Aeridar inferred from Doflamingo's words that his forces had become incredibly massive, so vast that even the Kings of the Underworld felt compelled to curry favor with him.
However, Aeridar felt nothing significant. He was already enjoying the best that the world had to offer, arguably better than even the Celestial Dragons.
Therefore, for Aeridar, enhancing his personal strength was more fundamental and more important than expanding his influence.
"Fufufufufu~ It's more than just rapid, it's explosive!" Doflamingo cackled.
"Alright, just hand the person over. Have him deliver the person directly to Nakor," Aeridar said calmly. "And I won't short him on the agreed-upon profits. I'll put him in charge of selling the SS drug in the Underworld. He only needs to submit half the profit."
"Half the profit, that's truly generous. That Feld fellow has certainly made a killing," Doflamingo said, a hint of envy in his voice.
The SS drug was extremely expensive in the black market, yet countless people still waved cash, desperate to buy it. Especially in the last two years, demand far outstripped supply. Forget the price of three million Berries per dose; people were fighting to buy it even at 3.5 million or 4 million Berries.
This was because most buyers were merchants, nobles, and royalty from the Four Seas. They had money, but powerful fighters were scarce in the Four Seas. Not every merchant, noble, or royal had strong warriors as bodyguards. Since they lacked powerful fighters, the next best thing was to cultivate an elite personal guard, which drove the price of the SS drug sky-high.
Aeridar injected between one hundred and two hundred doses of the SS drug into the black market every year. And money was secondary; the key was the influence. Think about the advantage of swaying desperate merchants, nobles, or royals with a few doses of the SS drug; the potential benefits were huge.
Moreover, this move by Aeridar effectively lashed Lu Feld to his own war machine, so it was not a loss.
Click.
The Den Den Mushi was hung up.
"A person for whom you'd pay such a huge price must possess considerable talent," Crocodile turned around and said flatly.
"Devin Hubert, a genius scientist wanted by the World Government. You should know what a genius scientist means to me," Aeridar said, taking a sip of red wine.
"'Technology equals power,' isn't that what you always say?" Crocodile walked over and sat on the sofa opposite Aeridar.
"Exactly. And the super-battleship 'Pluton' you want is a product that integrates various high-tech concepts," Aeridar smirked.
....
Sandy Island, Alabasta Kingdom.
In Nanohana Town.
A triangular-sailed ship with a sheep-shaped figurehead was slowly approaching the coast. The jolly roger on the sail featured a straw-hatted skull.
At the same time, outside a restaurant, a shirtless man wearing an orange cowboy hat rubbed his belly and strolled casually inside after checking the sign.
On the other side of the town, a Marine vessel was moored to the coast. Hundreds of Marines were stationed there, led by a burly man with short silver hair, two lit cigars in his mouth, and a Jitte strapped to his back. Following behind him was a young woman wearing glasses and carrying a katana.
"Captain Smoker, are the Straw Hat Pirates truly coming to this country?" Tashigi adjusted her glasses.
"According to their route, there's no mistake. And based on our timeline, they should arrive within the next two days," Smoker stated with certainty, then instructed, "Contact Intelligence right away. Notify us immediately once the Straw Hats land."
"Yes, Captain Smoker!" Tashigi replied formally.
Two hours later.
BOOM!
In Nanohana Town, fire shot into the sky, and white smoke billowed. A massive pillar of fire mixed with white smoke soared high, stunning countless onlookers.
"What was that?"
"A fire?"
"No, that's no ordinary fire!"
"It's a conflict between Devil Fruit users!"
The townspeople discussed it amongst themselves. It was rare for a small town like theirs to witness the appearance of Devil Fruit users.
"Monkey D. Luffy, the Straw Hat Kid with a bounty of 30 million Berries, Marine Captain Smoker the White Hunter, and Portgas D. Ace the Fire Fist, Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division… Why would big names like these appear here?" A man in a brown trench coat and a hood frowned. "This news must be reported immediately to the Senior Agents and the President."
....
Rainbase.
In a room, Aeridar was discussing something with Crocodile.
Creeeak…
At that moment, the door to the room was pushed open, and Nico Robin, with her tanned skin and purple sun hat, walked in.
"Boss, we just received a report." Nico Robin looked at Aeridar, who was sitting upright on the sofa, her eyes flickering before she continued, "Monkey D. Luffy, the Straw Hat Kid, with a latest bounty of 30 million Berries, Marine Captain Smoker the White Hunter, and Portgas D. Ace the Fire Fist, Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division, have all appeared in Nanohana Town. Furthermore, Fire Fist Ace and White Hunter Smoker even clashed there."
"Following that, Fire Fist Ace boarded the Straw Hat Kid's ship. Also, all the ships belonging to the Billions we dispatched to Nanohana were destroyed by Fire Fist Ace, resulting in hundreds of casualties among the Billions and Millions."
"Substitutes for the Billions are easy to come by, but the Marines? The Whitebeard Pirates?" Crocodile's tone sharpened. "What are they doing here?" As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance at the golden hook replacing his left hand, an injury inflicted by Whitebeard.
Hearing this, Aeridar remembered: the protagonist Luffy's journey was beginning. Crocodile was the first formal Boss-level antagonist in the original story, the first unlucky victim defeated by the protagonist's halo.
"The Straw Hat Kid..." Aeridar gave Nico Robin a meaningful look. "Interesting, very interesting."
Robin's heart leaped under Aeridar's gaze, feeling as though she had been completely seen through. Though her face remained expressionless, she felt uneasy inside.
"Oh? You know him?" Crocodile asked, surprised that Aeridar would specifically mention a rookie pirate with a 30 million Berry bounty.
"I ran into him once in the East Blue. A very amusing fellow."
Aeridar gave a casual smile, but his mind was busy calculating. Should he just sit back and watch Luffy defeat Crocodile? After all, this man was his ally.
However, Aeridar quickly dismissed the thought. Given Crocodile's arrogance, he wouldn't care about a rookie with a 30 million Berry bounty, nor would he accept help from Aeridar.
There was also the fact that Aeridar wasn't sure if changing the course of history would trigger a terrifying chain reaction, becoming something similar to the film The Butterfly Effect from his previous world.