"It's me, Hancock!"
Inside the Den Den Mushi, Boa Hancock's gentle voice came through.
"Hancock!"
Aeridar was momentarily stunned, then broke into a wide smile. "My Queen, were you missing me?"
"Oh… is, is this a proposal?"
Hancock gasped through the phone, immediately lost in her own world of delusions.
"Uh…"
Aeridar's mouth twitched, speechless.
Honestly, everything about Hancock was great, except for how easily she misunderstood things and got lost in her fantasies. It wasn't that Aeridar didn't want to marry Hancock, but given their respective statuses, a major event like that required a lot of careful consideration.
"That woman, hmph!" When Mina heard it was Hancock, she let out a small huff, pouted, and left the room.
Aeridar watched, amused, as Mina threw her little tantrum.
Hancock had visited Clifford Kingdom a few times and met both Millie and Mina. For the proud Mina, accepting a woman who was not only more beautiful but also stronger than her was hard to swallow. What made it worse was that Mina had once been charmed by the power of the Love-Love Fruit, which made her feel even more embarrassed.
After Mina left, Aeridar interrupted Hancock's fantasy world. "Hancock, is something up?"
"Well, I found two people I thought you might find useful," Hancock quickly said, snapping back to reality.
"Oh? And who are they?" Aeridar's eyebrows shot up.
"A doctor and a shipwright. Or rather, a human and a fish-man." Having gotten down to business, Hancock calmed down.
"A doctor? A shipwright? A human? A fish-man?" Aeridar was a little confused.
Aeridar had a massive country and was one of the world's richest people, so he wasn't exactly lacking in doctors or shipwrights. When it came to doctors, the Palace Entertainment City already had a hospital with ten top-tier physicians he'd hired for a hefty sum. As for shipwrights, Aeridar had a monopoly on all the shipyards in Clifford Kingdom, with not only the kingdom's best shipwrights but also talented ones hired from abroad. He even had over a dozen shipwrights who'd been specifically brought over from Water 7, and fish-man shipwrights weren't unheard of either.
"That's right. I intercepted a large slave ship. There were five hundred slave traders guarding it, but only two people inside: a man named Asa Jason, a doctor, and another named Nando, a shipwright." Hancock explained.
"Five hundred people to guard just two? Are they special?" Aeridar was intrigued by Hancock's words.
"I kept a few prisoners. They said Asa Jason is a doctor from the 'Medical Kingdom' of Drum Island. He's considered the top doctor there, but he fled after being persecuted by his king and was captured by their people near Jaya Island," Hancock said.
"No wonder the name sounds familiar. So it was him." Aeridar's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise. "I've heard the doctors at my hospital talk about him. Asa Jason, he's one of the best doctors in the world. What about the other one? The fish-man?"
"Yes, Nando is a fish-man, a Chondrichthyes fish-man."
"A Chondrichthyes fish-man?!" Aeridar stroked his chin. This type of fish-man was notoriously powerful, and most were skilled in Fish-Man Karate. Aeridar had once seen one who was a pirate; with a single punch, he'd shattered a three-inch-thick steel plate, easily overpowering a pirate with an 80 million bounty and killing him within a minute. It had left a deep impression on Aeridar.
"They say his master was a famous shipwright, second only to Tom, and specialized in designing all kinds of battleships. He sounds really incredible," Hancock continued.
"His master was a renowned shipwright, second only to Tom? Are you serious?" Aeridar was shocked.
Tom the fish-man was the world's number one shipwright, the absolute best. The Pirate King Roger's ship, the Oro Jackson, was built by him from the wood of the Treasure Tree Adam. If he hadn't been suppressed and killed by the World Government, the people wanting him to build their ships would have flooded Water 7.
Second only to Tom? That meant he was the world's second-best, a truly top-tier shipwright! A disciple of a man like that must have extraordinary ship-building skills. Otherwise, the slave traders wouldn't have valued him so much. It looked like he could at least rival Iceburg and Franky.
"That's what the prisoners said," Hancock replied, sounding a bit unsure.
"Hahahaha, you did great, Hancock! I could just kiss you right now." Aeridar burst out laughing, praising her without hesitation. "Hancock, you'd make a good wife!"
"Wife… wife!"
Hancock's breathing hitched, and her beautiful face flushed a deep red. She stuttered, "Is... is this... is this a proposal?"
Knowing Hancock had misunderstood again, Aeridar sighed helplessly but continued anyway. "Hancock, send them to Sabaody Archipelago. I'll have someone pick them up. I appreciate it!"
"...Okay, I understand." Hearing Aeridar's words, Hancock quickly regained her composure.
"Thank you, Hancock, I'll be waiting for you," he said with a playful laugh.
Click.
The Den Den Mushi was hung up.
Tap tap tap...
Aeridar's fingers drummed rhythmically on the coffee table. "My Queen has truly sent me a great gift. Who should I send to pick them up? Hmm... I'll have Oliver go. That's settled."
....
Marineford Fortress.
At the port, warships were gathered. A massive battleship, no smaller than a top-tier warship, entered the harbor and slowly docked.
Thump, thump, thump…
The anchor dropped and the gangplank lowered. A purple-haired man with a massive mechanical right arm stepped off the ship. He moved with a subtle air of menace, and his stern, unsmiling face added to his imposing presence.
"Arara... Zephyr-sensei, it's been a while." Kuzan, with his sleepy, half-closed eyes, staggered forward to greet him.
"Kuzan, you lazy bum, wake up!" Zephyr said in a sharp voice as he stood before Kuzan.
"You're still as strict as ever, Zephyr-sensei!" Kuzan scratched his head casually, then looked at Zephyr's right arm. "That's a huge mechanical arm. I heard it's mixed with a lot of Seastone?"
Zephyr moved his right arm, the 'Crusher,' and said, "I call it the 'Crusher,' or 'Crusher Arm.' It's a bit heavy, but it's a good piece of work."
"Something like that could only be swung easily by you, Zephyr-sensei, and Garp-san." Kuzan touched his nose. "What are you planning this time? Going back to the academy?"
"I'm going to discuss that with Sengoku." Zephyr moved the 'Crusher' again. "This 'weapon' needs to be used to its full potential!"
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