"——Merveille."
When Colonel Moore said that strange name in an unsure voice, the office went quiet.
Aiden's hand stopped in midair with the teacup still in it. The tea moved slightly in the cup, and his eyes narrowed.
On the surface, he still looked relaxed.
Even his breathing did not change, but his heart started beating faster.
"Merveille——"
He repeated the name silently in his mind.
A strong desire began to rise in his chest.
As someone who knew this world's history, how could he not know what that name meant?
That was no ordinary island.
That was the nest of "Golden Lion" Shiki.
It was the territory of the legendary great pirate, the leader of the Flying Pirates, the man who once stood on the same level as Roger and Whitebeard.
Even if Shiki had cut off his own legs to escape prison and had already lost part of his strength, and even with a steering wheel stuck in his head, he was still a clear SS-rank powerhouse.
Aiden's mind moved quickly.
Piece after piece of information joined together into a clear picture.
"In the original story, Shiki carried out his revenge plan, 'Destroy East Blue,' from a floating island called Merveille.
He used a local plant called 'IQ' to breed violent mutated beasts, and he stayed hidden there for twenty years."
It had only been about a month since Shiki escaped from Impel Down.
Aiden felt his throat go dry.
His eyes burned with excitement.
Right now, Shiki was strong, but he was alone.
He did not have his great fleet yet, and he did not have thousands of mutated beasts protecting him yet.
Most importantly, if Aiden did not act now, Shiki would later raise Merveille high into the sky.
Once it was hidden above the clouds, where would he find him?
"I don't have that much patience.
If I'm going to take a first kill, then I'll take the biggest one."
"If I can kill him——"
Aiden gripped the teacup a little harder, and his knuckles turned white.
If he successfully hunted this legend from the old era, what kind of reward would he get?
A peak physique? Shiki's two famous swords? Or Shiki's swordsmanship that could cut the sea ?
Any one of those would raise Aiden's strength by a huge amount.
He could jump past the Admiral level and truly stand at the top of this world.
The temptation was too great.
It was enough to make Aiden throw away all his earlier plans.
Aiden slowly let out a breath.
Then he gently put the cooling teacup down on the desk.
"Whew——"
His eyes became calm again, but inside them there was now a colder and firmer look than usual.
Now that he knew this was Shiki's territory, everything had changed.
If Smoker took hundreds of new recruits, men who only knew how to win easy fights, to Merveille, that would not be training.
That would be feeding them to Shiki's beasts.
Besides the risk of everyone dying, alerting the enemy was also unacceptable.
If Shiki got suspicious and lifted the island into the sky, this chance would be gone.
This kind of prey had to be approached quietly by the right hunter, then killed in one strike.
"Change of plans."
Aiden suddenly stood up.
His lazy air disappeared and was replaced by a sharp pressure that made him hard to ignore.
The hem of his coat moved through the air as he walked toward the door.
"What's wrong?"
Smoker, who had been about to go gather the troops with a cigar in his mouth, stopped in surprise.
"I already figured out how to train those brats."
"No need."
Aiden did not stop.
His voice was low and firm, leaving no room for doubt.
"The training is canceled. Everyone stays at the base for regular drills."
"Huh?!"
Smoker's eyes widened.
"Are you kidding? Didn't you just say we should show them some real action? Why the sudden change?"
Aiden stopped and turned his head.
He spoke in a serious tone, making it sound like he was thinking of the bigger picture.
"I thought about it. That place has a chaotic magnetic field and is full of wild beasts.
There's a high chance they won't come back. It's not a good place for training."
"I want to train them, not send them to die.
I spent a lot of money and effort building this team. It would hurt to lose them all in that hellhole."
Aiden gave his excuse and continued,
"So I'll go scout it out first. I need to confirm whether the danger level can be controlled."
"Scouting?"
Smoker frowned.
"Can't we just send a few scouts?"
"That place is too dangerous even for scouts."
Aiden shook his head.
"It's better if I go myself."
After saying that, he ignored Smoker's protest and pushed the door open.
But just as he was about to step out of the office—
"Wait a minute."
A cold voice came from the corner of the room.
Gion, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly put down her coffee cup.
She stood up, her long legs moving quickly to block Aiden's path.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at him.
"Aiden, you're acting strange."
Gion's voice was soft, but it hit the point exactly.
"I've known you for a long time. Since when did you start caring this much about your subordinates?"
"Your eyes don't look like someone going to scout for danger."
Gion stepped half a step closer.
Her presence suddenly sharpened.
She spoke slowly and clearly.
"It looks more like... you're going to hunt something that interests you."
Aiden looked at Gion standing in his way and sighed inwardly.
"This woman's instincts are too sharp," he thought.
He stayed silent for two seconds, then gave a helpless shrug.
A small smile appeared on his face as he told a half-truth.
"Nothing can hide from the Rear Admiral's eyes."
"You're right. I am very interested in that place."
Aiden lowered his voice and spoke in a mysterious tone.
"Think about it. A primitive island that almost no one visits, and so many beasts.
I'm hoping to find a beast there that can really challenge me."
The reason was a little weak, but believable enough.
"Is that so?"
Gion still looked at him with suspicion.
"Of course."
Aiden kept a straight face.
"This mission is dangerous, so I won't trouble everyone else. I'll go alone."
"No."
Gion's refusal was absolute.
She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, completely blocking his way out.
"Don't forget my position. I am your Special Inspector.
Until you fully pass your probation period, you cannot leave my sight."
"And——"
The corners of Gion's mouth curled into a meaningful smile.
Her hand rested lightly on the hilt of Konpira at her waist.
"If you really are going there to check the situation, then I definitely need to see it too.
Anything that makes you look like this... I want to see what it is."
"I'm going on this trip too."
Aiden looked at the determined Gion and quickly weighed the pros and cons in his head.
"——Fine."
Aiden sighed and acted like he was giving in.
"Since the Inspector insists, I have to obey. But let's agree on one thing.
If there is real danger, don't try to be a hero."
"No problem."
Gion nodded with satisfaction.
A flash of mischief appeared in her eyes.
"As long as you don't do anything reckless."
The two of them reached an agreement and turned to leave.
"Hey!! Wait!!"
Smoker, who had been treated like he was invisible, finally exploded.
He rushed up to stop them, looking shocked and angry.
"What about me?! So you two are going on a 'honeymoon'—I mean, scouting trip—and leaving me here alone?!"
"I'm the adjutant! I'm going too!"
"What would you do there?"
Aiden stopped and looked Smoker up and down with open disgust.
"Can you fly?"
"I——"
Smoker choked.
"I can fly with my elemental form!"
"How high can you fly? How long can you stay up? Can you work with me in the sky?"
Aiden asked three questions in a row.
Smoker had no answer.
His Smoke-Smoke Fruit allowed him to fly, but it was more like using smoke to move himself.
It was completely different from the true flight Aiden had with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
"Besides, someone needs to run the base."
Aiden walked over and patted Smoker on the shoulder seriously, acting like he was giving him an important job.
"We have hundreds of soldiers who just got paid and still aren't stable yet.
Who else can keep them under control besides you?"
"What if pirates attack while we're gone? What if that coward Moore can't handle things?"
"Smoker, guarding the base is more important than scouting.
This is my greatest trust in you."
After hearing all that, Smoker felt that something was wrong, but he could not find a good way to argue back.
"——Fine."
Smoker let out a gloomy puff of smoke.
Then he sat down on the sofa and waved his hand.
"Go, just go! I guess I was born to be a doorman!"