Drop Some power stones! If you like the chapter! It helps to keep me motivated to upload more!💎💎💎
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As soon as Aaron pulled out a Den Den Mushi to issue a summons, all the forces under his command began quickly converging on the B-District of the slums.
The first to arrive were the former patrol squad members led by Victor. After leaving the docks with Aaronr earlier, he had handed them a generous sum of money and told them to enjoy themselves in the nearby pleasure district. Now, upon receiving his call, they rushed over without delay.
Next came a fifty-man security unit sent by Williams.
Ever since Aaron had become the patrol captain — and especially after he successfully developed briquette coal, a product that sold like wildfire in the Drum Kingdom — Williams' Shining Gold Trading Company had grown rapidly. From a tiny, obscure trading outfit, it had expanded into a small but well-known business in the city, now owning fixed assets worth tens of millions of berries.
The company even possessed two medium-sized ships, capable of distributing Shining Gold's goods to other coastal cities within the Drum Kingdom and even neighboring countries.
Though still modest in size, the Shining Gold Trading Company now earned money by the fistful every single day.
Its development had accelerated even further thanks to the treasures Absalom had painstakingly stolen from wealthy citizens across the city — and the occasional extra bounty Aaron received from hunting pirates. The company now showed signs of evolving into a mid-sized business.
However, with such wealth came unwanted attention. To protect their interests, Williams had begun forming a private security force.
At present, the Shining Gold Trading Company commanded a 100-man guard unit. Every one of them had been personally interviewed and recruited by Williams himself — strong, battle-hardened men, many of whom were elite veterans retired from the Drum Kingdom's military, hired with high salaries.
With the help of these veterans, Williams spent over three months — and a great deal of money — training this force until their combat strength rivaled that of a regular army.
They had already proven themselves in several engagements, having fought pirates and mercenary guards disguised as pirate crews while escorting merchant ships at sea. Their combat power was formidable.
And now, to help Aaron seize control of B-District in one decisive strike, Williams had deployed half of this elite force.
"Master Aaron, the Shining Gold First Guard awaits your command!"
The guard captain, Lombarton, led a disciplined column of soldiers before Aaron, then stepped forward alone and spoke with utmost respect.
Lombarton was a towering, middle-aged man with a scarred face and one blinded eye. Even just looking at him was intimidating. He carried a massive battle axe nearly a meter long, slung casually over his shoulder — a sight that radiated sheer ferocity.
Once, Lombarton had been an elite soldier of the Drum Kingdom's First Legion. However, due to his insubordinate behavior and repeated violations of military discipline, he was discharged from the army and later worked as a guard for various trading companies.
He initially joined Shining Gold for the high salary. But upon seeing that Aaron, Shuma, and Williams were all so young, he conspired with other guards to seize control of the company's wealth by sidelining them. Aaron had beaten him so thoroughly for that betrayal that he had been obedient ever since.
Though greedy by nature, Lombarton was an excellent trainer and a capable fighter. As long as someone strong kept him in check, he was a valuable asset.
"You're here. Good. Take ten minutes to rest and recover your strength. Get familiar with your teammates, and then we'll move out," Aaron told Lombarton with a nod.
Seeing the guard unit Lombarton brought with him, Victor and the others felt a wave of pressure — but also great excitement. Now they finally understood why Aaron was so confident about seizing new territory.
Victor, of course, had known about the Shining Gold guard for a long time since becoming Aaron's ally early on. He felt no pressure about today's operation. In fact, after hearing that Reggie had killed Willard, he felt even more at ease.
If there was any concern at all, it was that Lombarton's men might end up stealing the credit in battle. Since Aaron had become a sub-leader in the Akio Gang, Victor had been promoted to squad leader, with the former patrol unit now under his command.
The Akio Gang members present shared similar feelings. They had followed Aaron here hoping to earn his trust and favor in the future.
But with Lombarton and his men joining in, they now felt a strong sense of crisis.
Many of them had known that Aaron and Williams shared close ties and deep mutual interests, but none had expected it to run this deep — deep enough that Williams would send his elite guard to support Aaron personally.
On one hand, that meant the upcoming fight would be much easier. On the other, it meant their own importance would likely diminish.
Lombarton's troops, meanwhile, weren't overthinking things. Their morale was sky-high.
They read the news — they knew who Aaron was and how powerful this young merchant truly was. And before they departed, they had heard that Aaron was now a sub-leader in the Akio Gang, preparing to lead them in seizing territory. They could hardly contain their excitement.
They lived in Vilia Port, so of course they knew how powerful and influential the local underworld was — especially the Akio Gang, a faction they could never afford to offend.
But they also knew that if they could join a mighty organization like the Akio Gang, their lives in Vilia would dramatically improve. Their status would far surpass that of ordinary merchant guards.
The problem was that joining the Akio Gang was notoriously difficult. Even sub-leaders recruiting from the slums didn't accept just anyone. Without at least basic swordsmanship or marksmanship skills, there was no chance.
Now that Aaron had become a Akio Gang sub-leader in the slum territories, it meant he had the authority to bring them into the gang.
Before departure, Captain Lombarton had told them that as long as they performed well in the coming battle, Aaron would prioritize recruiting them into the Akio Gang. That would mean not only continuing to receive their merchant guard salaries — but also getting paid by the gang.
With wealth and promotion so close at hand, the Shining Gold guards were brimming with motivation and excitement.
Even Lombarton was thrilled. He was itching to fight, determined to prove himself and earn a position as a squad leader under Aaronr. Even if it was only as a sub-leader in the slums, life would still be far better than as a company guard.
And he knew Aaron's strength and ability well. In just over four months since arriving in Vilia Port, Aaron had gained incredible status and power. Becoming a Akio Gang sub-leader in the slums was clearly not his final destination — he was destined to rise even higher.
When that happened, those who had followed him from the start would be richly rewarded — perhaps even enough to help Lombarton achieve a long-cherished dream of his own.
Ten minutes passed quickly. Aaron opened his eyes and strode forward.
Victor and Lombarton immediately split their men into two orderly columns and followed behind him.
By now, the people of Slum B-District could already sense that something major was about to happen. Many of them recognized Aaron — the powerful young man who had caused a bloodbath at the docks just yesterday. As he marched forward with his forces, the crowd instinctively parted to make way.
Soon, with no one daring to obstruct them, Aaron and his men arrived at the Regis Gang's stronghold in B-District.
According to the unspoken rules of the underworld, if Aaron destroyed this stronghold, the entire B-District territory would be his.
"Kill!"
Facing Argus and the Regis Gang members inside the stronghold, who were braced for battle, Aaron drew Ghost Cry and pointed it forward with a commanding shout.
The next instant, gunfire erupted — and the battle began.
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