Clifford Kingdom, Palace Entertainment City - Central Tower.
Tap, tap, tap, tap… tap, tap, tap, tap…
The crisp sound of black high heels echoed down the marble corridor. Mina, holding a stack of documents, walked to the end of the hallway and pushed open the door.
Creak...
"Captain, here's the latest intel." Mina closed the door and slowly walked over.
"Just put it there," Aeridar said, not looking up from his seat on the couch. "Anything interesting?" A teacup floated in the air a few centimeters from his hand.
Mina walked over and placed the documents on the coffee table in front of him. "Interesting news... Does the Revolutionary Army showing up in the East Blue count?"
"Next," Aeridar said, looking up with a deadpan expression.
"In the Rommel Kingdom, a mysterious wind has killed hundreds of people out of nowhere. The kingdom's army has also lost one or two hundred soldiers sent to investigate. The royal family is apparently asking for the Marines to intervene." Mina spoke flatly. "I heard it's something to do with the 'Kamaitachi of Rommel,' but the details are still unclear."
"The Kamaitachi of Rommel?! Interesting! Good news, next." Aeridar raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement on his face.
"Also, a report on Fire Fist Ace, the person you asked me to keep an eye on. He's been appointed the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division," Mina said with a hint of admiration. "To become the Second Division commander at such a young age, he must be quite impressive."
"Oh? That old man Whitebeard… he's really taking care of him," Aeridar scoffed.
"Is there something more to it?" As the head of the External Affairs Department, Mina immediately sensed a deeper story and asked eagerly.
"You'll know eventually," Aeridar replied with a knowing smile, offering no further explanation.
"Tch," Mina pouted.
"What else?" Aeridar asked, ignoring her expression.
"Well, there's a confidential report from within the Marines," Mina said, pulling a sheet of paper from the stack and placing it on the coffee table. "The Marines have completed their Seastone mechanical arm technology. Black Arm Zephyr, the former Marine Admiral and current Marine chief instructor, has successfully been fitted with a Seastone mechanical arm."
"Oh! So they've got a finished product," Aeridar's eyes lit up.
"That's right, but the Marine's Seastone arm still has significant flaws," Mina explained. "First, it's very expensive, as it uses the Marines' new alloy steel and a large amount of Seastone. Second, the mechanical arm is huge and extremely heavy. A normal person couldn't even wield it. While it's powerful and said to be able to crush anything, it's at a great disadvantage against speed-type fighters."
"That's still pretty good. A mechanical arm made of Seastone is a true bane for a Devil Fruit user," Aeridar said. "Get the technology if you can and give it to Dr. Vade for him to study."
"Understood," Mina said, nodding and pulling out a notebook to record Aeridar's instructions. As the head of External Affairs, she had a lot on her plate and didn't want to forget anything.
"Any other news?" Aeridar asked calmly.
"Dr. Vade sent a notice that Project 04 (the warship propulsion project) is complete," Mina said, pulling out another sheet of paper.
"Is that so? That's great news," Aeridar said, genuinely pleased.
"Dr. Vade has improved the steam engine and created a large-scale one that can be used on warships. He also used Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability to develop some electrical components, significantly improving our ships' performance," Mina explained simply.
"Steam engines... excellent," Aeridar said with a satisfied nod.
On Earth, the steam engine sparked the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century and remained the most important prime mover until the early 20th century.
Marine warships, in this world, have a triple propulsion system: wind power, mechanical power, and steam boilers, which is why they can navigate the Calm Belt. The boilers on Marine warships are too small, so they need wind power from their sails. Since the Calm Belt is windless, the warships have a mechanical clockwork gear system that stores wind power, creating mechanical force for navigation. This is pure black technology (just a fun tidbit, don't mind me).
"Let's start upgrading our warships. Let's use the Chris as the mother ship, and the others as smaller ships to support it," Aeridar instructed.
"Okay, I've noted that down," Mina said, jotting down Aeridar's orders.
"Anything else?" Aeridar looked at Mina.
"There's one more thing: a secret technology related to Devil Fruit research has been leaked from the World Government," Mina said with a hint of mockery. "For such an important technology to be leaked, are those guys in the World Government just lazy?"
"Technology related to Devil Fruit research? Do you have any detailed intel?" Aeridar's brows furrowed.
"Yes. It's the technology that allows inanimate objects to 'eat' Devil Fruits, though it only works for Zoan-type Devil Fruits," Mina nodded.
"Ah, that one!" Aeridar understood and said quickly, "That technology could be useful to us. Gather all the information you can and give it to Dr. Dalt for reference. Anything else?"
"One last thing. The Reverie, held every four years, will convene this year (Marine calendar year 1520) on June 6th. The location is still the Holy Land Mariejois. We also need to start preparing our Heavenly Tribute for the Celestial Dragons." Mina's voice was flat.
"June 6th... I know," Aeridar said, nodding. He remembered that it was time for the Reverie, which he had attended once before. It was a spectacular sight—the kings of more than a hundred nations, along with their officials, retainers, and guards, all gathered at Mariejois.
Aeridar's expression turned to one of contempt and indignation. "The Heavenly Tribute... I really don't want to hand it over to those guys who think they're so great. They're just a bunch of trash."
"But, no matter how much you don't want to, you still have to pay, hee hee hee," Mina said, teasing him and giggling.
"... " Aeridar's face darkened, and he shot Mina an annoyed glare.
Pere pere pere... pere pere pere...
Suddenly, a small, exquisite Den Den Mushi on the coffee table began to ring.
Click.
Aeridar picked it up.
"Moshi moshi, this is Aeridar!"