"Is that so? What a pity. Still, I appreciate you accepting my invitation so late at night. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't be seeing you off."
Having swallowed his pride for decades, Gilbert's self-restraint had long reached near perfection. Even though tonight's events had left him seething with rage, he hadn't yet lost control. With matters now touching his core interests, he didn't hesitate to reject Regis's proposal once again.
Regis's expression shifted slightly when he was refused a second time and subtly dismissed. His face went blank, his eyes turning faintly cold. He said nothing, only gave Gilbert a long, deep look before his usual carefree grin returned, and he swiftly left the room.
"At the crucial moment, there's never anyone reliable... damn it!"
When the servant reported that Regis had left the castle, Gilbert slammed his fist onto the table, gritting his teeth in fury.
The events of tonight's banquet had enraged him beyond belief.
Even if the Blizzard Legion successfully seized Snowstorm City, even if they annihilated the King's Second Army, he could find no satisfaction in it whatsoever.
To think that Hodgson, the man he had always considered his most loyal guard captain was actually a spy planted by his own brother, Gresham. That man had been lurking by his side for over ten years, faithfully serving his brother all along. Remembering the many times Hodgson had saved his life, Gilbert now felt a burning humiliation, as though he had been toyed with by his accursed brother all these years.
In truth, more than the threat Aaron posed by holding his life in his hands, what truly enraged him was Hodgson's betrayal. Aaron was merely an unfortunate outsider, a convenient target on which to vent his anger.
If Hodgson hadn't accidentally eaten the Snake-Snake Fruit back then, forcing him to stay behind at the castle due to its side effects, Gilbert might have been killed by him long before his rebellion even began.
Now, Gilbert felt deeply uneasy. What once seemed like an unshakable fortress now felt like a drafty ruin; one that could be infiltrated at any moment by assassins sent by Gresham to finish him off.
Hodgson had controlled this castle for three years. Gilbert couldn't believe Gresham hadn't left some kind of contingency behind through him.
For all he knew, the castle could already be filled with explosives, ready to blow at any moment.
Of course, he knew that possibility was slim. If Hodgson and his men had truly meant to detonate it, they could've done so before dying, there'd be no need to wait.
Still, Gilbert no longer felt safe. Until the place was completely inspected, he couldn't stay there any longer.
"Who... who else can help me?"
Clutching his head in his hands, Gilbert muttered in frustration.
After some thought, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a transponder snail that had been sitting unused for a long time.
He stared at it for a long while, Aaron's image flashing through his mind, the man with the power of a Logia-type Devil Fruit. After a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth, picked up the receiver, and whispered, "You've forced me into this..."
Meanwhile, back at Regis's headquarters, Regis sat alone in a secret chamber, speaking into a transponder snail.
"Failure. The old fool values those 'Fury Pills' too much. Tonight's pressure wasn't enough to break him."
"I understand. Your next task is to investigate the Invisible Man. According to intel, he's from the West Blue and only recently entered the Grand Line. Most likely, he hasn't mastered Haki yet."
A cold, emotionless voice replied from the other end.
…
An hour later, at the Akio Gang's main base, inside Akio's private room, wind and snow suddenly gusted in through an open window, swirling together and taking shape. In moments, the snow condensed into a figure resembling Aaron, which then solidified into the real, flesh-and-blood man himself.
"Boss, I've arrived."
After reverting from his elemental form, Aaron immediately shut the window, then bowed respectfully.
"You're here. Sit down, no need to be so tense."
Akio, puffing on a cigar, smiled faintly and motioned for him to sit.
Since the boss had offered a seat, Aaron didn't decline. He sat upright on the sofa, posture straight as ever.
"The reason I called you here tonight," Akio said, taking a deep drag and exhaling a long plume of smoke, "is because someone needs your help."
He then turned toward the transponder snail on the table. "Mr. Gilbert, you can speak now."
Aaron had noticed the snail upon entering, already mid-conversation. When he heard Akio's words, his gaze turned toward it.
A moment later, Gilbert's voice came through.
"Hello, Mr. Aaron. This is Gilbert. I'd like to make a deal with you."
"So it's the Lord of the City himself, my apologies for not realizing sooner. But I must ask, why reach me this way? If it's a deal you want, surely you could've invited me to your castle to discuss it in person."
Aaron's tone was polite, though his expression showed mild surprise.
"It's... a special situation," Gilbert replied bitterly. "Tonight, I was attacked by an assassin, one with the power to turn invisible. He not only killed the CP7 agent sent by the Celestial Dragons to protect me, but also extorted a huge sum of money. I'm certain he's a greedy man who won't stop after just one attempt. He'll strike again. That's why I need someone with Observation Haki to protect me.
"I initially planned to ask for Mr. Akio or Mr. Regis, but unfortunately, both are... unavailable. They recommended you instead, saying you also possess Observation Haki. Mr. Aaron, if you could protect me, I'd be willing to offer generous compensation…"
Desperate and afraid for his life, Gilbert forced himself to sound courteous even friendly while speaking to a man he secretly despised as a filthy outsider.
To his surprise, Aaron's respectful and composed manner pleased him greatly. This was the first time he had spoken to Akio's rising star and found him nothing like the crude gangsters he had imagined.
As Aaron listened, his face showed polite understanding, but inwardly he was laughing.
It wasn't hard to see that Gilbert had been rejected by both Dars and Regis, and in his helplessness had turned to Akio's gang for help. Yet Akio and Regis were both members of the Sky Pirates, how could men of their stature agree to be bodyguards for a washed-up noble like Gilbert?
And so, after much back-and-forth, the job had finally fallen to him; the one who also possessed Observation Haki.
If Gilbert ever found out that the man he was hiring for protection was the very same "Invisible Man" who'd robbed him blind earlier tonight… he'd probably explode on the spot.
---
[Every 50 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
For early access to advanced chapters visit my P@treon:
P@treon/ Dexy3
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!