"Aaron, you're heading out to sea? Count me in! I've been wanting to set sail for ages!"
The moment Els heard that Aaron was preparing a ship and looking for a navigator, he sprang up in excitement, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
He had already challenged nearly every strong fighter in the city.
The ones he could beat were no longer interesting, and the ones he couldn't beat crushed him so badly that it frustrated him to no end.
That's why he longed for new opponents, fighters on his level.
But there were too few of them in Vilia Port. Out at sea, though, the world was vast. Surely, he would find worthy rivals there, and on the open sea, he could fight to his heart's content. Nothing could be better.
"I'll go too, Lord Aaron! No matter where you go, I'll follow you to the ends of the earth!"
Seeing Els volunteer, Victor, who considered himself Aaron's number one subordinate naturally refused to fall behind. He raised his voice proudly, trying to overshadow Els.
Els, unwilling to be outdone, immediately forced Victor's head down in retaliation.
In an instant, the two who were usually at odds anyway, were nose-to-nose, glaring at each other.
"Shut up! Let Lord Aaron decide!"
Before their argument could explode again, Arina, dressed in her signature pink fitted robe, seized both their heads and slammed them together hard, shouting in anger.
Then, turning her gaze toward Aaron, her expression softened into a lovestruck smile.
"Lord Aaron, if you're setting sail, please allow me to join you as well. I can prepare delicious meals for you on the ship."
"Women are such a pain."
"You said it."
Lying on the ground with fresh bumps swelling on their heads, Els and Victor muttered quietly.
But no sooner had they spoken than Arina, still gazing at Aaron with starry eyes, stepped on both of them repeatedly with the slender heel of her purple high-heeled shoe.
"Don't be in such a rush. I am going to sea," Aaron said, looking slightly troubled, "but there's still preparation to do. And if you all leave now, the territory will fall into chaos. Until you find proper successors, stay here and help Williams manage things."
"Exactly!" Williams quickly chimed in, eager to back him up. "We're already short on manpower. The new recruits haven't even finished basic training yet. You guys can't just walk out now."
Aaron was notoriously hands-off, always dumping most of the administrative work onto Williams and Arina. Even with assistants helping them, they were still swamped. If Els and Victor, the main defense forces left too, everything would spiral out of control.
"Els, Victor," came a calm but firm voice. "You two should stay put. You can't leave until those rookies are fully trained."
It was Gabdon, who had been silent until now.
Beside him, Lombaton, his left arm replaced with a sleek, high-tech prosthetic nodded in agreement.
"He's right. We're all buried in work as it is. Don't even think about slacking off," Lombaton said and punctuated his words by delivering a mechanical punch to both of their heads, adding two more lumps to the pair's collection.
The Drum Kingdom was famous for its advanced medical technology, and its research into prosthetics was at the forefront of the era. Some even doubled as combat-enhancing weapon limbs.
Aaron's faction wasn't short on money, so he'd commissioned Lombaton, a squad captain, a custom-built prosthetic arm packed with advanced weaponry.
With the prosthetic, Lombaton's combat strength had actually increased instead of declining, though his balance and grip still needed work.
Hearing Gabdon and Lombaton's words, Els and Victor's faces fell. But they knew the situation well enough, they could only nod in reluctant understanding.
Arina, however, looked heartbroken as she gazed at Aaron.
She wanted to go to sea partly because she didn't want to keep working behind a desk every day.
Looks like I'll need to find a suitable scapegoat soon, she thought, pressing her lips together.
Coincidentally, both Els and Victor were thinking the same thing. They weren't power-hungry, they just wanted to explore the world beyond the port.
"What is it, Cecilia? If you've got something to say, speak freely," Aaron said suddenly, turning his gaze toward a new face in the room with a warm smile.
During the last gang war, Bugga, one of the squad captains, had been killed. Naturally, someone needed to fill the vacancy, and in Aaron's faction, the rule was simple: the strong lead.
After fierce internal battles, the victor who emerged was a young woman named Cecilia.
She was tall and slender, wearing a beige down jacket, with shoulder-length green hair and a few freckles on her sweet face. Shy and reserved, she had hardly spoken a word since entering the room.
Cecilia was actually one of Aaron's earliest recruits, part of the first generation of his followers when he established his territory. A martial artist specializing in kick-based combat, she was strong enough to have nearly won the previous captain's seat against Bugga himself.
But this recent contest had been far more intense, with new talents joining Aaron's faction in droves. Word of the faction's generous pay and benefits had spread throughout Vilia Port, and Aaron's growing fame had drawn skilled fighters from across the region.
Even after losing many members in the last war, Aaron's banner attracted replacements almost overnight.
And Cecilia had shone in that fierce competition, displaying overwhelming control and power as she easily defeated all challengers. Her strength now rivaled that of Els and the other captains.
Watching the battles, Aaron had been surprised to discover that this quiet subordinate had secretly mastered a simplified form of the Kuja Body-Refining Technique, a martial art originating from Amazon Lily.
With his Observation Haki, Aaron could sense that Cecilia's loyalty to him was genuine, and that reassured him greatly.
"Y-Yes, Lord Aaron! I... I also wish to follow you to sea!"
Cecilia jumped to her feet, flustered but determined, eyes shining as she stammered her request.
"I see. But not just yet," Aaron replied with a gentle smile. "You heard what I said, the territory still needs your help for now. But there will be a chance in the future, don't worry."
Hearing that, Cecilia's face lit up like a lantern.
"Yes, Lord Aaron! Cecilia will protect your home with all her strength!"
Watching her reaction, Arina's expression darkened, a hint of hostility flickering across her eyes.
Cecilia instantly sensed it.
Their eyes met and invisible sparks of tension crackled in the air.
"Lord Aaron," Arina said sweetly, her smile returning, "I still have plenty of documents to handle, so I'll excuse myself for now. Don't worry, I'll make sure everything is taken care of perfectly."
As she turned to leave, she shot Cecilia a taunting glance, clearly enjoying the reaction.
At that moment, Arina suddenly felt very fortunate to be the one handling Aaron's affairs.
"Lord Aaron, I can help too! Please let me assist you with those tasks," Cecilia blurted out, unwilling to be outdone.
She had fought hard to earn her captain's position, joining the faction's inner circle and finally drawing closer to the brilliant and commanding Aaron. She wasn't about to lose ground to this seductive woman.
"Lord Aaron, I can handle everything myself," Arina countered quickly, stepping up beside him and clutching his arm, pressing her ample chest against it.
Didn't you always complain about too much paperwork? Aaron thought to himself dryly. Now suddenly you want to do it all alone?
"Two people can finish the work faster," Cecilia said softly but firmly, stepping forward to take Aaron's other arm, her own chest not as full, but pressing against him nonetheless as she gazed up at him pleadingly.
Every other man in the room silently stood and slipped out, leaving Aaron behind, his arms painfully twisted between two competing women, caught in the crossfire of their affection.
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