"Ohh... So you're the great physician of Drum Island, Asa Jason, and the shipwright, Nando the fish-man, right?"
Aeridar paced around the room, sizing up the middle-aged man and the fish-man sitting on the sofa before him.
The middle-aged man wore a dirty white lab coat and had a mop of messy, short blonde hair. His face was pale and haggard.
The fish-man, on the other hand, had a head of long black hair, a bare torso, and wore blue shorts and a pair of wooden clogs. His body was a mass of explosive muscle, with a triangular fin on each of his powerful forearms.
Gulp.
Asa Jason swallowed hard as he looked at Aeridar. His forehead beaded with sweat, and he asked cautiously, "I... I am Asa Jason. I... I don't know what you, His Majesty, want with me?"
Nando watched Aeridar with unease. He didn't speak, as his innate talent for sensing danger was screaming at him. He felt an extreme sense of peril radiating from the human man in front of him, a feeling far more intense than he had ever felt from anyone before. It was infinitely more dangerous than even his boss Jinbe on Fish-Man Island or the 'Monster of the Arctic' Kraken he'd seen in the deep sea. If he could, he would have run far, far away, hoping never to see this man again for the rest of his life.
"Don't be so nervous, Great Physician Asa Jason. I have the utmost respect for a talent like you," Aeridar said, trying to reassure Jason. He then turned to the fish-man Nando. "And you must be Dan's disciple! Only a guy like Dan would claim to be 'second only to Tom.'"
"You... no, you... you know my sensei?" Nando looked up in surprise.
"Tom, the 'World's Number One Shipwright,' has a younger brother who is the most skilled shipwright on Fish-Man Island and a research scholar at the 'Sea Forest.' I've tried to invite him to work for me many times," Aeridar said with an exaggerated grin. "But that guy flat-out refused, even though I was being incredibly sincere!"
"Hehe... so that's how it is." Nando touched his head and let out an honest chuckle.
"But..." Aeridar's tone shifted. "I've also been to Dan's workshop. How is it that I've never seen you before?"
"I am indeed Dan-sensei's disciple, but I'm a late bloomer. I also prefer designing combat vessels, so I'm not usually at his workshop," Nando quickly explained when he heard Aeridar's question. "About a month and a half ago, sensei said I was ready to leave, so he gave me a letter recommending me for an internship at Galley-La Company in Water 7."
"Iceburg's company..." Aeridar seemed to remember something. He turned and pulled out a letter. "Is this the one?"
"Yes, that's the letter! I was afraid those slave traders had destroyed it," Nando said, nodding eagerly as he saw the small fish emblem on the envelope.
The letter had been opened by the slave traders, but Aeridar hadn't had a chance to read it yet.
"That works out perfectly. I also own a large shipbuilding company, so you don't need to go to Galley-La Company. You can just work for me," Aeridar said, a smirk playing on his lips. "As long as you have the skill, I'll provide the money and materials. I won't let your talent go to waste."
"Really?" Nando's face lit up with delight.
The shipyards on Fish-Man Island primarily focused on bubble coating and building merchant ships, with very few combat vessels. That was why his master, Dan, had recommended he go to Water 7.
However, Nando, on his first trip away from home, was so excited that he wandered around carelessly and accidentally revealed information about himself. When the slave traders learned he was a shipwright whose master was the younger brother of Tom, the 'World's Number One Shipwright,' they were ecstatic. They got him drunk, captured him, and hauled him away.
"Five hundred slave traders to guard just the two of you. If Hancock hadn't intervened, you would have ended up as slaves for some high-ranking World Government official or a great nobleman of some kingdom," Aeridar said, spreading his hands with a light chuckle. "And I took you in, and I can protect you."
"Oh, right, let me introduce myself. My name is Chris T. Aeridar, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the King of the Clifford Kingdom!"
When they heard Aeridar's words, Asa Jason and Nando's faces went pale. Becoming a slave was a fate worse than death. But hearing Aeridar's introduction, their eyes lit up. He was an absolute giant of a man!
"M-My Lord, I'm in! Dan-sensei said I already have the skills of a world-class shipwright," Nando said eagerly.
"Do I even have a choice?" Asa Jason said with a bitter smile.
"Heh heh heh... welcome to the team." Aeridar let out a strange laugh and said proudly, "As long as you prove your worth, you will have absolute safety and everything you could ever want."
....
At the same time, on Blue Rock Island in the South Blue, three warships flying the black wolf-headed flag of the Chris Pirates approached the shore's port.
Soon, over a dozen people disembarked. Two men led the group: one with brown hair and a muscular physique, wearing a black trench coat over a bare chest with a knight's greatsword strapped to his back; the other had shoulder-length black hair, a slender build, and wore a black trench coat over a white and red plaid shirt, with loose black trousers and a pair of combat boots.
Behind them were over a dozen huge men with giant axes and hammers. Their skin was dark, their muscles were massive, and each one stood over ten feet tall.
Of course, there was one other person who stood out. He wore a black helmet and black plate armor, completely concealing himself within the suit. Only a pair of dead, moss-green eyes were visible. He carried a ten-foot-long knight's spear in one hand and a large triangular shield in the other, with a broadsword hanging from his waist. He made no sound other than his footsteps, as if he were a machine in human form.
"Edmond, are you sure this is the right place?" Sriya asked, looking at the dilapidated port.
"Well... this is the information the guys from the External Affairs Department gave us. I can't guarantee it," Edmond said, looking around.
The bay at the port was only home to a dozen small fishing boats, the largest of which was no more than thirty feet long. The port's facilities were also very old and rundown, and the number of people coming and going was sparse. Looking at the low-rise houses of the nearby town, it was clearly not a prosperous place.
"Whatever. Let's just get ready. After all, that man named Vatis is an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user. Even if he hasn't had the ability for long, a few years is enough for him to unleash a decent amount of power," Sriya said coldly.
"An Ancient Zoan, the Ancylopoda Fruit, huh? Heh heh... just a lucky guy," Edmond scoffed with disdain, his hand tightening on the greatsword on his back.
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