After Williams left, only Aaron, Shuma, and Arina remained in the room.
It was clear that Shuma had something else to discuss with Aaron, something he clearly didn't intend for Arina to hear.
Arina, perceptive as always, quickly realized she was intruding on a private conversation.
Although a little displeased, she understood well enough that Aaron's crew harbored many secrets, secrets that someone who had just recently joined the team had no right to know yet.
So, she came up with a casual excuse and quietly left the room.
"This is the file on Hodgson. Probably because of his Devil Fruit ability, this guy's practically a complete shut-in. He almost never leaves the castle, has no notable hobbies or interests, and the only realistic way to get to him would be inside his own fortress."
Once Arina had been gone for a moment, Shuma took out a folder and handed it to Aaron as he explained.
Hodgson, 34 years old. One of Gilbert's personal guards.
Devil Fruit: Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Anaconda (Snake-Snake Fruit, Anaconda Form).
This was the Zoan-type Devil Fruit Aaron planned to take next to further enhance his physical abilities.
Originally, Aaron hadn't known that Hodgson was a Devil Fruit user, he hadn't even heard of the man.
It wasn't until Shuma began tailing Gilbert on Aaron's orders that this fact came to light by accident.
Snakes are cold-blooded creatures, after all, naturally terrified of the cold.
When winter arrives, they hibernate.
And those who eat a Snake-Snake Fruit share the same trait: exposure to cold makes them sluggish, and eventually, they fall into hibernation.
Hodgson, as expected of a Snake-Snake Fruit user, displayed exactly that weakness.
The records noted that he had once served as Gilbert's bodyguard but had since been stationed permanently inside the noble's castle.
It wasn't clear why, but Aaron could easily guess the aftereffects of the Devil Fruit had made it difficult for him to stay active outdoors for long periods.
"Good work. Since we can't find a chance to take him out in the open, we'll just have to do it inside the castle. Not too troublesome."
Aaron flipped through the report quickly, nodded, and spoke with calm assurance.
Then he asked, "What about that minor noble? Have you gathered everything on him?"
The "minor noble" he referred to was Maysfield Smith; a fallen aristocrat from the port city of Vilia.
Though still technically noble by title, his family's condition was now barely better than that of commoners if not worse.
His family had once been reasonably wealthy and well-regarded within Vilia's noble circles.
But everything collapsed after his father, James Smith, who had worked as an assistant to the city's tax officer, was implicated in a corruption scandal and executed as a scapegoat.
From that point on, the Smith family's fortunes plummeted.
Worse yet, Maysfield was a hopeless gambler an awful one at that.
He'd squandered what remained of the family's wealth and was now drowning in debt.
Were it not for his noble title, he likely would've already been sold into slavery.
"It's mostly done. I've had people look into his family connections, his personal contacts, and his recent activities over the past few months. The data just needs to be organized."
Shuma replied earnestly after a moment's thought.
"Good. If nothing unexpected happens, the Drum Kingdom's internal conflict will break out soon.
That's an opportunity, a perfect chance for ambitious men to rise.
If we take the right side, earn merit, and secure victory, power will be ours for the taking.
Protect him. Don't let anything happen to him."
Satisfied with Shuma's thorough report, Aaron smiled faintly.
He fully intended to involve himself in the coming civil war of the Drum Kingdom, though not directly.
He planned to send a clone instead.
The clone would use Maysfield's noble identity to enter the war, earn distinction, and rise among the new elite of the kingdom.
Through him, the Smith family would regain its former prestige paving the way for Aaron's influence to quietly infiltrate the Drum Kingdom's ruling class.
Aaron's own underworld reputation would be hard to wash away anytime soon, but his clone was a different story.
Aside from a few confidants, no one knew such a being even existed.
With the power of the Munch Munch Fruit and its ability to remodel flesh, Aaron could temporarily reshape the clone to perfectly resemble Maysfield.
Even if the clone later infiltrated the Navy, Aaron himself could replace him later and continue acting as Maysfield without suspicion.
"Understood. Don't worry, our people are keeping a constant watch on him.
He won't die, and he won't escape," Shuma answered confidently.
After a bit more discussion, Shuma left the room.
"You heard everything, didn't you? Then you know what to do next."
Aaron watched Shuma leave, then turned toward the window and spoke in a flat, measured tone.
The next moment, a figure appeared on the once-empty floor by the window: Absalom, the Invisible Man.
He revealed himself and bowed deeply, genuine respect in his voice.
"Yes, Lord Aaron. I understand. Please proceed."
Aaron was a man of his word.
After securing the Munch Munch Fruit, he had indeed released Absalom from the pocket dimension he'd been imprisoned in, given him the antidote, and granted him freedom.
But to Aaron's surprise, Absalom had refused to leave.
He'd even insisted on not taking the antidote asking instead for Aaron to keep him under control with poison so he could continue serving.
Once arrogant and boastful, Absalom had changed drastically after his time in prison.
He now understood that on the Grand Line, the days of reckless freedom he'd once enjoyed in the West Blue were over.
More importantly, he realized something terrifying: he had learned one of Aaron's greatest secrets.
Aaron's Devil Fruit power allowed him to temporarily, or perhaps permanently steal and wield the abilities of other Devil Fruit users.
Just thinking about that made Absalom's skin crawl.
As a Devil Fruit user himself, he knew exactly what that meant.
If Aaron could master that power, he could one day wield multiple Devil Fruit abilities at once.
And anyone who knew even a bit about Devil Fruits would know how monstrous that was.
Still, that was a concern for the future.
For now, Aaron's ability wasn't yet fully developed, and if the world found out about it, powerful forces would come after him to seize it or destroy him before he grew too dangerous.
So, the best course for Aaron was to keep it hidden to refine it in secret until the time was right.
Absalom, knowing this, understood that Aaron could not simply let him walk free.
Even though Aaron had technically kept his word by releasing him and offering the antidote, he'd never promised to let him live afterward.
So, rather than risk death, Absalom chose to stay and serve.
It wasn't just self-preservation, though.
Deep down, he saw potential a future in following Aaron.
After his release, he had quietly gathered information about Aaron and confirmed it all:
Aaron was a true prodigy, immensely powerful, rapidly growing, and a capable leader who treated his subordinates fairly.
And with his mysterious Devil Fruit one that could take the powers of others; Aaron was clearly destined to become a monster among men.
Serving such a man wasn't shameful.
In fact, Absalom considered it an honor.
Now that Aaron had also gained the powers of the Snow-Snow Fruit, becoming a Logia user, Absalom was more convinced than ever his decision to stay had been absolutely right.
---
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