"I've also heard about the trouble Lord Gilbert encountered tonight. That invisible man does sound troublesome, if someone like that isn't eliminated in one go, he'll be a never-ending threat. Lord Gilbert, if your request is for me to capture this invisible man, then I'm afraid I must decline. I have people I care about, and I can't risk their lives for such a task."
After listening to Gilbert's explanation, Aaron's expression turned grave. He fell silent for a moment, then firmly refused.
Once again rejected this time by Aaron, Gilbert fell into heavy silence, though inside he was seething.
Counting Aaron, this was already the fifth person to reject him. He was a prince of the Drum Kingdom, his army had just won a decisive victory, and yet none of these people would show him even the slightest deference. And the worst part was he couldn't afford to offend any of them. The humiliation burned deep.
"Damn it… why must there be people like them those monsters with overwhelming personal power?"
Gilbert cursed bitterly in his heart.
In his view, the chaos of the world stemmed from people like Aaron too many of them, in fact. Individuals with monstrous strength who treated nobles and rulers like him as if they were nothing, trampling upon the order and laws that they had built. Such people were the true cause of the world's disorder.
Fortunately, these "monsters" were still human beings of flesh and blood with emotions, families, and desires. They could be influenced, guided, even manipulated. That was the only reason nobles like him could still keep a tenuous grip on the reins of control, preventing the world from plunging into total anarchy.
So Gilbert could understand why Dars and Aaron both refused him and in a sense, that made him trust them more. Having attachments meant they could be controlled. That was good.
But Regis was a different story entirely.
Why had Gilbert rejected Regis's proposal without hesitation?
Partly because the "Fury Drug" research data was immensely valuable but mostly because he had seen Regis for what he was: a monster without reins, uncontrollable and dangerous. Handing him the research would only breed greater disaster down the line.
"I see… what a pity, then. I must apologize for disturbing your rest."
Gilbert took a deep breath, forcing down his anger, trying his best to maintain a polite façade as he prepared to end the call.
"Wait, Lord Gilbert," Aaron's calm voice interrupted him. "Your request I can still accept it, under one condition. You must first agree to the invisible man's demands.
"Let's be honest, those demands aren't exactly ruinous for a man of your wealth. What you're truly worried about is that he'll come back for more, right? But think further, my lord if you satisfy his demands now, he'll lower his guard. When he returns to extort you again, I'll be there to catch him. Then you'll be rid of your worries for good and you'll get your revenge."
Gilbert, who had been about to hang up, froze. Aaron's words made his eyes brighten; the gloom in his heart lifted slightly.
"That's right… why didn't I think of that myself? Smart young man. I must've been too angry to see it clearly before. What he says makes perfect sense this could actually work! If I can capture that damn invisible man and offer him to the Celestial Dragons as an explanation, then paying a little price is worth it."
Gilbert felt as though Aaron had snapped him out of a daze. His anger subsided, and his mind started working again, weighing pros and cons as he always did.
Two billion Berries.
A Bird-Bird Fruit.
And the release of a mermaid slave.
Of those three demands, Gilbert felt that only the last one was truly difficult to accept.
Two billion Berries? That was nothing. Once his ports returned to normal, he'd make that back in a week or two just from medicine sales and taxes.
The Bird-Bird Fruit? He could easily ask Doflamingo to procure one. With enough money, that greedy man would sell anything.
But the mermaid slave… that one he couldn't let go of so easily. She had been a rare treasure purchased from the Sabaody Archipelago after countless complications, at a cost several times higher than her actual price.
And more importantly he truly liked her.
He already had more money than he could count. Wealth was just numbers to him now. What he craved was power, prestige and the pleasure of rare possessions.
Owning that mermaid made him the most enviable noble in the entire Drum Kingdom, an unmatched symbol of luxury and status.
And now, that damned invisible man was demanding he let her go. It was like tearing his dignity away by force. It was intolerable.
For the first time, the man who viewed wealth as mere numbers began to hesitate.
Aaron noticed that Gilbert hadn't hung up but also hadn't responded. He didn't press him, he simply waited patiently, confident that Gilbert would make the "right" choice in the end.
Meanwhile, Akio watched Aaron with a complicated look.
He realized he had underestimated the young man.
He had expected Aaron to refuse Gilbert's request it was, after all, an obvious trap. The invisible man's strength was unknown, and taking the job could endanger not only himself but everyone close to him.
Yet Aaron had accepted and even proposed an ingenious strategy.
"What guts... to seize an opportunity like this, even at risk," Akio thought to himself, sighing inwardly. "That's the courage of youth. Regis and I… we've long lost that fire."
Indeed, opportunity and danger always walked hand in hand. Gilbert's commission was risky, yes but if Aaron succeeded, the rewards would be immense. His influence in Vilia Port would solidify further, and he might even gain a chance to lay eyes on Gilbert's newly conquered territory, Snowstorm City.
"…What are your terms?"
After a long pause, Gilbert finally spoke.
"As expected, nothing matters more to him than his own skin."
Aaron's lips curved slightly. He could tell Gilbert had already accepted his earlier condition.
When it came to his own life, the noble prince of Drum Kingdom would always choose the safest path.
And that meant Aaron would now get to fleece this golden goose not once but twice.
A double harvest.
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