The Lone Duel at Sea
As Aaron sailed alone in a small boat toward the pirate ship, a strange sight appeared in the sky above it.
A chubby, broad-shouldered boy was flying through the air — made possible by the high-speed propellers spinning from his head and limbs.
Standing on his back was a young girl dressed in a maid outfit. Her right arm had transformed into a sniper rifle, and she was peering through the scope, observing the sea below. In her other hand, she held a Den Den Mushi with eyes gleaming mischievously and a wicked grin on its face.
These two were none other than Buffalo and Baby 5, agents of the Donquixote Pirates, sent by Donquixote Doflamingo himself to carry out a reconnaissance mission.
Although the Akio Gang feared no one—not even the Donquixote Family—Doflamingo, who knew the origins of the Akio Gang all too well, remained wary. To avoid unforeseen trouble, he dispatched the airborne Buffalo and the keen-eyed Baby 5 for early surveillance.
"Young Master," Baby 5 reported through the Den Den Mushi, "the pirates have already spotted the Akio Gang's ship. But the Akio Gang only sent one person to deal with them—a young man. He's quite handsome, though he has a small scar on his face. Looks like a swordsman—he's carrying a pretty fine blade."
Several kilometers east of the Akio, the Donquixote Pirates' ship, the Numancia Flamingo, was steadily cutting across the waves toward the designated trading site. After more than a month of sailing, they had finally reached the waters near the Drum Kingdom, having departed from the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Only one person? A young swordsman, huh? Continue monitoring. Report the moment anything happens."
Inside the captain's quarters, Doflamingo turned his head toward Trebol as he spoke. Trebol was already rummaging through a pile of intelligence reports.
Within moments, he pulled out a dossier bearing Aaron's photograph and flipped through it.
"Doffy," Trebol croaked, "that must be this guy—Aaron. According to our intel, he's one of the Akio Gang's up-and-coming rookies. Pretty strong, too. Recently, he wiped out several pirates with bounties of fifty million Berries each—single-handedly."
Despite the fall of the Donquixote Auction House and the crippling blow dealt to their intelligence network at Vilia Port, the Donquixote Family still retained considerable intelligence-gathering power.
Information about Aaron—a rising star among the Akio Gang in Vilia Port—had naturally been collected and compiled in detail.
Trebol's report contained a full account of Aaron's public actions since arriving at Vilia Port, along with a rough evaluation of his combat capabilities.
"Aaron…"
Doflamingo's sharp memory immediately recalled the three-way meeting that had taken place a month and a half ago.
Back then, Gilbert and Dars had mentioned that same name. After all, it was Reggie who had killed Willard, doing so to protect his disciple Aaron—a young man unfortunate enough to have caught Willard's attention.
At the time, Doflamingo hadn't thought much of it. He'd only taken minor note because Aaron was Reggie's disciple. But he'd quickly dismissed him as a minor character not worth his attention.
Now, hearing that name again from Trebol piqued his interest. The Akio Gang had sent only Aaron to confront a pirate ship—either they'd gone insane… or they had absolute confidence in his strength.
"Take them out easily, huh… Trebol, which crew are those pirates from?"
"The Fetes Pirates," Trebol replied.
Fetes Pirates.
Captain: Fetes — a pirate from the West Blue, bounty of 70 million Berries. A master of fencing and former captain of the royal guard of the Parros Kingdom.
Aaron's eyes narrowed as he spotted the pirate flag fluttering above the enemy ship. His mind swiftly recalled the name and background of their captain.
"A fencer from the West Blue, huh? Hopefully, this will be a satisfying fight," he thought, anticipation stirring within him.
The next moment, he quietly activated his (Speed-Speed Fruit) ability, doubling the speed of his small boat.
In an instant, the boat sliced across the sea like a darting dolphin, gliding swiftly toward the Fetes Pirates' vessel.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The pirates aboard the Fetes ship quickly noticed the approaching craft. Gunners and marksmen opened fire, shells and bullets raining down on Aaron.
But against someone with both Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) and the Speed-Speed Fruit, their efforts were meaningless.
Aaron effortlessly maneuvered his small boat, dodging every projectile as explosions erupted harmlessly across the waves.
When he was only a few meters away from the enemy ship, Aaron unleashed his fruit's power once again—tripling his speed.
Then, with a powerful leap, he launched himself into the air toward the deck.
"Now! Shoot him down while he's in the air!"
The pirates shouted, realizing Aaron had nowhere to dodge mid-jump.
But before they could pull their triggers, Aaron drew his blade, Oni Cry, and swung.
His sword flashed like lightning.
Countless afterimages filled the air, and in the next instant, a barrage of crescent-shaped sword slashes—razor-sharp waves of compressed air—shot out in every direction.
"Ittōryū—Moonlight Rain."
The crescent slashes rained down upon the deck.
Cries of agony followed as the weaker pirates were cut down instantly, collapsing into pools of blood. Only a handful of stronger fighters managed to block or evade the deadly barrage.
When Aaron finally landed on the deck, fewer than a dozen pirates remained standing.
"You bastard! Die—Lightning Thrust Aaronrage!"
Captain Fetes, face dark as storm clouds, charged forward with his rapier. His strikes came in a blur—so fast they seemed like flashes of lightning. Each thrust unleashed a piercing shockwave capable of puncturing holes straight through a man's body.
Several of those shockwaves struck Aaron dead-on.
"Too slow."
The voice came from behind Fetes. His blood ran cold.
The "Aaron" he'd been attacking was already dissolving into thin air—nothing but an afterimage left by Aaron's blinding speed.
But Fetes wasn't captain for nothing. Even facing death, his instincts roared to life. He spun and swung with all his might—just barely managing to block Aaron's counterattack.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the two blades collided, a powerful shockwave sweeping across the deck.
Fetes was sent flying backward, his boots gouging twin trails across the blood-soaked planks before he crashed heavily into the railing.
"Don't move."
The moment Fetes tried to stand, Aaron was already before him—Oni Cry's edge pressed coldly against his throat.
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