As Aaron dispatched his forces to support the other divisions within his territory, the scattered skirmishes across the area quickly came to an end.
The invading enemies were nearly wiped out, only a handful managed to flee when they realized the tide had turned against them.
This large-scale underworld conflict concluded with Aaron's Frosthorn Gang emerging as the overwhelming victor.
For a time, the Frosthorn Gang's influence in Villia Harbor surged dramatically. The fame of Aaron, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, skyrocketed along with it, earning him the genuine respect and wariness of every major faction in the city.
After this night's battle, Aaron had finally secured his place among Villia Harbor's top-tier powerhouses.
At the same time, several high-ranking figures from other groups swiftly changed their previous cold attitude toward the Frosthorn Gang, now showing excessive warmth and enthusiasm.
However, despite the victory, Aaron's forces had suffered significant losses.
Of their six hundred ordinary members, nearly half were wiped out in the battle.
Among the six division captains, each as strong as a mid-level gang boss; Els and Gabdon were gravely injured.
Victor and Arina had both slain their opponents but were themselves badly wounded.
Buga perished alongside his enemy, while Lombaton managed to defeat his foe but lost his left arm in the process.
Beyond personnel losses, much of the district's infrastructure was destroyed.
Many ordinary residents were accidentally caught up in the fighting, leading to heavy civilian casualties.
There was no doubt, Aaron's organization would have to pay a large amount in compensation and condolence funds.
Even so, after this battle, Aaron and his gang had truly secured their footing within Villia Harbor, now standing as a formidable power no one could ignore.
"Looks like the results are quite satisfactory, Nobes."
Inside the Fury Drug Research Lab, Aaron smiled faintly at Nobes, who came rushing in with visible excitement.
As the leader and strongest fighter of his organization, Aaron's main responsibilities were to train, strengthen his abilities, handle difficult enemies, and make key strategic decisions.
The post-battle logistics and minor affairs were not his concern; those were matters for his subordinates to handle.
Delegating professional work to professionals was a skill Aaron had naturally mastered soon after taking leadership. And now, he had become quite adept at using it.
Thus, after the battle ended, Aaron briefly checked on his injured subordinates, gave instructions to Williams, Shuma, and Arina, and immediately went to the undamaged Fury Drug Research Lab to verify whether the "apology gift" he'd received from Sofia was truly as valuable as it seemed.
The gift Sofia had presented was indeed precious, one of the substitute materials for the final two key components required to synthesize the Fury Drug.
Aaron didn't know whether it was genuine or not, but since the underground pharmaceutical plant was located within Dars Gang territory, it was obvious that the Dars were aware of the Fury Drug's existence and had been conducting research on it.
So, it was highly likely that the substitute Sofia provided was one of the fruits of the Dars' years of experimentation.
"Yes, Mr. Aaron, you were absolutely right about that substitute material," Nobes said, his voice brimming with excitement.
"We now only have one final ingredient left to identify…"
But as he spoke, his expression turned sheepish.
These past weeks, he and his research team had worked tirelessly, day and night, searching for substitutes for the two rare, unmarketed materials burning through billions in research funds yet with little to show for it.
Now, to their embarrassment, it was Aaron a non-researcher who had found one of the substitutes first.
"Don't take it too hard, Nobes," Aaron said with a calm smile, patting him on the shoulder. "I've seen the effort you and your team have put in. I just stumbled upon that substitute by sheer luck. Keep up the good work."
Deeply moved by his leader's words, Nobes straightened his posture, promising to redouble his efforts and not let Aaron down.
Once Nobes had recovered his composure, Aaron's expression hardened.
"Nobes, put the research on hold for now," he said seriously. "We need to prioritize relocation. This lab's location has been exposed; we must move it in secret immediately. Also, start screening everyone in the lab carefully. I suspect we've got a rat in our midst."
If Sofia had been able to produce key Fury Drug components as her apology gift, it meant she was fully aware of the lab's existence and that knowledge was deadly dangerous.
Most of the personnel here were non-combatants.
If a spy leaked information or stole key data, the loss would be catastrophic.
"Understood," Nobes replied, beads of cold sweat running down his neck.
"I'll root out those damn rats myself."
His sharp mind immediately began sorting through potential suspects.
To accelerate research progress, Williams had recently recruited several famous experts from across the country but a few of them had been acting suspiciously. Nobes now suspected that one or more of them might be the infiltrator.
Meanwhile, outside Snowstorm City, within the royal army's encampment inside a massive military tent heavily guarded by elite soldiers.
The aging but still vigorous Supreme Commander of the Royal Army, Norland, sat at the head of the long table.
Lining both sides were officers of lieutenant rank and higher.
Among them was Mesfield; Aaron's clone, Arik sitting upright and attentive, listening seriously as Norland gave his address and detailed the operational plan for tomorrow's campaign.
After the speech and planning session came the daily battle performance report.
To boost morale, encourage competition, and ensure diligence, Norland held such briefings every day, rewarding or punishing officers according to their merit.
At Norland's signal, his adjutant stepped forward and began reading the report aloud.
Since Arik had captured Philip, the commander of the Blizzard Legion's Reindeer Cavalry, it came as no surprise that his name topped the merit list.
The gathered officers had already heard the news and were not shocked only envious or resentful.
After all, the Reindeer Cavalry was the Blizzard Legion's elite force, their primary weapon.
With Philip captured, that unit was now crippled, and the Blizzard Legion's combat power had been drastically reduced.
To them, it was obvious, Mesfield's promotion was now inevitable.
And sure enough, after the adjutant finished reporting Arik's achievements, Norland burst into delighted laughter.
"Lieutenant Mesfield, you've done exceptionally well! Another great merit under your belt! With the Blizzard Legion losing Philip, their reindeer cavalry is no longer a threat.
His Majesty is very pleased. In recognition of your contributions, His Majesty Gresham has decided to promote you to Major and grant you the title of Hereditary Viscount!"
"Thank you very much for His Majesty Gresham's gracious favor," Arik responded, rising to his feet and performing a flawless noble's bow, his expression full of genuine excitement.
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