One week had passed since they arrived in the Grand Line.
On the deck, the sun shone brightly. Nico Robin held her mother's adventure diary, her small face full of focus. It was Olvia's personal journal and Robin's most precious treasure. Whenever she had free time, she never let it leave her hands.
Olvia's injuries had stabilized under the careful care of the professors. At the moment, she was leaning against a lounge chair with a blanket draped over her, smiling as she watched her daughter.
"Mom," Robin suddenly looked up and asked softly, "The diary says... you used to eat something soft and sweet like a cloud... called 'cake.' What is that like?"
Olvia paused, and a trace of heartache flashed through her eyes. Robin had been alone since she was little. She had never even tasted the most ordinary desserts. Gently stroking her daughter's black hair, she said, "That's... the taste of happiness. I haven't had it in a long time either... When we reach a safe place, I definitely will..."
"You don't have to wait that long."
A calm voice interrupted them. Aiden walked over carrying a glass of water and happened to hear their conversation. He stopped and smiled.
Robin's eyes lit up the moment she saw him. "Aiden!"
Aiden crouched down so he was eye level with Robin. "Cake, right?" He gave her a mysterious wink. "Wait here for a moment."
"?"
Under Robin and Olvia's puzzled gazes, Aiden turned and walked into the ship's simple kitchen. A short while later, he came back out. In his hand was a clean white plate, and in the center sat a piece of soft white sponge cake.
"Wow!!" Robin's eyes widened instantly, sparkling with amazement. "Is this? Is this cake?"
"The ingredients are limited, so just make do with this for now." Aiden handed the plate and a small spoon to Robin.
Robin carefully accepted them. She scooped up a tiny piece with the spoon and put it into her mouth. In an instant, the soft texture and gentle sweetness won over her taste buds.
"It's delicious!" Robin narrowed her eyes happily, her little face almost buried in the plate. "Mom! This is... the taste of happiness!!"
She ate it one small bite at a time, her face filled with the pure joy a child her age should have had. Seeing that happy expression, Aiden could not help reaching out and gently rubbing Robin's head. Watching the scene, Olvia's eyes grew misty. She looked at Aiden with gratitude and a smile.
After several more days of sailing, the ship finally reached a famous island in the first half of the Grand Line, Jaya. Thanks to Aiden's navigation skills and the precise guidance of the Eternal Pose, the ship slowly docked at the chaotic harbor of Mock Town.
"Saul, Professor, stay on the ship," Aiden said. "Saul is too noticeable, and it isn't suitable for the professors to go ashore. Smoker, come with me to buy some supplies."
Professor Clover looked at the fierce-looking pirates outside and could not help feeling worried. "Mr. Aiden, we still have plenty of supplies. We don't need to restock yet."
Aiden simply nodded.
He remembered that Sky Island also used Berries. When the professors settled there in the future, they would need a decent amount of starting money. This time, his goal in going ashore was to find them a "sponsor."
He and Smoker changed into plain, unremarkable clothes and pulled up their hoods. Like two drops of water disappearing into the sea, they blended into the noisy crowd of Mock Town.
"Damn, the air in this place smells like spoiled rum and vomit mixed together."
Smoker frowned the moment he stepped onto land. As a Marine, he instinctively hated a lawless place like this where crime thrived. His whole body stayed tense.
"Relax. We're not here to enforce the law," Aiden said from beneath his hood, his voice calm. "We're here to ask for a donation."
Ignoring the malicious, sizing-up stares around them, he walked as though he were strolling through his own backyard. After a quick look around, Aiden locked onto a pirate reeking of alcohol. While Smoker watched in confusion, Aiden took the initiative and walked over.
"Excuse me, friend. Could you wait a moment?"
The pirate froze and looked at Aiden drunkenly. "Huh? Who the hell are you? You dare block my way?"
Aiden pulled a small money pouch from his pocket and quietly pressed it into the drunk pirate's hand. "A small gift," he said. His voice, muffled beneath the hood, sounded even more "sincere" when he laughed lightly. "My brother and I just arrived in this fine place and want to find a strong backer. You look impressive, so your pirate crew must be pretty strong, right? Could you... introduce us?"
The drunk pirate weighed the pouch in his hand and looked over Aiden and Smoker. Even with their faces hidden by their hoods, both of them were tall and solidly built. He immediately broke into a grin. He figured he had run into two strong but stupid idiots eager to join a crew.
"Haha! You've got good eyes!" the pirate said proudly, puffing out his chest. "Follow me! Our boss is 'Great Bull' Whitman, a big shot worth 22 million Berries!"
