Aaron had absolutely no interest in Crocodile's scheme to seize control of a nation.
What he was interested in, however, was the wealth Crocodile possessed—and, more importantly, the future members of Baroque Works.
Among them, two stood out in Aaron's mind: Mr. 2 Bon Clay, who wielded the powers of the Clone-Clone Fruit, and Mr. 3 Galdino, the user of the Wax-Wax Fruit.
To Aaron, talent had always been the most valuable treasure.
Although he already had a few capable subordinates, it was still far from enough—nowhere near sufficient to sustain the growth of his future influence.
He needed more outstanding individuals to expand and defend his territory.
That was why his eyes were fixed on the senior agents of Baroque Works—the ones gifted with Devil Fruit powers.
He intended to bring them under his banner.
Aaron didn't know exactly how long Crocodile's Baroque Works had been established.
Judging from the timeline, it couldn't have been very long.
After all, it was still the year 1508, and many of the assassins and agents Aaron remembered from the organization's heyday were probably still quite young—perhaps not even members yet.
But that was fine.
In fact, it made things easier.
If he could use Crocodile as an introduction, it would make recruiting those senior Baroque agents far simpler.
After all, finding someone in the Grand Line—or even the Four Seas—was no easy task.
Aaron had to rely on others to locate certain people.
If he could find Crocodile, then finding Bon Clay and Galdino would only be a matter of time.
With his unexpected encounter with Crocodile behind him, Aaron returned to the captain's cabin after inspecting the cargo and began carefully studying the swordsmanship notes left behind by Fetes.
Time passed quietly.
The fleet's voyage went smoothly from then on—they didn't encounter any more reckless pirate ships.
After about an hour, Aaron and his crew finally reached the designated trading location: a small, uninhabited island several dozen nautical miles from the port of Villea.
They had clearly arrived early.
After circling the island, they found no sign of the Donquixote Pirates' ship.
Reggie didn't order them to dock.
Instead, he had the ship anchor just off the shore, waiting for the Donquixote crew to arrive.
On the deck of the Fetes Pirates' ship, Els held his katana, yawning as he spoke to Aaron in a bored tone.
"Man, they're taking forever. Hey, Aaron—why don't we have a sparring match? We've got time to kill, and with the boss here, there's nothing to worry about anyway."
Aaron looked at the uninvited pest and felt a headache coming on.
This guy had been hounding him for more than ten minutes now, insisting on a duel.
But Aaron wasn't in the mood for that—not when they were about to meet the Donquixote Pirates.
Others might not understand how dangerous that crew was, but Aaron certainly did.
Even if Doflamingo wasn't yet at the level he would reach fourteen years later, he was still not someone to underestimate.
At this point in time, Doflamingo already had a bounty of 280 million Berries—a true Great Pirate by Paradise standards.
And that bounty didn't even begin to reflect his real strength.
Like Ace, Doflamingo had awakened his Conqueror's Haki at a young age, and after years of honing his power, he was already strong enough to stand firm even in the New World.
"If you're that desperate to fight me," Aaron said with a sigh, "then come challenge me back on my turf later. I'll take you on anytime."
He finally threw out that line, hoping to shut the man up.
Aaron knew full well that Els was a proud man—that much was obvious from the way he kept coming back for rematches no matter how many times he lost.
For someone like him, taking orders from others was never easy.
But to Aaron's surprise, Els nodded seriously.
"So that's an invitation, huh? If it's you, I don't mind following your lead."
From the moment Aaron first defeated him through sheer physical power, then later outmatched him in swordsmanship, Els had long since developed genuine respect for him.
His constant challenges were born not of hostility, but pride—his unwillingness to let Aaron pull too far ahead.
As one of the most promising members of the Frosthorn Gang's new generation, Els had no desire to spend his life in the shadows of the old guard.
He, too, wanted to become a powerhouse within the organization.
As Reggie's personal disciple, he could easily inherit everything once his master passed on—but that wasn't the kind of man he wanted to be.
He wanted to earn recognition through his own strength, not by relying on his teacher's name.
Still, Els was self-aware enough to know his own limits.
He wasn't leadership material. Rising to prominence on his own was nearly impossible.
Then Aaron appeared—like a beacon of hope.
Els truly admired him.
Although Aaron hadn't been in the Frosthorn Gang for long, his strength and achievements spoke for themselves.
When Els heard from Reggie that Aaron had already established his own faction in the slums and was managing his territory with impressive order, he knew this was his chance.
Unfortunately, Aaron had never extended an invitation—and that left Els feeling conflicted.
Prideful as he was, he wanted Aaron to ask him personally, not the other way around.
In short, if he was going to join Aaron's crew, it had to be done with dignity—something worthy of Reggie's disciple.
"You're serious about joining?" Aaron asked in surprise, smiling faintly.
"What, you regret it already?" Els retorted with mock irritation.
"Not at all," Aaron replied with a grin, giving him a light punch on the shoulder. "With your strength, I'd be crazy to turn you down. Welcome aboard."
Aaron was well aware of Els's capabilities—he was even stronger than Gabdon, and being Reggie's disciple only added to his value.
With Els on his side, Aaron's territory would become much more stable.
More importantly, Els carried significant influence within the Frosthorn Gang—especially among the disciples of Reggie's sword dojo.
His decision to join Aaron's faction would undoubtedly boost Aaron's reputation within the organization.
Meanwhile, on the deck, Horton's expression had turned sour.
He glanced toward Reggie, who was resting with his eyes closed, and muttered,
"Doesn't this bother you, Reggie? You heard him—your own disciple's going to be taking orders from that kid now."
Els had never been one to hold his tongue.
The two ships weren't far apart, and with Horton's sharp hearing, he'd easily caught their conversation.
Of everyone in the Frosthorn Gang, Horton was the one who least wanted to see Aaron rise to power.
He wasn't stupid—he knew he'd offended Aaron more than once, especially when he'd tried to shortchange him on territory.
If Aaron climbed higher in the organization, Horton would be the first to pay for it.
But Aaron had always played by the rules.
He paid his dues in full—often even a little extra—and treated Horton with nothing but respect.
There wasn't a single misstep Horton could use against him, which made it all the more frustrating.
What worried Horton the most, however, was Aaron's rapid growth in strength.
He'd realized it during the Akio's recent ambush—when Aaron was the fourth person to make it from the cabin to the deck, ahead of him.
That alone proved Aaron was now faster than he was.
Even if Aaron couldn't beat him in a fight, he could easily escape.
That was when the realization hit him like a cannonball—
This newcomer, who had joined the Frosthorn Gang less than a year ago, had already caught up. Maybe even surpassed him.
And that was a serious threat.
Reggie didn't respond to Horton's words.
He simply opened his eyes, a faint crimson glint flashing within them, and turned toward the sea to their right.
"They're here."
At that same moment, Aaron cut his conversation with Els short and turned his gaze toward the same direction.
From the horizon, a massive ship slowly emerged—its design flamboyant, shaped like a flamingo spreading its wings.
It was the Numancia Flamingo, flagship of the Donquixote Pirates.
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