New World. Clifford Kingdom. Royal Capital. Nakor.
"Yo, Jinbe, what's the occasion for your call?" Aeridar leaned back on his sofa, his eyes half-closed, lightly swirling the tall glass in his hand. The pale red liquid gave off a faint aroma as it moved.
On the coffee table in front of him, a small, delicate Den Den Mushi was awake, its receiver held by Aeridar.
"Surely you're aware of the troubles on Fish-Man Island," Jinbe's voice transmitted from the Den Den Mushi.
"Heh heh heh. I know, but it's not my concern," Aeridar grinned, chuckling softly.
"Just half a day ago, a coalition of over eight pirate crews, totaling more than six thousand pirates, attacked the Ryugu Kingdom. There were over ten pirates with bounties exceeding 80 million Berries. It took the five thousand troops of the Neptune Army, plus the Sun Pirates, to barely halt them at Coral Hill." Jinbe's voice was hoarse and deep. "We defeated them, but our losses exceeded two thousand. If it weren't for the latest naval armor and anti-corrosive light metal weapons, the casualties would have been at least three times higher."
"What are you trying to say?"
Aeridar yawned silently, sounding completely uninterested.
"If I were to lead the Sun Pirates and pledge my allegiance to you, could I fly your flag? I'd be willing to lower the profit of all our trades by two layers," Jinbe said seriously.
"Pledge allegiance to me?"
Aeridar's face was full of surprise.
After a moment, Aeridar collected himself. Truthfully, acquiring a major fighting force like Jinbe would significantly increase the strength of the already talent-rich Chris Pirates.
Jinbe possessed power, loyalty, courage, integrity, a sense of justice, and responsibility. Any leader who gained such a subordinate would be making a huge profit.
However, Jinbe and Aeridar were not on the same path. Even if he pledged allegiance, Jinbe might not dedicate himself fully to certain matters.
Especially considering how hard Jinbe fought to save Luffy during the Paramount War, even if it was partly for Ace, Luffy is the protagonist and has immense potential. Who knows if Jinbe might get involved with him again in the future?
If the Chris Pirates ever found themselves at war with the Straw Hat Pirates, and Jinbe refused to attack the Straw Hats, intentionally held back in combat, or even secretly aided Luffy, wouldn't Aeridar be inviting a wolf into his house?
Furthermore, those two layers of profit, while they seemed substantial, were ultimately negligible to Aeridar.
"Heh heh~"
After careful consideration, Aeridar let out a light laugh. "Your chips aren't high enough. Go look for Big Mom instead. The Ryugu Kingdom has all the desserts she craves."
"Big Mom?!"
Jinbe was taken aback. He hadn't expected Aeridar to give him such advice.
"Big Mom is obsessed with sweets and has been coveting Fish-Man Island's desserts for ages. If Whitebeard hadn't been around, given her temperament, she would have acted long ago."
"Now, Whitebeard has only recently died, and Big Mom is still fighting Kaido and Shanks for territory and profits, all while dealing with the provocations of some suicidal fools. Plus, Fish-Man Island's location is unique, which is why she hasn't made a move yet."
"But once she frees up her hands, do you really think Fish-Man Island can escape her grasp?"
Aeridar sneered. He had dealt with Big Mom for so many years that he knew the nature of that 'fat woman and baby-making machine' all too well.
When Whitebeard was alive, he could suppress Big Mom, but now that Whitebeard is dead, who can stop her?
Big Mom is capable of fighting to the death over desserts. Even Shanks and Kaido wouldn't necessarily compete with her on that front.
Although Aeridar no longer feared Big Mom, fighting her just for Jinbe and the Sun Pirates was too small a stake; it wasn't worth the trouble.
"Pledging allegiance to Big Mom..."
Jinbe fell into contemplation, realizing the other party was right; that was essentially the situation.
While Fish-Man Island's geographical location is unique, it has little bearing on Kaido or Shanks. Only Big Mom, who loves the island's sweets, would be so persistent about it.
"Think it over carefully. After all, I wouldn't want to lose a major trading partner like Fish-Man Island."
Aeridar's lips curved up, and he casually hung up the call.
"Heh heh~ Fish-Man Island…"
Taking a small sip of red wine, Aeridar gazed meaningfully at the view outside the window.
"What a shame, giving up on a fighting force like Jinbe."
Dimitri was toying with a bone-toothed dagger in his hand, shaking his head with a look of regret.
"First off, we are on two different paths. He's not a good fit for the Chris Pirates," Aeridar said, with no noticeable regret.
"Heh heh~ Here. Quiniel Vito sent this back; it's about Pudding's ability." Dimitri chuckled, changing the subject. He placed a small redwood box on the coffee table.
Then, Dimitri spoke with a hint of gravity, "However, Kataror Obes has vanished in the West Blue. He was reportedly on a merchant ship heading into the first half of the Grand Line, but our intelligence shows that the ship hasn't been heard from since the incident with Puda. It's as if it was completely erased."
"Oh? Something like that happened?"
Aeridar was surprised. He asked, "Could it have been sunk by another pirate crew?"
"I had someone specifically investigate the ship's manifest. It has connections to a high-ranking World Government official and primarily trafficked in pearls, hides, and high-end red wine. It was a large vessel, over a hundred meters long, with dozens of large-caliber cannons, plus an expert like Obes aboard." Dimitri wagged his index finger and countered, "Captain, do you think any of the pirates in Paradise could have silently swallowed a ship like that?"
"Decent firepower, I suppose. But that's true. The pirates in Paradise generally don't have that kind of ability." Aeridar stroked his chin, a look of surprise on his face, as his own merchant ships had a similar configuration.
"Since it has World Government connections, the only people in the world who could pull that off are... CP!"
Dimitri uttered the two letters plainly.
"CP?"
Aeridar's eyes snapped open, and he immediately grasped the implication. "Are you saying a Celestial Dragon was behind this?!"
"The only one who is constantly trying to kill us and has the capability is that shadowy Celestial Dragon Lord," Dimitri said with a shrug.
"Interesting. Very interesting!"
Aeridar laughed, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"It's a way for him to secretly recruit people who are hostile to us and strengthen his underground organization," Dimitri said, spreading his hands as if stating the obvious.
"He can play the game like that? Impressive!" Aeridar clicked his tongue.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Aeridar's mind, causing him to laugh again. "How about we leak this information to the Gorosei? Of course, we'll mix in some other claims with the news."
"For instance, we can have our agents within the World Government spread rumors that the Celestial Dragons are unhappy with the current World Government and want to reclaim their power."
"Also, say that they have secretly allied with Blackbeard, offering to help him secure a Yonko position, and that they plan a coordinated internal and external attack to allow the Celestial Dragons to retake power when the time is right."