Why is she here?
That was the only question running through Aaron's mind as he looked at the peerless beauty before him.
According to Shuma's intelligence, the young lady of the Dars Gang had been confined to her home for years, never once stepping beyond the gang's headquarters. Yet today, she'd appeared here in the middle of this dangerous conflict. It made no sense.
Something this strange never happens without a reason.
"Ah, so it's Miss Sofia," Aaron said calmly. "I've long heard that you're the most beautiful woman in all of Vilia Port and it seems the rumors didn't exaggerate. But I was also told that you haven't left the Dars Gang's base in years. What brings you here today, of all places? It's dangerous here. You should go back before you get hurt. If anything were to happen to you, I imagine Mr. Dars would hold me responsible."
For Dars' sake, Aaron gave the young lady some courtesy. He didn't outright reject her request, but his tone made his meaning clear: this is no place for a decorative vase, go home while you can.
Yashika and Winters had invaded his territory, trying to steal his spoils and injure his men. Aaron had every reason to make an example of them to kill the chicken and warn the monkeys. Letting them walk away so easily would undermine his authority.
Sofia, however, was no fool. She easily caught the underlying meaning in Aaron's words, yet only smiled, unbothered.
"Mr. Aaron must have heard wrong," she said lightly. "Rumors can't always be trusted. I do go out from time to time, though only when Father's away, and always in secret. Like today."
Then she added with a teasing smile, "Besides, isn't this your territory? That means it's the safest place around. I'm not afraid."
From within her coat, Sofia produced a folded piece of paper. After instructing her maids to stay back, she rolled her wheelchair forward on her own, closing the distance between them and held out the note to Aaron without hesitation.
She showed no fear at all, even though this was the same man who'd nearly killed Yashika, one of her father's trusted lieutenants.
Aaron's expression shifted slightly. The fact that she dared approach him alone, without her two capable maids, spoke volumes. For that courage alone, he could no longer dismiss her as a fragile ornament.
After all, she was Dars' beloved daughter, his greatest treasure, but also his greatest weakness. If she were captured, Dars might very well surrender without a fight, and the entire Dars Gang would crumble.
She had to know that. And yet, she came anyway.
"This woman's insane… not afraid of death at all," Aaron thought silently as he watched her serene smile and fearless violet eyes. He restrained the sudden urge to seize her and use her as leverage against Dars.
It was clear from her demeanor that this young lady possessed extraordinary composure and perhaps, after years of battling illness, had already accepted the possibility of death. To her, it might even be a kind of release.
Aaron was impressed by Sofia's resolve, but he still refused to yield. He didn't take the paper from her. Instead, he stared coldly into those mesmerizing violet eyes, letting silence express his refusal.
Sofia blinked once under his unflinching black gaze.
Then, once again, her voice sounded softly in his mind:
"It's a gift, a token of apology. I hope you'll like it. Don't worry, it won't disappoint you."
This time, however, her words lacked the compelling, magical undertone they'd carried before. That difference piqued Aaron's curiosity.
"I ate the Whisper-Whisper Fruit," she explained telepathically, as if reading his thoughts. "It allows me to speak directly into someone's mind, like a private conversation… and with it, I can slightly influence a person's emotions."
Aaron's eyes narrowed. He immediately broke eye contact with her, then finally accepted the folded paper.
The moment he opened it, his expression hardened. After a brief pause, he nodded once.
"You can take her and leave."
Sofia smiled faintly. "Aren't you afraid I might be lying?"
Aaron didn't answer. He simply pocketed the paper and, with a flick of his hand, dispelled the Snow Prison restraining Yashika letting his actions speak for him.
Sofia's smile deepened, dazzlingly beautiful. The sight stunned everyone watching; hearts fluttered across the crowd, men and women alike.
A single smile that could topple a kingdom.
The moment the ice around Yashika melted, her feral state was still active. She roared and charged forward with her spiked club but after a single step, her pupils reverted to normal.
Then she ran straight to Sofia's side and bowed respectfully.
"I understand, Young Lady."
Winters, on the other hand, looked miserable. Seeing Yashika rescued while he was left behind filled him with envy so sharp it hurt.
As Aaron turned his attention toward him, Winters' heart sank. His strength had fallen so much he couldn't even defeat Labon anymore. Gritting his teeth, he hurled his meteor hammer aside, took a heavy punch from the snow beast, crashed to the ground then scrambled back up, throwing both hands in the air.
"I surrender!" he shouted.
Aaron raised an eyebrow in surprise, then gestured for Labon to halt.
Killing an enemy was one thing, but forcing them to submit demonstrated far greater dominance. From this day on, Winters' surrender would serve as living proof of Aaron's strength.
And keeping a man like Winters alive might prove far more valuable than killing him.
He had just received a generous "apology gift" from Sofia in exchange for sparing Yashika and now he intended to use Winters, a senior officer of the Regis Gang, to demand another offering from their side.
Since Winters possessed a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, the compensation he wanted would have to be of similar value.
But things seldom went as planned. A single bullet shattered that idea.
Bang!
A dark bullet tore through the air toward Winters like lightning.
Sensing the deadly threat, Winters instantly shifted into his beast form and hardened his head with Busoshoku Haki to block the shot.
Another gunshot rang out almost simultaneously, a second bullet intercepting the first in midair. Yet the counter-shot lacked the power to stop the original completely; it merely altered its path slightly.
The first bullet veered just off-center but still struck Winters in the head.
One shot. Instant kill.
The Regis Gang officer who had once ruled the slums of Vilia Port fell lifeless to the ground.
Aaron didn't spare him a glance. His expression darkened as he turned toward the top of a distant tower, hundreds of meters away.
There stood a man with a wild afro and a braided mustache, wearing a loud floral shirt and shorts. Two diamond-shaped marks adorned his cheeks.
In his hands rested a strange sniper rifle, its barrel carved into the shape of an owl's head, its body sprouting wings.
It was Regis, the leader of the Regis Gang himself.
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