Time rewound to half a day earlier, in the first half of the Grand Line, within the Calm Belt.
A small, battered boat barely stayed afloat on the sea. Four men on board, all listless and bearing wounds. If not for the Seastone embedded in the boat's hull, emitting the aura of the sea, they would have long been swallowed by Sea Kings.
"Look, a ship!"
Suddenly, one of the men on the small boat cried out in surprise, pointing into the distance. The other three abruptly looked up. Indeed, a red ship was visible in the distance.
"That's... the Kuja Pirates!"
The three men exclaimed in shock.
Indeed, that ship was being dragged by two gigantic sea snakes. Its red sails bore the skull emblem of nine snakes encasing a sun. No other ship could navigate the Calm Belt like this, except for the Kuja Pirates.
"Hey, help! Help!"
The four men on the small boat frantically rowed towards the Kuja Pirates' ship, shouting at the same time.
On the Kuja Pirates' Ship.
Daisy, who had been stifling a giggle, heard a series of shouts. She couldn't help but look up and saw a small boat with four men slowly approaching. The shouts were coming from that small boat.
"Hehehe, they're actually asking us, the Kuja Pirates, for help!" Daisy chuckled.
"Idiot, that's not the point. A small boat sailing in the Calm Belt, do you think the Sea Kings are all asleep?" Ran walked to the ship's edge, frowning as she looked at the small boat.
"Should we sink them? Or save these men?" Daisy also walked over, asking curiously.
"Ran, I saw that tall guy last time. He's from the Chris Pirates, one of the men from the ship sailing towards the Forbidden Island," Rindo, holding her rocket launcher, came over, pointing to the tallest man on the small boat.
"Let's get closer and see," Ran pondered for a moment before giving the order.
Soon, the Kuja Pirates' ship approached the small boat.
"Ladies of the Kuja Pirates, we are from the Chris Pirates! We have important news to report to Aeridar-sama! Please save us! The news is too crucial; we cannot die!"
A middle-aged man on the small boat, clutching his bandaged abdomen, stood up and urgently shouted, "Please, I beg you, you will definitely be richly rewarded!"
...
5 P.M.
Thump-thump-thump-thump...
On the twentieth-floor corridor, Aeridar and Mina hurried along.
"They were found by Ship Number 37, but the message came from the Kuja Pirates. Ship Number 37 sank. Out of 561 people, only four survived," Mina stated expressionlessly, holding a folder in her hand.
"The Kuja Pirates?"
Aeridar abruptly stopped, looking at Mina with a frown. "Are you sure? Would those women from the Kuja Pirates be so kind? You know I sent them an entire ship's worth of supplies just to keep them from targeting the search fleet."
"That's correct. It was indeed the Kuja Pirates who saved them. Or rather, they begged the Kuja Pirates to save them." Mina also stopped, handing over the folder.
Aeridar waved his hand, not taking it. He said, "Contact those women from the Kuja Pirates. Tell them that to show my gratitude for saving our people, I'll send them 100,000,000 Berries worth of supplies. Whether it's Berries, food, or firearms and cannons, they can choose."
"Hehehe~" Mina covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Those four men's lives are probably worth the most at this very moment."
"Who knows... Also, inform Oliver. The First Platoon is to gather. We depart tomorrow morning at nine." Having said that, Aeridar tilted his head, looking into Mina's bright eyes, and with a slight smirk, continued, "Come to my room tonight. I want to check the quality of the bunny girl outfit."
Upon hearing this, a blush bloomed on Mina's delicate, jade-like face. She subtly shot Aeridar a glance and spat, "You pervert. I think the outfit's quality is perfectly fine."
"Is that so? I'll have to inspect it thoroughly then," Aeridar raised an eyebrow noncommittally.
...
The next day, Aristocrat District Port.
A three-masted, black wolf-headed battleship, over one hundred thirty meters in length, was docked at Canal 1 Port.
This battleship was the Chris, after its third modification. It had a triple 32-pound heavy naval cannon turret at both the bow and stern. On its left and right sides, it mounted twenty-eight main 24-pound cannons and twenty emergency 18-pound secondary cannons. Its entire exterior was covered in steel armor, with the thinnest armor being 150mm and the thickest reaching 243mm.
The port's shore was bustling with people coming and going, a lively scene. Most people were dressed in suits and leather, at least looking presentable. Inside the semicircular harbor, over thirty ships of various sizes were docked. The Chris itself was moored at a berth in Pier Number 6.
Currently, the Chris was swarming with people, both on and off the ship. Various supplies were being continuously loaded onto the Chris.
"Eight fifty. Mosa, why isn't your commander here yet?"
Aeridar frowned, glancing at the exquisite golden pocket watch in his hand, and asked the burly man next to him with dissatisfaction.
Gimel Mosa was one of the people Aeridar saved after eliminating the 'Crimson Man-Eating Flower'. He was originally a merchant ship's guard captain. After being saved, Mosa recuperated in Alabasta for a while, returned to his hometown in the East Blue to settle some affairs with his family, and then resolutely rushed to the New World to pledge his allegiance to Aeridar.
He was now appointed as the First Division's Deputy Commander, Oliver's second-in-command.
"Well, well~ It's not time yet, is it?"
Just as Mosa was sweating profusely in anxiety, a lazy voice came from behind. Hearing the voice, Mosa involuntarily let out a sigh of relief, secretly wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"You lazy bum... Your subordinates are all assembled, yet you, the commander, are only just arriving now. How exactly are you being responsible?!"
Aeridar's forehead twitched with a visible vein as he turned around, his eye twitching as he watched Oliver slowly approach, swaying with each step. Especially when he saw Oliver's face, which looked as if he hadn't fully woken up, Aeridar felt a surge of irritation.
"But Mosa's here, isn't he...? It's early morning, don't get angry! Right, Mosa?" Oliver walked closer, stroking his hair, which was sticking up from sleeping, with one hand and patting Mosa's shoulder with the other, laughing heartily.
"Uh..." Mosa forced a wry smile, unsure what to say. Being stuck with such a superior was quite unlucky, yet this superior was also strong like a monster, making it impossible to even think about punching him.
"Hmph." Aeridar let out a displeased snort and led the way towards the Chris, waving his hand as he said, "Get on board. Prepare to depart."
"Yawwwn..."
"Mosa, it's all up to you. Prepare to depart."
Seeing Aeridar walk away, Oliver immediately let out a long yawn, returning to his lazy, half-asleep demeanor. He patted Mosa's arm and slowly followed.
"Erggh..." Mosa's mouth twitched.
Soon, it was nine o'clock. All the various supplies from the shore had been loaded onto the Chris. The massive battleship left the port and entered the canal.
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