In an unknown sea within the first half of the Grand Line.
The sun was high in the sky. The sea was as flat as a giant mirror, reflecting a blinding white light. There was no wind at all, only a heavy, suffocating heat.
"Creak... Creak..."
A small, worn-out wooden boat floated alone on the water, rising and falling with the tiny waves.
Aiden sat cross-legged at the back of the boat. He wore sunglasses and held two rough wooden oars, lazily rowing through the water.
He wore his usual black shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing his toned forearms.
"This is what you call... the vibe of a master."
Aiden rowed mechanically while trying to convince himself.
Scenes from the manga in his past life appeared in his mind.
A guy like Hawk-Eyes Mihawk always sat in a small coffin boat, with two green candles lit on it, drifting through storms and giant waves. It looked lonely and cool.
And then there was Kuzan, riding a broken bicycle across the frozen sea at a slow pace. Calm and relaxed.
"That's right. A real top powerhouse should travel like this."
Aiden adjusted his sunglasses. A confident smile appeared on his face. "One man, one boat, traveling thousands of miles alone. When I slowly arrive at the Black Steel Empire's port and step out of the mist, those country people who haven't seen the world before will be so shocked their jaws will drop, right?"
"This kind of pressure, this kind of mystery... tsk, perfect."
To chase this so-called style, Aiden had refused Smoker's offer of a warship. He didn't even take a motorboat. He just grabbed a broken boat that some fishermen didn't want at the port and set off.
Ten minutes passed.
Half an hour passed.
Aiden: ...
Aiden stopped rowing.
It wasn't because he was tired. With his current body, he wouldn't feel tired even if he rowed for ten days and nights.
It was just... too boring.
And the speed was terrible. On this vast ocean, with no sail and no power, rowing with only two hands meant he would probably arrive next year. Most importantly, this kind of pointless repeated work made him feel like an idiot.
"This is way too slow..."
Aiden took off his sunglasses and scratched his head in annoyance. He finally couldn't help but complain, "How does that freak Mihawk do it? Doesn't he get bored? Or does his coffin boat actually have some kind of hidden engine under it?"
He threw the oars aside and turned around to see how far he had gotten after half an hour.
The next second.
Aiden's expression froze.
Not far behind him, the tall black steel fortress of the G-17 Branch was still clearly visible. He could even see the dock workers moving around like ants at the port.
On the highest watchtower, he could vaguely see a few soldiers on duty holding binoculars. They were pointing at him and talking. They were probably discussing whether their invincible Base Commander had some strange hobby, like drifting near the shore in broad daylight.
Aiden: (#皿)
Crackle!!!
Aiden turned into a bolt of violent lightning and shot into the sky. He drew a bright line through the air and decisively gave up on the broken little boat, flying straight back toward the G-17 Branch.
Ten minutes later.
A fifteen-meter-long silver-white single-person luxury speedboat tore through the sea like an arrow, leaving a long white trail behind it.
Inside the cabin, the air conditioning was on full blast, making the place cool and comfortable.
Aiden lay lazily on a leather seat, holding a glass of juice filled with ice. The dashboard in front of him showed that the boat was already on auto-cruise.
"Whew..."
Aiden took a sip of the cold juice and let out a satisfied sigh. "As expected, technology is the best."
"Forget that monk-style training and those so-called master vibes. That's all nonsense. Air conditioning and cold drinks, this is how people are supposed to live."
He crossed his legs comfortably and picked up a stack of documents from the console.
They were the latest intelligence reports sent from Headquarters before he left, all about his destination: the Black Steel Empire.
The Black Steel Empire was a large island nation in one of the Grand Line seas. It had once been a famously poor country with few resources and weak military strength. For years, it had suffered pirate attacks and bullying from neighboring nations.
The turning point came five years ago.
The current king, Friedrich II, took the throne. This ruler, known for his iron-fisted methods, had used only three years to make the country rise quickly through aggressive reform and military rule.
Aiden looked at the photo in the report.
It showed a thin middle-aged man with a gloomy gaze. He wore a sharp dark military uniform, and medals covered his chest. Even through the black-and-white photo, one could feel an uncomfortable sense of fanaticism and paranoia from him.
"In just a few years, it went from a weak country anyone could bully to a military power with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and fleets moving through the nearby seas..."
Aiden tapped the paper lightly with his finger. "This kind of growth doesn't look normal."
His eyes moved to the next paragraph.
The country has metalworking and cannon-making technology far beyond that of nearby nations. The "Black Steel" alloy it produces is extremely hard. Even Marine Headquarters has purchased small amounts of it for warship armor.
