In the first half of the Grand Line, a thousand meters up in the sky.
Whoosh!
The fierce wind howled as a dark shadow zipped through the air. It was a person, a man with a cold expression, flying a thousand meters high.
Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...
Click.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you're a busy man. What can I do for you?" Aeridar said, holding a blue-and-white Den Den Mushi. A protective field seemed to envelop him, preventing the sharp gale from bothering him.
"You know Don Chinjao of the Happo Navy, don't you?" Sengoku went straight to the point.
"I do. The head of the Chinjao Family, the 12th generation leader of the Happo Navy, a great pirate with a bounty of over 500 million, a man from the same era as Whitebeard, Shiki, and the Pirate King. He's nicknamed 'Chinjao the Drill' because of his bizarre pointed head," Aeridar scoffed. "Don't tell me you want me to kill him! Hehehehe..."
"Since you know, that makes it easier. He'd retired for some reason, but now he's back on the seas again. He sank a G-3 branch battleship at the entrance to the Grand Line and also attacked the Komodo Merchant Guild's fleet," Sengoku summarized the situation before getting to the point. "Kizaru is busy and won't make it in time. I know you're near Loguetown or the entrance to the Grand Line. With your speed, I need you to go and drive Chinjao away for me."
"The Komodo Merchant Guild?! Isn't that the guild that only supplies the World Government...?" Aeridar laughed scornfully. "Hehehehe... So the great Buddha Sengoku is also a dog for the Celestial Dragons, huh?"
The Komodo Merchant Guild was one of the world's most prominent merchant guilds. Its financial power and influence were immense. They specialized in providing luxury goods and exclusive items to high-ranking World Government officials and the World Nobles, the "Celestial Dragons," and were also responsible for various auctions. They had complex relationships and multiple layers of protection.
"Mind your tone, Aeridar! It's your duty as a Warlord of the Sea to take down pirates!" Sengoku said coldly. "Unless you want the Gorosei to call you directly!"
"Heh heh heh... Don't give me that, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. I'll hang up if you keep talking nonsense," Aeridar laughed disdainfully, completely unfazed by Sengoku's words.
"Hmph. What do you want, then?" Sengoku grunted.
"I want a thousand kilograms of Seastone and a thousand Seastone bullets. As you know, I don't produce any Seastone, and it's hard to refine Seastone into bullets. While I can get some on the black market, it's a very scarce and embargoed strategic material," Aeridar said without hesitation, making a ridiculous demand.
"A thousand kilograms of Seastone and a thousand Seastone bullets?!"
Sengoku's eyes popped out in surprise inside the Marineford Fortress. This was a greedy demand!
"Are you dreaming?!" Sengoku roared. "It's impossible to give you that much! The most I can give you is 300 kilograms of Seastone and 100 Seastone bullets! Don't you know how hard Seastone is? Do you know how difficult it is to refine? We don't have that much!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you trying to give me scraps, Fleet Admiral Sengoku? Your counter-offer is way too low," Aeridar said lazily. "300 kilograms of Seastone is acceptable, but I want 300 Seastone bullets, too."
"Two hundred bullets! Take it or leave it!" Sengoku yelled angrily in response to Aeridar's bargaining.
Seastone was as hard as a diamond, and just cutting it was difficult enough. Refining it into bullets that could be fired was even harder.
The Seastone circulated on the black market was very rare, and most of it was raw ore. Finished Seastone bullets were even scarcer, not to mention expensive and hard to come by.
This was because Seastone bullets were the trump card against Devil Fruit users. A single Seastone bullet could turn the tide of a fight, making them highly sought-after. A Devil Fruit user who was overconfident and got hit by a Seastone bullet would become a lamb for the slaughter (like Luffy against Z in the movie).
Over the years, to modify the kingdom's battleships for free navigation in the Calm Belt, a large amount of Seastone had been used. In addition, the bullet-refining technology of Aeridar's scientists wasn't as advanced as the Marines and the World Government's. Since their production couldn't keep up with their consumption, they were in desperate need of Seastone.
"Deal!"
Knowing when to quit while he was ahead was a lesson Aeridar had learned over the years. He agreed to the deal and then asked, "What's the exact location?"
"It's in the waters at the entrance to the first half of the Grand Line. It's probably close to Stormy Island (an island with frequent gales). The Komodo Merchant Guild fleet has five armed merchant ships and a transport ship. They've already lost one armed ship and one transport ship has been captured," Sengoku explained simply.
"I'm on my way. Make sure to have my goods ready, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!" Aeridar grinned.
"Hmph! You'll get what you're owed, but if you fail, you'll get nothing from me!" Sengoku threatened in a huff.
"Hehehehe... Then it's just fate," Aeridar gave a strange laugh and hung up the Den Den Mushi.
"Damn it! I flew past it!"
A thousand meters high, Aeridar looked at the desert below and had no choice but to turn back.
....
At the entrance to the first half of the Grand Line.
Boom, boom, boom, boom...
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble...
On the sea, more than ten ships were divided into two groups, fiercely exchanging cannon fire. The cannonballs, engulfed in searing flames, streaked across the sky, constantly splashing into the sea or slamming into the ships.
The burning cannonballs hitting the sea sent up enormous waves. The mix of hot and cold created a "sizzling" sound and puffs of white steam. The cannonballs hitting the ships left gaping holes, clouds of blood mist, and horrific dismembered bodies.
"Fire! Fire!"
"Sink them!"
"Hold the line! The Marines will come to help!"
"No! My leg! Aahhhhhh!"
"It hurts, it hurts so much... Kill me, kill me!"
The scene on both the pirate and merchant ships was a grim one. The seawater churned by the cannonballs repeatedly washed over the decks, but the constant flow of blood from bodies still stained the planks red. Bodies and severed limbs were even flung onto the masts, 10 to 20 meters high, dripping blood as if it were raining gore.
"Ah! Damn it! A mere merchant fleet has such powerful cannons!" A brown-skinned man with a wavy-collared cape, short brown hair, and a "13" tattooed on his right side stood on the bow of a ship. He was holding a naginata decorated with rings, and his expression was full of rage.
This was Sai, of the Chinjao Family and the 13th generation leader of the Happo Navy.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A sound of objects piercing the air arrived, and three flaming cannonballs flew toward him.
"You fools! Hasshoken!"
Sai furrowed his brow, leaped up, and flew ten meters into the air, kicking out three times in a flash.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hard-to-see ripples of shockwaves exploded outward, and the three incoming cannonballs were kicked away on the spot.