Drop Some power stones! If you like the chapter! It helps to keep me motivated to upload more!💎💎💎
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"Akio really is strong…"
Shuma stared in awe at the giant who had suddenly appeared and effortlessly subdued the stone colossus.
Everything that happened today completely shattered his old understanding of what it meant to be strong. Whether it was Pica at the beginning, Dars in the middle, or Akio at the end — each one redefined his concept of power.
"Yeah," Aaron nodded, grinning with confidence. "That's why I joined Akio's gang. Our boss isn't ordinary… but someday, I'll surpass him."
Hearing that, Shuma's heart trembled slightly. He recalled the power of the Munch Munch Fruit that Aaron had recently eaten. The fear he'd felt moments ago from witnessing Akio and the others' overwhelming strength suddenly vanished, replaced with admiration and anticipation.
"I believe you," he said with a smile.
Aaron had explained the Munch Munch Fruit's ability to him before — the power to temporarily gain the abilities of other Devil Fruit users by "swallowing" them. It was terrifying beyond measure.
As a Devil Fruit user himself, Shuma understood better than anyone just how absurd that potential was. Aaron had only recently acquired the fruit and hadn't developed it much yet. But if he could further awaken its abilities… who knew? Maybe he'd be able to wield the powers of multiple Devil Fruits at once.
If that ever became possible, Aaron would no doubt become a terrifying monster — someone who could one day even surpass Akio himself.
"Come on, it's over," Aaron said, extending a hand to Shuma with a sly grin. "Soon, this city will start changing — and those changes should work out quite nicely for us."
Shuma didn't understand what Aaron meant, but he didn't ask. He simply grabbed Aaron's outstretched hand.
The next moment, Aaron activated the power of the Clear-Clear Fruit, turning them both invisible. Calmly and quietly, they left the scene.
With Akio's appearance — a user of the Giant-Giant Fruit — Pica's massive stone body, created by the Stone-Stone Fruit, was no longer a threat. With Gilbert's hostage situation neutralized, Akio easily transformed into a massive giant and crushed Pica's construct into rubble before capturing Pica's true body.
Thus, the chaos that had engulfed Vilia Port — the rampage of the giant stone man and the kidnapping of Gilbert — finally came to an end.
But even as one crisis concluded, a new one arose. The prince of Drum Kingdom — the next heir to the throne — Wapol, was reported dead.
Wapol was dead.
Dead in the Donquixote Auction House.
Dead in Vilia Port.
Once the news was confirmed, it spread through the Drum Kingdom within an hour, shaking the entire nation. Neighboring countries quickly reached out to the kingdom for verification, and once confirmed, they issued official statements expressing deep sorrow.
At the same time, rumors began to circulate that Gilbert had orchestrated the entire incident — using others to do his killing for him.
As these two pieces of news spread throughout Drum Kingdom, the nation was enveloped in tension. The people could feel it — the pressure of an oncoming storm.
Not long after Wapol's death was announced, Aaron and his top men gathered at their headquarters. Inside the room sat Aaron, Victor, five patrol captains, and several elite members of the patrol unit.
"You've all heard by now," Aaron began calmly. "Wapol's dead. Right here, in Vilia Port. The killer hasn't been found, but the rumor is he's still somewhere in the city — and that he's in possession of a Devil Fruit. Orders just came down: we're to monitor all suspicious individuals closely. Whoever catches the killer will receive a bounty of one billion berries."
Aaron had received this information directly from Horton just minutes ago.
Of course, he wasn't surprised. He knew the order had come straight from Gilbert, who was now using both the lure of the Devil Fruit and the massive bounty to mobilize the city in search of the "culprit" — the very same man who had truly killed Wapol.
To catch the supposed murderer, Gilbert had locked down the docks and city gates, preventing anyone from leaving Vilia Port. He'd deployed large numbers of garrison troops to comb every street and alley.
The speed at which the news had spread was entirely due to Gilbert's desperate moves.
But the truth was simple — he would never find the real killer.
After all, Aaron had been using the Clear-Clear Fruit at the time. No one had seen his face. The other stolen Devil Fruit was safely hidden in the extradimensional space within his body.
And only four people knew of his plan to steal the Munch Munch Fruit: Shuma, Williams, and Absalom — and the latter was currently lying unconscious within Aaron's inner dimension.
There was no chance Gilbert could ever uncover the truth.
Still, the promise of a Devil Fruit and a billion-berry reward was enough to stir anyone's greed. Victor and the others grew visibly excited — even Gabdon, usually the most composed, couldn't hide his eagerness.
The room erupted into heated discussion, with everyone proposing ways to search for the killer.
Aaron simply watched them with a faint smile, not bothering to douse their enthusiasm. He merely encouraged them to "try their best."
"Wapol's death really is good news," Victor said suddenly, his tone carrying a dark amusement. "If that guy had become king, he would've been a tyrant for sure. But now that he's dead… who's next in line to inherit the throne?"
The question struck the room like a bolt of lightning. Everyone fell silent — everyone except Aaron and Victor.
Aaron gazed out the window, his expression unreadable.
"A new storm is coming," he murmured.
Rumble!
A flash of lightning illuminated the dark, cloud-choked sky outside.
In the Akio Gang's headquarters, Akio watched the curtains whip in the wind and smiled faintly. "A new storm is coming."
"Right on time," murmured Reggie, who stood nearby.
He held a steaming cup of tea, sipping as he walked toward the window. Watching the rain begin to pour, he reached out and closed the shutters.
Akio chuckled softly. "Yeah… right on time. Finally, we can take a breather. Holding back this long has been a pain."
"So what do we do now?" Reggie asked, setting his empty cup aside. "The next time the captain comes to collect, we're still short of the quota he set before leaving. If this storm doesn't pass soon, we'll never make it in time."
As the teacup shattered on the floor, Akio rose from his chair, striding toward the window. He pushed it open again, letting the wind and rain lash against his face.
With a wide grin, he said,
"What else can we do? We're pirates."
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