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When night fell, the once bustling port of Vilia would quickly grow silent. The merchant ships that had been docked along the piers during the day vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a few small boats.
By midnight, the pitch-black docks might not even have a single human shadow in sight.
Why was that? By all logic, a prosperous port city like Vilia should have been just as lively at night as it was during the day. How could it end up like this?
At first, Aaron had no idea why the docks emptied after dark. But once he became one of the Frosthorn Gang's smugglers, he learned the truth.
Hidden behind this was an unusual rule—one jointly set by the Drum Kingdom authorities, local underworld factions, and the pirates themselves.
The strange rule was this: at night, pirates were allowed to come ashore at a secluded spot on the docks and enter Vilia's outer city to enjoy themselves—but they were forbidden from causing trouble there.
This was the pirates' final ultimatum after realizing they could not conquer the port city. They might not have been able to plunder this tempting, resource-rich hub, but they still needed it as both a trading post and a place to indulge themselves.
The Drum Kingdom's officials and the local gangs weren't eager for an all-out fight with the pirates. And if the pirates refrained from making trouble onshore, they were actually excellent customers. After careful deliberation, the authorities agreed to their terms, granting the pirates the run of the docks at night.
As a result, the outer city of Vilia would, come nightfall, be filled with guests whose appearance was rough and intimidating—but who rarely caused trouble and were surprisingly generous with their spending, earning the favor of the locals.
In time, an entire red-light district sprang up, dedicated to servicing these "special" customers.
And so, every night, the streets of that district would be graced by a parade of stunning women.
"Just cheap powder and paint—not an ounce of real charm," Williams muttered in disgust as he glanced at the gaudily dressed courtesans lining the street.
Aaron and Shuma said nothing, but their lack of interest made it clear they agreed. Their eyes didn't linger for even a moment on the women passing by.
For all their arrogance, the Celestial Dragons still had perfectly conventional tastes, and not one of the female slaves they bought was ever ugly. What's more, after spending years around the likes of the Hancock sisters, Aaron's group had developed far more discerning standards than most.
But if Aaron's trio paid the local courtesans no mind, the two young men trailing behind them—still little more than fledglings—were another story entirely. Their eyes were wide, their necks craning, and they swallowed hard over and over.
Aaron knew all too well that if they wanted revenge against the Celestial Dragons, the three of them alone wouldn't be enough. They would need allies—lots of them—to form a force large enough to strike back hard.
That was why, over the past two months, he had been actively scouting for capable recruits.
Victor and Dorak were two such newcomers.
Victor, a lanky seventeen-year-old with basic marksmanship skills, came from a poor family. His mother had died young, and his father raised him and his sister alone. His father had once been a well-known bounty hunter in Vilia, but two years ago, during a hunt, he was killed by pirates. To avoid the inevitable retaliation, Victor joined the Frosthorn Gang, eventually becoming part of Aaron's patrol unit.
Aaron had discovered his talent there. Though Victor had been the top gunman in the unit, he lost repeatedly to Aaron in shooting contests. When Aaron later saved his life in a skirmish, Victor began to admire him deeply and stuck to him like a shadow. So when Aaron offered him a place in their real crew, Victor accepted without hesitation.
Dorak, on the other hand, hailed from the slums. Tall, broad-shouldered, and wielding a massive broadsword shaped almost like a shovel, he was a skilled beginner-level swordsman.
He now served as the guard captain for Williams' trading caravan and had once saved Williams' life. When Aaron extended the same invitation to him, Dorak also agreed without a second thought.
Aaron hadn't come to the red-light district tonight to play. His real target was a pirate worth twenty million Berries.
Originally, he had only planned to bring Shuma and Williams, but when Shuma reported that the target had a lot of men with him, Aaron decided to bring Victor and Dorak along as well.
It was the first time the two newcomers had joined the group on an operation. Lacking the grim pasts of Aaron, Shuma, and Williams, they were still brash young men—and their self-control left much to be desired.
"Had enough yet? If you have, keep your eyes forward. Don't forget why we're here," Aaron snapped coldly, noticing the two were still distracted by the passing courtesans.
At once, Victor and Dorak tore their eyes away from the painted beauties and stood straight at attention, not daring to sneak another glance.
They had already seen firsthand how dangerous Aaron could be. They knew he was the team's leader and that, while he might seem easygoing, that was only if no one crossed the line. Make a mistake, and he would turn in an instant—shouting you down or, if it was serious enough, beating you bloody.
Once they were focused again, Aaron gestured for Shuma to lead on.
Soon, Shuma brought them to the front of a lavish building whose entrance was lined with courtesans far more beautiful than those on the street. Williams even broke character to mutter a rare, approving "Not bad" at one of them.
As the group arrived, two boys of about ten emerged from shadowy corners nearby. They strolled past Shuma as if by chance, then vanished into the crowd.
Glancing at the slip of paper in his hand, Shuma turned to Aaron and whispered, "They're still inside. Seven of them total."
According to the scouts' report, Douglas and his men were currently inside, enjoying themselves.
Aaron's eyes flashed red for an instant. "Good. But this is Frosthorn Gang property—we can't kill them inside. Shuma, your turn. Bring them out early. Room 203."
A grin spread across Shuma's face. Stepping out from the group, he swaggered straight into the building.
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