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One month later.
Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1508, January 11th, noon.
At Velia Harbor, inside a private room of a seaside tavern.
"Anything major happen in the crew last night?"
Aaron sat at the head seat, calmly eating his meal while addressing a group of young Frosthorn Gang members seated with him.
Even before becoming the patrol squad's captain, Aaron had already drawn over more than half of its younger members. Once he secured the position of captain and gave them real benefits, their loyalty to him had only deepened.
The moment Aaron asked his question, voices piped up immediately, each reporting what they had heard. Over the past months, these men had come to understand exactly what kind of news Aaron liked to hear, so they eagerly passed along whatever gossip they picked up from friends. With this, Aaron quickly gained a clear picture of what was happening outside the docks, across other Frosthorn Gang territories.
After all, there are no walls in this world that can keep out every whisper.
Most places of entertainment—taverns, gambling dens, brothels—were all under Frosthorn Gang's control. And since most members' social circles consisted of fellow gangsters, information spread fast, especially over drinks. Once someone loosened their tongue, it didn't take long for word to reach Aaron.
It had been a month since the hunt for Douglas. From that day on, Aaron had kept a low profile, quietly collecting information from the pleasure district.
He knew all too well what kind of man Getra was—definitely not someone to underestimate.
Though Shuma hadn't directly caused a commotion inside the luxury hall that night, the fake fire he staged with white phosphorus ruined the establishment's business. That alone was enough to trigger Getra's temper. A violent man like him was never going to let such an incident slide.
That was why, after taking Douglas' head, Aaron didn't immediately cash it in for the bounty. Instead, he preserved it, waiting for things to cool down.
Sure enough, just as he expected, the very next day Aaron heard word that Getra had men monitoring every exchange house in the city. With no choice, Aaron kept Douglas' head floating in formalin for the time being.
A week later, when Getra was still obsessing over the matter, Aaron finally sent Shuma to another city within the Drum Kingdom to cash it in.
Recently, thanks to Williams and his Shining Gold Trading Company's hold over the docks, profits had been rolling in. Yet with their ever-expanding expenses, it was barely enough. If not for Absalom's stolen treasures, they might have been in financial trouble.
But for the Trading Company and the intelligence network to grow quickly, extra income like Douglas' bounty was essential.
With more funds, both the company and the intelligence network flourished.
Aaron, however, had been spending fortunes on another front—constructing a lab for researching the "Deadly Drug," hiring pharmacists, and experimenting on ways to improve it.
Research, he realized, burned money faster than fire.
In just a month, they had spent over ten million berries, yet the research had made zero progress. Both Aaron, Shuma, and Williams found themselves grinding their teeth at the cost.
Fortunately, Shuma's Paper-Paper Fruit came in handy. He had managed to sneak out some materials from a small pharmaceutical factory in the slums. Now, five freshly graduated pharmacy majors—hired at high salaries by Williams—were studying those ingredients.
The only setback was the lack of leads on the Munch-Munch Fruit, rumored to be in the Donquixote Auction House's possession.
The auction house was heavily guarded, its secrecy ironclad. Shuma couldn't gather anything useful in the short term.
Still, the good news was that no auction of Devil Fruits had been announced—for now.
As for Absalom, the Transparent Man, Aaron continued to keep him locked away. Meals were delivered on schedule, but freedom was denied.
Though Absalom had long sworn loyalty, Aaron never believed him. Instead, he preferred to slowly grind down his will. Until he found a reliable method to control him, Aaron would never risk releasing him. Williams was already searching for a poison suitable for keeping the man in check.
On the personal front, Aaron trained relentlessly. Through daily practice of the Kuja Body-Training Arts and swordsmanship, his strength continued to grow at a steady pace. Just yesterday, during a spar with Reggie, his swordsmanship finally broke past the beginner stage, reaching the level of basic mastery.
Meanwhile, under Aaron's recommendation, Dorak had successfully joined Velia's harbor garrison as a regular soldier, stationed in the noble district. Through him, Aaron now had access to intelligence from the Drum Kingdom's upper circles.
Aside from the unexpected matters of the Munch-Munch Fruit and the Transparent Man, everything was progressing according to Aaron's original plan.
"Oh? Lord Horton clashed with the Dars Gang again last night? That's happening more and more often."
Aaron listened to a report from one of his men about the latest happenings in the slums, then nodded slightly.
"This makes twenty-five times already this month. Practically once a day! Big bro, do you think the Dars Gang is gearing up for all-out war with us? We've lost plenty of people recently. Even one of my closest friends died yesterday..."
It was Victor who asked, his face clouded with grief.
Everyone knew that the Frosthorn Gang and Dars Gang had always been at odds, but never had the clashes been this frequent or this bloody. The rising casualties left even grassroots members like Victor with a sense of looming danger.
As soon as Victor spoke, the room's attention shifted to Aaron, every pair of eyes filled with respect, some of the younger members even with admiration.
Since Aaron became patrol captain, the Dars Gang had tried to counter him by appointing a skilled gunman as their own patrol leader.
But on just the fourth day of the man's appointment, Aaron killed him in a fight over protection money. The rest of his squad was crippled—each shot in the knee. From then on, the Dars patrols kept their heads down and gave up any claim to protection fees in Aaron's territory.
That victory made life easy for Aaron's men.
Compared to other districts where patrols constantly fought, Aaron's dock zone was peaceful and stable—and far more profitable than when they had worked under Kaz. His men's sense of satisfaction skyrocketed.
But they also knew this peace and prosperity came solely from Aaron's overwhelming strength, which kept their enemies in check.
Serving under a powerful leader gave them security, and the generous pay made loyalty come naturally.
Even the few old-timers who still grumbled inwardly dared not act out, instead treating Aaron with outward respect.
Hearing about the bloodshed in the slums, the men glanced at each other, then felt all the more fortunate to be under Aaron's command. Their loyalty deepened further.
And though Aaron forced them to train hard in gunmanship and swordsmanship every day, leaving them exhausted, compared to the chaos elsewhere, this life was both safe and rewarding.
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