The drunk pirate led them through the chaotic streets, acting full of importance all the way. Soon, they arrived at a tavern in town. It was clearly the base of the Great Bull Pirates. The place was thick with smoke and foul air, and dozens of pirates were drinking and making noise.
"Boss!" the drunk pirate shouted excitedly as he shoved through the crowd and pointed at Aiden and Smoker. "Two newcomers want to join us!"
All the pirates stopped at once and turned to look. Sitting in the main seat was a burly, muscular man with a scar on his face, "Great Bull" Whitman. He had two women in his arms. He lifted his sleepy, drunken eyes and looked over. "Oh? You want to join? Then what can you do? Show me."
Aiden still had his hood on. Ignoring the laughter around him, he walked straight to the middle of the hall. Smoker stood behind him with a dark look on his face.
"Hello," Aiden said calmly. "Your subordinate may have misunderstood. I actually came here because I wanted to 'borrow' some money from you."
The entire tavern fell silent for three seconds.
"Pfft. Hahahaha!!"
"What did this brat just say?! He wants to borrow money from the boss?!"
"How much cheap booze did he drink? Did it fry his brain?!"
Whitman himself laughed so hard tears came out. He pushed the women aside and stood up, pointing at Aiden as he laughed until he was out of breath. "Kid! Have you lost your mind?! Do you know who I am? I'm a man worth 22 million..."
Bang!
Sin Points + 12,320
At some point, a pistol had appeared in Aiden's hand. A wisp of smoke rose from the barrel. Whitman's laughter stopped instantly. A scorched bullet hole sat right in the center of his forehead. The smile on his face froze, and his large body toppled straight forward. With a thud, he crashed over the drinking table.
The deafening laughter in the tavern was cut off on the spot. Every pirate's face froze, as if they had all been struck by the same spell. Aiden calmly blew across the barrel, then slowly turned the gun and aimed it at the one-eyed pirate standing beside Whitman, the vice-captain.
Aiden's voice was still calm, as though he were simply asking for directions. "Now, you should be the boss. Can you give us... the money?"
The one-eyed vice-captain finally snapped out of his shock. His extreme surprise turned into towering rage. "You bastard! Do you want to die?"
He had only just pulled the sword from his waist.
Bang!
Sin Points + 9,800
Blood burst from the one-eyed man's chest. He looked down at it in disbelief, then collapsed as well.
Aiden moved the gun again. First, he pointed it at the pirate who had brought them there, who was now so frightened he had collapsed onto the floor. Aiden merely glanced at him before looking away in disgust. Then he aimed at another pirate officer in the tavern who clearly held some status.
Aiden showed that same gentle smile again. "Now, it should be your turn to be the boss. Can you give us the money?"
The newly promoted "third-generation" boss looked at the two twitching corpses on the ground, and his whole body started shaking violently. He dropped to his knees with a thud and waved his hands frantically, his voice already on the verge of tears. "Yes! Of course you can!!"
He whipped his head around and roared at the pirates who were already scared out of their minds. "What are you idiots still standing there for?! Hurry up! Bring out all the money! All the treasure! Bring everything for these two sirs!! Hurry!!"
A few minutes later, under the respectful and terrified gazes of everyone in the tavern, Aiden and Smoker walked out calmly carrying several heavy chests. By rough estimate, the pirate crew's liquid assets came to nearly 30 million Berries.
After buying a pile of supplies, the two of them headed back toward the harbor. Smoker still looked a little confused.
"Aiden!" He lowered his voice, clearly unhappy. "What the hell are you doing? Why didn't you kill them all? Don't you hate living pirates more than anything?"
"Smoker, don't forget our identity," Aiden replied calmly.
Smoker froze. "What identity?"
"Missing persons." Aiden glanced at him. "Our story is that we're two poor recruits who were knocked unconscious and abducted by that 500-million-Berries 'Demon' Arise, then barely escaped with our lives. If we cause a massacre in Mock Town and someone takes a photo, it'll be hard to explain later, right?"
Smoker was left speechless.
"A massacre draws too much attention. It's not worth it." Aiden weighed the money chest in his hand. "But in a place like Mock Town, if the boss and vice-captain get killed by two newcomers trying to climb up, that's called 'internal strife.' It's the kind of death that happens here every day. No one will care, and it definitely won't make the papers. This is the best way to avoid exposing ourselves. Understand?"
Smoker's face darkened. Even though he still did not like it, he had to admit Aiden's logic was flawless.