With Aaron's smooth defeat of the Fetes Pirates, he single-handedly captured the entire crew, while the Akio swiftly closed in on their ship.
Soon, the two vessels were sailing side by side, and the crew of the Akio began boarding the Fetes Pirates' ship, the Fetes.
By that time, Aaron had already ordered the captured pirates to haul all of their treasure onto the deck.
The Fetes Pirates were quite wealthy—it seemed they had recently plundered a town. Gold and silver overflowed from more than a dozen large chests. When opened, the treasures gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight, radiating an enchanting glow.
Aaron wasn't sure how much the treasure was worth in total, but he estimated it to be at least tens of millions of Berries—possibly even over a hundred million.
Still, the most valuable prize wasn't the gold or silver, but the head of Fetes himself. His bounty alone was worth seventy million Berries.
Aaron didn't let greed cloud his judgment. He knew well what would've become of the Fetes Pirates after attacking the Akio. Even without his intervention, everything on this ship would've ended up belonging to the Akio Family. He merely had the good fortune of earning Reggie's favor and seizing this opportunity.
That was why Aaron wisely chose not to keep the treasure for himself. Instead, he offered up all of it—along with Fetes's severed head—as tribute, keeping nothing for his own gain.
"Nicely done, Aaron," Reggie said approvingly, patting him on the shoulder. "The treasure and that head bounty belong to the family, but everything else on this ship is yours."
Hearing that, Aaron's heart lifted. According to Reggie's words, the pirate ship itself, its surviving crew, and all remaining goods would belong to him. That was no small reward—especially the ship. Once brought back, it could easily serve as another merchant vessel for Williams.
Still, Aaron didn't immediately thank him. Instead, he cautiously glanced toward Getra and Horton. When he saw that neither objected, he smiled and respectfully expressed his gratitude to Reggie, Getra, and Horton.
With the short-sighted Fetes Pirates taken care of, the Akio Family resumed their course toward the designated trade location.
Now the new master of the pirate ship, Aaron commanded the surviving pirates to replace the tattered sails with new ones and ordered the Fites to follow closely behind the Akio.
Since there was still some time before reaching the meeting point, Aaron entered the captain's cabin to see if anything of value remained.
But the cabin—once lavishly decorated—had already been stripped bare. The plunderers had left nothing behind. The room was in shambles, scattered with torn papers, old charts, books, and worthless trinkets.
"Looks like there's really nothing left," Aaron muttered, shaking his head.
Yet he quickly changed his mind when he spotted something of genuine value: a set of navigation journals and swordsmanship notes left behind by Fetes himself.
He summoned a few pirates to clean up the room while he sat in a chair, flipping through the logs and manuscripts.
Navigation journals were peculiar things—their worth depended entirely on who possessed them.
To most pirates—illiterate thugs who only knew how to plunder, eat, drink, and cause chaos—such writings were nothing but useless scraps of paper. That was why this one had been tossed aside and left behind.
But to anyone with true ambition at sea, a navigation log could be more valuable than gold.
Such journals often recorded the voyages and discoveries of a crew—complete with coordinates, routes, and sometimes even hidden secrets.
In short, a navigation log was a treasure trove of information, capable of helping its next owner avoid dangers and reduce the risks of sea travel.
"Not bad," Aaron said with a faint smile. "This will make a fine gift for Williams—he'll be thrilled."
Even a brief glance told him the log's value was significant. Most of its early pages detailed the Fetes Pirates' adventures across the West Blue, but the latter entries chronicled their journey from the entrance of the Grand Line at Reverse Mountain all the way to Water 7.
With this log, Williams's merchant fleet would be far safer on future voyages to Water 7.
The Flashgold Trading Company—founded by Williams—had already become a prominent commercial group at Villia Port. Their trade routes now extended as far as Alabasta, and they were preparing to expand operations to Water 7. However, a notorious pirate haven known as Mock Town stood in the way, making it difficult to chart a safe route.
The navigation log, however, contained an alternative route that bypassed Mock Town entirely.
If that route proved navigable, it would become nothing short of a golden trade route.
After all, Water 7 was one of the Grand Line's most vital maritime hubs—the world's most renowned shipbuilding and repair center. Countless vessels arrived daily for supplies and maintenance, driving the city's prosperity and making it one of the busiest trading points on the seas.
The Flashgold Company could easily use this route as a springboard to distribute Drum Kingdom's valuable pharmaceuticals across the Grand Line, earning even greater fortunes.
At the same time, Aaron could use this opportunity to gain access to Water 7's advanced shipbuilding technology—an essential step in preparing for his future voyages and revenge.
Aaron had never entertained the foolish notion of remaining confined to one place. His primary goal in coming to Drum Kingdom—obtaining the Munch Munch Fruit—had already been achieved. His next focus was building power.
Now, with a solid foothold in Drum Kingdom and the protection of the Akio Family, his development was going smoothly.
Unless forced otherwise, Aaron had no intention of abandoning it.
He had already made up his mind—Drum Kingdom would serve as the base for his growing power.
As for his next goal?
Aaron wasn't overambitious. For now, he had set himself a modest yet firm objective: to bring Villia Port entirely under his control.
After living there for over half a year, he had long recognized the port's potential. In this age of chaos, it was a rare and valuable place—perfect for serving as the foundation of his empire.
As for the Akio Family, the Dars Family, the Regis Gang, and even Gilbert's official forces—once Aaron gained enough strength, he would no longer tolerate any power independent of his will.
He would make sure that in Villia Port, there would be only one voice—his own.
He would rule it completely.
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