"So that's how they got rich." Aiden nodded and kept reading.
But the next part of the report was much darker.
After becoming rich and powerful, the Black Steel Empire had not stopped. Using "living space" and "reclaiming old territories" as excuses, King Friedrich had begun a mad invasion of nearby countries that were not World Government members.
At present, three small countries had already been fully annexed, and their citizens had been turned into laborers.
Aiden turned the page and saw a line marked in bold red.
Regarding the Royal Family's special combat power: Intelligence unknown.
The World Government sent three groups of CP agents to secretly investigate and confirm whether they were illegally researching ancient technology. All groups lost contact.
Danger Assessment: Extremely Dangerous. Members of the Royal Family possess terrifying strength.
Aiden put down the report. Victor's bounty poster appeared in his mind.
Victor's 360 million Berry bounty existed because he had once broken into the Black Steel Empire's royal palace alone to assassinate King Friedrich.
Although the assassination failed, he ended up on the bounty list because of it.
"Even a guy like Victor, who had an [S] rank ability, still failed. He was even forced to go to sea as a pirate and try to save his country by becoming a Shichibukai..."
Aiden rubbed his chin. "That means the palace is definitely not simple."
"And those idiots in the World Government knew why Victor got that bounty. Didn't they do any research before sending people to die?"
He shook his head and tossed the red-marked top-secret report aside.
"I don't care what kind of monsters they are."
Aiden looked out the window at the endless sea.
After his battle with Golden Lion Shiki, there were not many people left on this ocean who could truly cause him trouble.
As for those so-called monsters...
"I hope they're at least more interesting than Golden Lion."
He closed his eyes, leaned back in his seat, and quietly waited to reach his destination.
The speedboat gradually approached the territorial waters of the Black Steel Empire.
The environment visibly changed.
The clear blue sky slowly turned gray. The air carried a faint smell of coal smoke and rusted metal.
Even the seawater had turned dark, with a heavy lead-gray color that made the whole place feel oppressive.
"Hum... Hum..."
In the distance, several giant warships were patrolling.
They were not the usual wooden sailing ships pirates used. These were ironclads made entirely of black metal.
The hulls were sharp and plain, without any extra decoration. Only the black cannon muzzles gave off a cold and threatening feeling.
On the masts flew a black flag with red markings. Its symbol was a steel eagle spreading its wings.
"This level of industry..." Aiden narrowed his eyes slightly. "They really do have something."
With his strength, he could easily destroy this fleet. But compared to the armies of most small countries in the pirate world, this was already on a completely different level.
After taking everything in, Aiden drove the boat toward the port. He had no intention of sneaking in.
This was still a legal World Government member nation with lawful foreign trade.
The searchlights from the patrol ships swept across the fast-moving speedboat. After confirming it carried no heavy weapons and was heading toward the civilian dock, they pulled the lights away and let him pass.
A few minutes later.
Aiden successfully docked the speedboat at Ironforge Pier.
This was a port city used for foreign trade. But even at the civilian dock, one could clearly feel the strict control unique to this country.
There was none of the usual noise and mess of a normal port. The dock workers wore the same gray uniforms and moved cargo in silence and with precision.
Aiden tossed a 100-Berry coin to the dock manager as a docking fee. The man only coldly checked the amount and handed over a pass. He didn't say a single extra word, and he did not hint for a tip.
"What an uncomfortable level of discipline."
Aiden took the pass and went through the checkpoint smoothly.
As he walked down the wide streets and looked at the city around him, the surprise in his eyes grew stronger.
He had originally thought that a country this obsessed with war and invasion would be full of suffering and hunger.
Or maybe it would be like Udon in Wano Country from the manga, with weapon factories spewing black smoke, ragged laborers with dead eyes, overseers with whips, and despair everywhere.
However.
When he actually entered the city, the sight in front of him stunned him.
What he saw was a highly organized city. One could even call it prosperous.
The wide streets were paved with smooth cement. Uniform stone buildings stood on both sides.
Huge steam pipes climbed along the outer walls like veins, releasing rhythmic roaring sounds. In the distance, a giant mechanical clock tower stood in the center of the city, with huge gears slowly turning behind a glass wall.
People were coming and going through the streets.
The men wore gray-blue work clothes or dark jackets. The women wore plain long dresses. Although the colors were dull and a little depressing, everyone's clothes were clean. There were no patches, and there were definitely no beggars in rags.
People moved quickly, always in a hurry. Their faces did not show the dull emptiness of people being crushed by oppression. Instead, they carried a strange sense of purpose.
