Drop Some power stones! If you like the chapter! It helps to keep me motivated to upload more!💎💎💎
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To gather intelligence more effectively, Aaron had even taken the time to learn lip-reading.
He was a fast learner, and with the help of a highly paid, exceptionally skilled teacher, he became fairly proficient within a little over a month—capable of accurately discerning conversations just by watching someone's lips move.
Pica and Lao G often spoke with each other, though their conversations usually took place during dinner—around nine o'clock in the evening.
Aaron made it a habit to come during that time to observe them in secret.
Most of their talks revolved around Donquixote Doflamingo—what he'd been up to, what sort of trouble he'd caused that day, and so on.
Neither of them could have imagined that, just fifty meters away from the auction house, someone was secretly using Observation Haki every night to eavesdrop on their conversations—unknowingly leaking a trove of information about the Donquixote Pirates.
During this period, Aaron had gathered a substantial amount of intelligence from their conversations:
where the crew's bases were located, which marines and nobles they had bribed, and even where they had obtained certain Devil Fruits.
Through these discussions, Aaron truly came to understand how terrifying Doflamingo—the Celestial Dragon fallen to the mortal world—really was. His influence had spread across most nations and lawless zones of the first half of the Grand Line.
It was no exaggeration to say that his rise as a broker in the underworld was practically inevitable.
However, tonight's dinner was different.
Unlike their usual cheerful banter, both men looked extremely displeased—especially Pica, who was practically a ticking time bomb. His anger was palpable, as if something had deeply upset him.
Inside a lavishly decorated room of the Donquixote Auction House, Pica and Lao G sat face to face, visibly fuming.
"That damned fool of a prince! How dare he call Young Master a filthy pirate!"
Pica roared in his sharp, high-pitched voice that completely clashed with his massive frame. His face, thick with muscle, contorted into a terrifying grimace as he continued,
"If it weren't through a Den Den Mushi, I'd have killed him on the spot! And to make things worse, he actually had the gall to demand that we prepare to welcome him here three days from now—he says he wants to personally witness the Devil Fruit! The nerve of that arrogant brat!"
Unable to contain his fury, Pica snatched up a chair and hurled it against the wall.
The chair shattered instantly, leaving a dent and cracks spiderwebbing across the wall.
Still not satisfied, he grabbed several more chairs and smashed them one after another. When that wasn't enough to vent his anger, he activated his Stone-Stone Fruit powers, turning the room into a chaotic mess.
The guards outside trembled, standing at attention in silence, terrified of provoking the wrath of the volatile auction manager.
"G!" Lao G barked. "Calm yourself, Pica! Are you trying to destroy the entire auction hall? That's the last thing Young Master would want!"
Though Lao G was angry as well, he was far more experienced—and better at keeping his composure—than the younger Pica.
Seeing that Pica was about to unleash a full-scale rampage, he immediately struck him with a powerful Di-Wong Fist, sending him flying across the room.
The mention of "Young Master" snapped Pica back to his senses.
Still panting with rage, he quickly reactivated his Stone-Stone powers to restore the room to its original pristine state.
"You can be angry," Lao G said sternly, "but don't let your anger jeopardize Young Master's plans. Once this business is done, you can vent all you like. I've heard that fool of a prince lives in the castle atop Giant Pillar Rock—given your abilities, dealing with him later would be child's play."
Pica took a deep breath. Lao G's words made sense, and his fury began to subside… somewhat.
Still, the thought of meeting that arrogant prince—Wapol—who had insulted them so brazenly through the Den Den Mushi, reignited his rage.
"So what do we do in three days?" Pica asked in his distinctive shrill tone. "Are we really going to meet that idiot prince?"
"That fool—Prince Wapol—may be insufferable, but he is a royal. For now, we can't afford to provoke this country's government," Lao G replied coldly. "For the sake of Young Master's grand plans, you'll have to endure it. If you prefer, don't meet him. I'll bring the Devil Fruit to him myself."
Pica's whole body trembled with anger, but he still held back.
"No. Guarding the Devil Fruit is also an order from Young Master," he said firmly. "That idiot prince is arrogant and unpredictable—I must be there to keep an eye on him."
Lao G sighed. He didn't approve of Pica's decision, fearing it might cause unnecessary trouble, but he knew that forcing Pica otherwise could make things worse.
"Fine," he said at last. "But remember this—no matter what happens, you must not lay a hand on that prince."
Pica didn't answer. He simply gave a heavy nod, sat back down, and resumed eating the fresh dinner the staff had brought in.
The sound of him chewing was louder and harsher than usual—a clear sign he was still seething.
"Wapol, huh…" Aaron mused silently after lip-reading the entire exchange between Pica and Lao G.
"I didn't expect him to be the turning point. Could it be that this is how he ended up eating the Munch-Munch Fruit? If that's true, I might actually have to thank him."
To be honest, Aaron had never known how Wapol obtained the Munch-Munch Fruit before—but based on this new information, it seemed likely that he'd heard about the Devil Fruit from his uncle, Prince Gilbert, and decided to check out the Donquixote Auction House out of sheer curiosity.
Given the king's indulgence, Wapol had become absurdly arrogant within the Drum Kingdom.
His "visit" to the Donquixote Auction House to "see" the Devil Fruit was likely just a pretext—his real goal was probably to seize it for himself.
Wapol's thought process was beyond ordinary reasoning.
He was bold to the point of recklessness—especially within his own territory. Without knowing Doflamingo's true identity as a Celestial Dragon, he probably wouldn't even have shown him respect.
Still, Wapol had the backing of an entire nation.
If Pica or Lao G dared lay a hand on him, they wouldn't make it out of Villia Port alive.
And if Wapol truly caused chaos at the Donquixote Auction three days later…
that might just be Aaron's chance—to seize the Munch-Munch Fruit for himself.
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