After Mihawk left, the G-17 Branch returned to its usual peaceful state.
For most people, this peace was a blessing. It meant no war and no bloodshed. Even the pirates who usually acted like tyrants now took long detours whenever they heard the name of the "Reaper."
The Golden Route had never been so smooth. Merchant ships came and went constantly, bringing incredible tax revenue and prosperity to the fortress.
But for Aiden, these days were getting a little boring.
"Yawwwn..."
In the top-floor office of the base, Aiden had his legs propped up on his large desk. He held a copy of today's newspaper, flipping through it with complete boredom.
"More boring news... Some pirate crew was captured, some country's princess is getting married. Is the sea a little too peaceful lately?"
He tossed the newspaper aside and took a sip of the black tea next to him. He frowned slightly. "How come even the tea doesn't taste as good as last week's?"
On a nearby sofa, Smoker was sitting cross-legged. He held a white cloth and carefully cleaned his Seastone weapon. Hearing Aiden complain, he rolled his eyes and blew out a thick cloud of smoke. "Just be happy with what you have. Other branch commanders are worn out every day catching pirates and worrying about money. You sit here counting so much money your hands probably hurt, and you're still complaining about being bored?"
"You don't understand."
Aiden sighed and looked out at the unchanging blue sea. "People need excitement. Especially when you realize everyone around you is too weak to challenge you... that kind of loneliness gets old fast."
"Tsk, keep pretending."
Smoker scoffed. Even so, he secretly agreed a little.
Not just Aiden. Even Smoker himself felt like he had gotten a little too comfortable in this peaceful stretch.
"Then how about this?" A competitive look flashed in Smoker's eyes. "We send a request to Headquarters and go to the New World. I heard things have been pretty chaotic over there lately."
"No way."
Aiden rejected it without thinking. "I'm just complaining to you. Do you think I'm crazy enough to run into the New World and risk my life fighting those monsters?"
While the two were talking.
Brring-brring-brring, brring-brring-brring...
The Den Den Mushi on the desk, which had not rung in a long time, suddenly let out a sharp and urgent cry.
Aiden and Smoker both turned serious at once.
This special Den Den Mushi was only used for direct contact from Marine Headquarters.
Aiden took his legs off the desk, sat up straight, and picked up the receiver. "This is Aiden."
"It's me, Tsuru."
Vice Admiral Tsuru's steady voice came from the other end. But this time, her voice sounded more tired and heavier than usual.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru?" Aiden raised an eyebrow and felt a little relieved. He greeted her casually. "What a rare call. What's wrong? Is Headquarters short on money again? Are you asking for a donation?"
"Stop joking around."
Tsuru ignored his joke and got straight to the point. "I'm calling because there is a special mission. Fleet Admiral Kong and Sengoku are here with me. This is a top-level order from Headquarters."
Aiden's expression changed. He gestured to Smoker. Smoker understood right away and got up to check the doors and windows before standing guard at the entrance.
"Go ahead. What kind of mission needs all of you involved?" Aiden asked.
"We need you to deal with a king."
Tsuru lowered her voice. "A king of a World Government member nation. We need you to... clean him up."
Aiden was stunned. Then he leaned back and rolled his eyes. "Vice Admiral Tsuru, did you call the wrong number? I'm a Captain and the Base Commander of the G-17 Branch. You want me to do dirty assassination work?"
"Shouldn't this kind of shadow work be handled by those masked dogs in CP? Just send them. I refuse."
Aiden's answer was firm. He was not stupid enough to clean up the World Government's or the Celestial Dragons' mess.
The other end of the line went silent for a few seconds before Tsuru let out a helpless sigh.
"If the CP organizations could solve this, I wouldn't be calling you."
"To be honest, before contacting you, the World Government already sent several groups of CP agents. Some were even elites from CP0."
"And the result?"
"Total annihilation."
Tsuru took a deep breath. "They disappeared without even making a sound. That country not only has immense military power and a massive iron fleet, but the king also seems to have gathered some terrifying monsters around him."
"On top of that, that nation is a major power. The Heavenly Gold they pay every year is an astronomical amount. They are an important source of wealth for the World Government. The higher-ups do not want to, and cannot, publicly launch a Buster Call or use other extreme measures. That would cause political chaos."
"So, we need someone strong enough to handle it perfectly, and smart enough to do it properly."
"I'm not going. Not for any amount of money."
Aiden's attitude was rock solid. "Anyone who wants that mess can take it. I just want to sleep at my base."
Tsuru paused, and her tone became more sincere. "Aiden, most of the Vice Admirals are on other missions right now. Looking at the entire Marine force, only you have the ability to handle this."
"Don't flatter me." Aiden was not moved at all. "If everyone else is busy, does that mean I'm not? I have to count money every day. I mean, I have to protect the Golden Route and train recruits. I'm very busy."
"Aiden, at least hear the reason before deciding," Tsuru said helplessly, still trying to persuade him.
"Mhm." Aiden gave a casual response. He did not hang up, but he was only half listening.
Seeing that he had not refused again right away, Tsuru continued, "That country has crossed a red line. They are secretly researching ancient technology and trying to turn it into a weapon. This is something the World Government absolutely forbids."