Aiden stood at a street corner and watched all of this. He frowned slightly. "This place looks more organized than the family area in Marineford."
The strong gap between what he expected and what he was actually seeing made him feel uneasy.
"Grrr..."
His stomach growled at the perfect time. After flying back and forth in anger that morning, he had not eaten much.
Aiden spotted a bakery by the road and pushed the door open.
The shop was filled with the smell of freshly baked bread. The shelves were packed with different kinds of bread. There was not much variety, but every loaf looked solid and filling.
Aiden picked up a loaf of white bread and looked at the price tag.
[50 Berries]
Aiden was a little surprised.
On most islands in the Grand Line, white bread of this quality would cost at least 150 or even 200 Berries.
Were prices here really this low?
"Guest, you're from out of town, right?"
The owner was a chubby middle-aged man. Seeing Aiden's surprised expression, he showed a proud smile. "Cheap, right? Haha, that's all thanks to the great King Friedrich!"
The owner pointed at a portrait hanging on the wall.
It was a portrait of King Friedrich. His eyes looked firm and sharp as he stared into the distance.
"A few years ago, we even had to eat tree bark. It was His Majesty who drove away those greedy vampires, rebuilt the factories, and let every one of us eat our fill!"
As the owner spoke, he quickly wrapped the bread. A fanatical light filled his eyes. "As long as we follow His Majesty, our lives will only get better! For the Empire!"
Aiden paid and walked out of the bakery.
He finally understood where that uneasy feeling had come from.
As he walked down the street, his ears were filled with aggressive military music and speeches from speakers set up along the road.
"This is a righteous war! We are reclaiming stolen land!"
"For the glory of the Empire! So our future generations will never go hungry again!"
When a squad of heavily armed patrol soldiers marched past, the citizens on the street did not shrink back in fear like they would in many other countries. Instead, they all stopped and took off their hats in respect. Some children even saluted them with excitement.
The look in their eyes was not fear.
It was fanatical worship.
Aiden took a bite of the soft bread. It tasted very sweet.
"That Friedrich is very good at brainwashing people."
He used the wealth stolen through war to fill his people's stomachs. Then he used that gratitude to tie the entire nation to his war machine, turning everyone into an accomplice to invasion.
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out in a small square ahead.
"Let go of me!! Why are you arresting people?! I just bumped into him by accident!!"
A rough voice shouted loudly.
Aiden looked up.
He saw a few sailors in foreign clothes. They seemed to have drunk too much and were arguing with a local man.
In the normal logic of the pirate world, this would have been nothing more than an ordinary street fight.
However.
Clatter...
Before the sailors could do anything, the crowd around them suddenly went quiet and stepped aside on its own.
A squad of soldiers in black uniforms and black helmets walked out of a nearby alley like dark shadows.
They did not waste words or ask questions.
The leader of the military police only gave the shouting sailor a cold look, then raised his hand and brought the black baton in his grip down hard.
Crack!
A chilling sound rang out.
The sailor's arm broke instantly. Before he could even scream, another soldier smashed his mouth with a rifle butt. Teeth flew out with blood.
"Disturbing the peace. Insulting a citizen of the Empire. Take them away."
The captain spoke coldly.
The soldiers dragged the terrified sailors away like dead dogs and quickly disappeared down the street.
The entire process took less than a minute.
The surrounding citizens watched with indifference. No one showed sympathy. Someone even spat on the ground.
"Savage outsiders. They don't know the rules."
"They deserved it."
Aiden stood among the crowd and watched the soldiers disappear. His eyes narrowed.
He clearly noticed that although these men were only public order troops, their equipment and discipline were already better than many Marine branch soldiers.
"The quality of a country where everyone is trained like a soldier, added to fanatical belief, plus this extreme xenophobia and coldness..."
Aiden swallowed the last bite of bread.
"No wonder they can crush the surrounding countries. Even the Roka Kingdom Victor came from had no way to fight back."
"This isn't a country. It's a giant war machine."
Night fell.
Aiden found the tallest hotel in the city and stayed there.
He didn't turn on the light. He stood by the window and looked down at this steel beast that was still brightly lit in the night.
In the distance, at the edge of the city, a giant black factory stood on a mountain peak. Countless chimneys surrounded it, pouring out black smoke. It looked like some huge monster crouching over the land.
And this was only a border port city of the Empire.
The territory of the Black Steel Empire was vast, far beyond the size of a normal island nation.
Even with his Observation Haki spread to the limit and boosted by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Aiden still could not fully cover the entire territory of this massive empire.
"It really is a giant..."
To Be Continued
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