"Heh heh heh~… a royal invitation, huh? Seems even the great figures of the Drum Kingdom place immense value on the power of a Logia-type Devil Fruit. To think that the king himself would personally write an invitation to a gangster like me and ask me to visit his palace… how amusing. The world truly never fails to be real in its own way."
Aaron laughed heartily as he examined the royal seal imprinted on the elegant envelope in his hand.
Then, without hesitation, he tossed the invitation, something most citizens would consider an unparalleled honor, straight into the trash bin.
Shuma and Williams exchanged knowing looks; they had both expected this outcome.
Arina, however, looked thoughtful. Her burning eyes lingered on Aaron the fearless man before her. Her intuition screamed that this man was dangerous, ambitious… and planning something far greater than anyone could imagine.
But she didn't dislike that.
On the contrary, she found his ambition and strength intoxicating reassuring, even. That was precisely why she had so willingly devoted herself to helping him. In this age of chaos, for a woman with decent skill but limited influence, following a strong, capable man was undoubtedly the wisest choice.
"So what should we do next?" Williams asked once Aaron's laughter subsided. "Should I give them a direct refusal, or… something else? The envoy's still waiting in my Chamber of Commerce's VIP room for your reply."
Williams wasn't surprised by Aaron's contemptuous gesture. Throwing away the King's letter didn't necessarily mean Aaron would reject the offer.
After all, King Gresham's conditions were extremely tempting. To win Aaron over a newly awakened Logia user, the king was even willing to grant him a hereditary count's title along with his own fiefdom.
Having been deeply involved in Aaron's expansion plans, Williams knew well that these were exactly the things Aaron currently needed most. It was a powerful offer.
"Shuma," Aaron said suddenly, turning toward his intelligence chief, "you think Gilbert knows about the King's invitation?"
Shuma, unfazed by Arina's presence, replied without hesitation:
"He definitely knows. Gilbert's not one to be kept in the dark. He's got plenty of spies planted around Gresham's court. And with Gresham's health failing, he could die at any time; a number of ministers have already started cozying up to Gilbert behind his back."
Thanks to the steady funding provided by the Shining Gold Chamber of Commerce and the influx of new recruits from Aaron's rapidly growing district, Shuma's intelligence network had expanded at a remarkable pace.
Through bribery, infiltration, and loyal informants, their information-gathering web now reached deep into the ruling class of the Drum Kingdom.
Ever since signs of impending war began to emerge, Aaron had ordered Shuma to monitor Gilbert's every move closely.
Through relentless training, Shuma's Paper-Paper Fruit abilities had improved significantly. His paper beasts, used for surveillance and eavesdropping could now operate at distances exceeding two hundred meters. With their help, Shuma had gathered a great deal of sensitive intelligence about Gilbert's war preparations.
And assisting him in this effort was none other than Absalom, the man with the Clear-Clear Fruit, whose invisibility made their surveillance nearly flawless. Gilbert's every move was now under their watch.
Aaron nodded as Shuma finished his report.
"I see. From the looks of it, Gilbert clearly holds the advantage. Gresham's offer sounds generous, but whether he can actually deliver on it is another matter entirely. Still, even though Gilbert's situation seems better, the royal army outnumbers his forces several times over. Who wins in the end is still uncertain."
Aaron smirked, tapping a finger on the table.
"So here's what we'll do: we can't take the bait, but we can't outright reject it either. He's still the king, after all, his authority carries weight. Tell the envoy this: I'm just a member of the Akio Family. Affairs between nobles and the crown are none of my concern. For now, staying neutral is the best choice."
He leaned back and added casually:
"Besides, I only recently obtained the Snow-Snow Fruit. I'm still in the early stages of mastering it. On the battlefield, I'd hardly be of much use right now. Let them fight their little war we'll just sit back and enjoy the show. Right now, I'm a rare and dangerous commodity, like a porcupine that's too prickly to touch. No matter who wins, neither side will dare offend me."
Williams nodded in understanding.
"Got it. Leave it to me, I'll handle it cleanly."
Then, after a brief pause, he raised another concern:
"One more thing: what should we do about the stuff on that pirate ship? Those goods are… quite a problem."
Dancing Powder.
The moment Williams mentioned it, Aaron felt his headache. He'd nearly forgotten about that particular time bomb.
He had no intention of sparing the pirates. Drunk and loud-mouthed, they were too dangerous to let live, especially with such contraband aboard. So, when their ship docked, Aaron had them all executed. Afterward, Williams' men seized the vessel and began refitting it as a merchant ship.
Williams, always efficient, had personally ensured all the Dancing Powder was sealed in airtight containers and placed under heavy guard by his most loyal men.
But keeping it at the docks indefinitely wasn't an option. If anyone discovered it, the consequences could be catastrophic, both for Aaron and the Shining Gold Chamber of Commerce.
Still, the substance was too valuable to simply discard. It would be crucial for future dealings with Crocodile, and its worth was astronomical.
"If only the Munch Munch Fruit's inner space were a bit larger…" Aaron muttered in frustration.
After over a month of refinement, his Munch Munch Fruit ability had improved considerably; its internal storage space had more than doubled. But even so, it still couldn't hold an entire shipload of Dancing Powder.
Fortunately, a solution soon came to mind.
"I'll handle it myself," he said with a grin.
He planned to store the contraband in stages swallowing a portion into the fruit's inner dimension, hiding the rest elsewhere, and repeating the process until everything was safely relocated without a trace.
Williams exhaled in relief.
"Good. Then I'll leave it to you. And take care of yourself, will you? You've looked a bit pale lately. Don't tell me you got hurt fighting Doflamingo?"
Aaron couldn't help but snort internally.
"Doflamingo didn't hurt me, but my old teacher nearly killed me. I bled so much the floor turned red. I'd better eat something hearty later."
He simply shook his head and patted Williams on the shoulder, silently assuring him not to worry.
They'd been through countless battles together, sharing both hardship and victory. After so many years, they could read each other's thoughts with a glance.
Satisfied, Williams chuckled and took his leave.
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