"So what?" Aiden yawned and still sounded lazy. "What does that have to do with me? Even if the world is about to end, there are bigger people than me to handle it. Akainu and the others are around. It is not a Captain's job to worry about that."
Tsuru seemed to have expected this answer. She continued in an earnest tone. "This is not just a mission. If he really succeeds in controlling that ancient power..."
She paused, and her voice turned very heavy. "Their king, Friedrich, is a complete madman. He has already turned the entire Black Steel Empire into a war machine. If ancient technology is added on top of that, then the consequences..."
"Wait a second."
Aiden suddenly interrupted Tsuru.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, what did you just say?"
"What did I just say?" Tsuru was confused, but she repeated herself. "Their king, Friedrich, is a complete..."
"The part after that. You went too far back," Aiden cut in.
"He turned the entire Black Steel Empire into a war machine. Why?"
"Black Steel Empire... Black Steel Empire..."
Aiden repeated those words in a low voice, and a strong sense of familiarity rushed into his mind.
In the next second, with a thought, the blue system screen that only he could see opened in front of his eyes.
He quickly flipped to the bottom of the task list, to the [Viktor's Regret] section that had stayed silent ever since he killed Viktor.
As expected!
Lines of faint glowing text appeared clearly:
[Viktor's Regret: Protective Obsession]
Description:"Roka Kingdom... that is a land abandoned by the gods. The barren land cannot produce Gold, so we were shut out by the World Government. The armies of the Black Steel Empire trample my homeland every year, and my people are crying... I must obtain the status of a Warlord! Only then can I get the protection of the World Government!"
Task Goal: Protect "Roka Kingdom" and save it from the invasion of the "Black Steel Empire."
"Tsk..."
Aiden looked at the words "Black Steel Empire" and thought to himself.
"I knew it sounded familiar..."
The world really was small.
After all this time, this side task that he had ignored had suddenly appeared in front of him again.
Aiden quickly thought through the pros and cons.
If he did not take this mission, Roka Kingdom would most likely be destroyed by the fast-rising Black Steel Empire. That would mean his legacy task would fail, and the rewards would be gone. That part was not a big deal, since Viktor himself did not have many abilities worth taking.
However...
"Secretly digging up ancient weapons... wiped out several groups of CP agents... and is even invading neighboring countries..."
Behind all those crimes, there was usually an unbelievable "Sin Rating."
For Aiden, who called himself the "Sin Nemesis," this was no longer a troublesome mission. It was a perfect target.
Aiden was, at heart, a kind person. He simply liked punishing evil and helping good people. Sin Points were just a small bonus along the way.
Aiden's gaze moved across the system screen. Although the words [Rank SSS] represented his current limit, the rows of gray [???] levels showed that there were still higher realms of power.
The growth of his Observation Haki had already proven that there was still a path forward. Even if the system could not directly upgrade him right now, no one could say that the next door would stay closed forever once his body or other abilities reached a new level.
When that time came, he would definitely need a huge amount of Sin Points.
He had to prepare in advance.
Since the Black Steel Empire was not only evil but had also taken the initiative to jump out in front of him, this mission no longer looked troublesome at all.
Thinking of this, Aiden quickly changed his expression and tone.
"Ahem."
He cleared his throat and spoke into the receiver. "Well... Vice Admiral Tsuru."
"Yes?" Tsuru immediately noticed the change in his tone.
"Sigh..." Aiden let out a long sigh, and his voice suddenly became full of duty and justice. "I've thought it over carefully. Even though this mission is dangerous and troublesome, what you just said moved me."
"I don't want to make things harder for you with the higher-ups. Since no one else can do it, then I'll go."
"I'll take this trouble."
Tsuru was clearly stunned on the other end of the line. She was obviously confused by Aiden's sudden change of attitude.
A moment ago, he had been refusing no matter what. Now he had completely changed?
What exactly was this kid thinking?
However, Tsuru was far too experienced to focus on that. She simply went along with it. "I'm glad you have this level of awareness. Remember, it must be done cleanly. You cannot leave behind any direct evidence of Marine involvement."
"Don't worry," Aiden said confidently.
After discussing a few more details with Tsuru, Aiden hung up the phone.
"Whew..."
He tossed the receiver back onto the base. The righteous look on his face disappeared and was replaced by the excitement of a hunter spotting prey.
"Black Steel Empire... King Friedrich..."
Smoker, who had heard the phone hang up, pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing Aiden rubbing his hands together, he looked suspicious. "What's going on? You were complaining about being bored a second ago, but after one phone call, you're acting like something huge just happened."
"You could say that." Aiden smiled, and the excitement in his eyes was impossible to hide.
He stood up, grabbed his coat, and walked to the giant sea chart on the wall. His eyes were shining with excitement. "I'm going out on a secret mission."
"A mission? How many men are you taking?" Smoker asked immediately. "I'll go gather the soldiers right now."
"No."
Aiden raised his hand to stop Smoker. "I don't need anyone this time, and you aren't coming either."
He turned around and looked at Smoker. His tone was calm, but there was no room for argument. "I'll go alone on this mission. Starting tomorrow, I'll be leaving the G-17 Branch for a while. Everything here will be under your command for now."
"Huh?!" Smoker's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?! Going alone?!"
To Be Continued
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