire body stood on end. These black hairs, as if alive, spread rapidly in all directions.
In almost the blink of an eye, Bellamy was completely surrounded by these hairs.
"I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"
Being devoured by these hairs would definitely lead to death!
An intense sense of crisis erupted from the depths of his heart; his instincts began to scream in alarm. His adrenaline instantly spiked to the limit. Without any warning, Bellamy immediately entered First Gear.
Encountering an unprecedented life-or-death crisis, all the potential hidden within his body was finally awakened. Unlike the stimulation of his potential after consuming the Life Flower Elixir, this time, it was his life's instinct rebelling, crying out in pain.
Every cell in his body seemed to come alive. His intelligence, physical strength, and even his Devil Fruit ability all began to operate at hyper-speed, breaking through their original limits in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, Bellamy entered the most peak state he'd ever achieved since coming to this world.
The world in his eyes suddenly transformed. The beating of his pulse, the flow of air, the falling dust – everything became both unfamiliar and intimately known.
This feeling was very similar to when he'd comprehended Paper Drawing, but there was a fundamental difference.
The black hairs spreading rapidly around him were about to engulf him completely, but in Bellamy's perception, there was no air flow around them. These hairs didn't exist in the real world.
His thoughts raced, and Bellamy gradually grasped the root of everything.
Curses, ghosts, witchcraft! Ultimately, they were nothing more than attacks on the mind.
"In that case..."
Having understood this, Bellamy suddenly closed his eyes.
If Paper Drawing relied on the body's senses to capture the flow of air, then Observation Haki relied on the power of the mind to perceive everything around oneself.
The moment he closed his eyes, Bellamy's Observation Haki awakened!
An invisible wave surged out from his body, instantly sweeping through the entire cave. All living and non-living things within the cave were encompassed by his perception.
The culprit behind all of this could no longer hide; it was instantly pinpointed.
It turned out that the ancient book on the bed had opened to a page at some point. His Observation Haki could sense an extremely strange and malicious power flowing out from it.
But now that he had discovered it, everything was about to end.
Bellamy abruptly raised his hand and flicked his finger towards the book. A gust of wind swiftly passed by, and the open page was forcibly closed.
The next second, the black liquid continuously flowing from the dark corners and the hairs growing on the withered apple vanished into thin air.
The cave returned to tranquility once more.