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Doflamingo was coming — that was the message Aaron had received from his teacher, Reggie.
By now, Aaron had become one of the stronger members of the Akio Pirates, a fact personally acknowledged by Reggie, one of the crew's top officers. During one of their swordsmanship training sessions, Reggie had remarked that Aaron — who had already mastered Observation Haki, intermediate marksmanship, beginner-level swordsmanship, and the Kuja-style body training — was the strongest among the Akio Pirates, second only to Akio himself and the five senior officers.
There was no denying it — Haki elevated a fighter's strength to an entirely new level.
Especially Observation Haki — the power to sense and anticipate an opponent's movements was terrifyingly effective.
Unless the enemy also possessed a high level of Observation Haki, someone with similar strength would almost certainly lose against a user of it.
For that reason — and to maintain authority while preparing for any sudden incidents — Akio decided that Aaron should take part in the upcoming hostage exchange with the Donquixote Pirates.
Aaron, now a fully integrated and valuable combatant within the Akio Pirates, was naturally well aware of the situation: both Pica and Lao G had been captured by Akio's crew. He also knew that Doflamingo was offering a Devil Fruit as ransom to secure their release.
Aaron couldn't deny — Doflamingo did treat his officers quite well.
But in his eyes, that "fallen Celestial Dragon" was simply trying to win loyalty and maintain control. Pica and Lao G were valuable assets — both still had plenty of use to Doflamingo.
Especially Pica, who possessed the Ishi Ishi no Mi — the Stone-Stone Fruit — a power capable of reshaping terrain and demolishing entire cities in moments. That kind of ability was priceless.
With his movement speed tripled, Aaron dashed through the streets like a blur.
After tripling his reaction speed as well, everyone around him seemed to move in slow motion, allowing him to avoid people effortlessly.
It had been a month since he'd eaten the Munch Munch Fruit , and his physical growth had accelerated dramatically thanks to its digestion-based ability.
This fruit allowed him to perfectly absorb nutrients from food, which in turn improved his stamina recovery, healing, and overall physical development — giving him far more time to train. Where he once needed twenty minutes of rest after an hour of intense training, now five minutes were enough.
After a month, his physical stats had grown remarkably — his strength and stamina had both reached thirty-five points, and his agility had climbed to thirty-three.
Even under normal conditions, Aaron was fast with his 33 agility points. But with the Speed-Speed Fruit enhancement, his movement became downright terrifying. Anyone without Observation Haki and less than thirty agility points wouldn't even be able to perceive his movements.
To most people on the street, it was as if a gust of wind swept past — they never even realized someone had just run by.
Moments later, Aaron reached the docks and extended his Observation Haki, instantly pinpointing his teacher Reggie's location.
"Sure looks deserted," Aaron muttered as he glanced around the once-bustling port, now lined with only a few merchant ships.
Ever since the death of King Wapol, tensions in the Drum Kingdom had only escalated. The conflict between the old king and Gilbert was nearly out in the open — the only thing left was for one of them to tear off the last veil of pretense. Both sides were mobilizing for war, and it could break out any day now.
To choke Gilbert's sea routes, the old king had dispatched the royal navy to patrol the waters near Vilia Port. The moment civil war erupted, those ships would immediately blockade the port.
In hindsight, the old king's earlier decision to deny Gilbert control of the navy was finally paying off.
Merchants, ever sensitive to the smell of war, had already pulled back. Only a few exceptionally daring traders continued sailing to Vilia Port — most had rerouted to other harbors within the Drum Kingdom.
Even pirates had been scarce lately — not because of navy blockades, but because Gilbert refused to allow any unpredictable elements in his territory during such a critical time.
If war broke out, pirates would surely seize the chaos to loot freely.
As a result, Vilia Port had rapidly become desolate.
But Vilia was an outward-oriented trade city — without incoming ships or the constant flow of foreign travelers, its economy had begun to crumble. Unemployment was soaring, and signs of unrest were emerging in the streets.
It was clear to Aaron that Gilbert couldn't afford to wait much longer. If things continued this way, his base of power would collapse even before the royal army arrived.
It was only a matter of time before the Drum Kingdom plunged into civil war.
"Master Reggie, I've arrived," Aaron said respectfully as he approached, bowing deeply to the veteran swordsman.
His reverence wasn't feigned — Reggie was genuinely powerful, and had been sincerely dedicated to training him. Aaron now truly regarded him as a master.
"Impressive speed," Reggie said with a smile, nodding in approval. "No rush. Wait here for now."
Aaron nodded and stepped back, greeting Els and a few of his senior training brothers who had accompanied Reggie.
"Aaron, since we still have some time before departure, how about a quick spar? It's been ages since our last match!"
Els, ever the sword fanatic, immediately suggested a duel.
He had long since accepted that Aaron surpassed him, but defeat never dulled his passion for swordsmanship. He kept challenging Aaron, improving with every loss.
After months of training and countless sparring sessions with Aaron, Els had grown considerably stronger. Where he once could barely last ten minutes against him, now he could hold out for nearly an hour — as long as Aaron didn't use Observation Haki.
"We just sparred two days ago," Aaron replied flatly. "Besides, there might be a real fight later — let's save our strength."
Els pouted, clearly unwilling, but one sharp glare from Reggie was all it took to silence him.
While waiting, Aaron turned his gaze toward the large ship they'd soon be boarding.
This time, the Akio Pirates' deal with the Donquixote Pirates would take place in secret at sea.
The Donquixote Family was too famous — even with Gilbert's overwhelming influence in Vilia Port, he couldn't allow them to dock openly.
Not because he feared Doflamingo — but because he feared the World Government and the Marines.
The last thing he needed was to give his royal brother an excuse to intervene and gain government backing.
Before long, Horton and Getra, two of Akio's other officers, arrived with their men.
For this transaction, Akio had dispatched Reggie, Horton, and Getra to handle the exchange, while Akio himself and the remaining two officers stayed behind to guard their base.
Once everyone was assembled, Aaron followed Reggie and the others aboard.
The sails unfurled —
and for the first time in nearly half a year, Aaron once again set out to sea.
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