"Came uninvited. You don't mind, right, Aus?"
Top-floor office. Aus watched Uncle Rayleigh help himself to drinks—already halfway through the premium wine from the Wine Kingdom that Sami had acquired.
His eye twitched. Could only shake his head.
"You really bleed me dry, Uncle Rayleigh. How much booze have you mooched off me over the years..."
"Uh... Hahaha, don't sweat the details, Aus.
You've got more money than you can spend anyway."
Rayleigh laughed awkwardly. Obviously freeloading off his former cabin boy still made the Dark King a tiny bit embarrassed.
But what choice did he have?
At the rate he earned coating ships, he could work another hundred years and never afford to drink this sky-high vintage so freely.
He was semi-retired. If Aus didn't support him, he'd probably have to auction himself off for drinking money.
Not that Aus cared about the cost.
Besides, Rayleigh had been on Sabaody all these years. When Aus wasn't around, he'd helped Sami scare off plenty of idiots trying to pull stunts.
Public and private—Aus supporting Rayleigh's retirement was perfectly reasonable.
"Lord Aus."
Sami walked in. Greeted Rayleigh, then reported to Aus:
"Shipping King Umit and Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo want to see you. They say...
they have gifts."
Hearing that, Aus's mouth curved into a smile.
He had a pretty good idea what gifts they'd bring. Hell, he'd basically told them what to look for.
Just didn't expect these two to deliver so fast.
"Got it. Have them wait in rooms one and two."
Aus's figure vanished in a flash.
Rayleigh and Sami barely reacted. Used to his teleporting by now.
"Let me tag along. Haven't had fun in a while."
Rayleigh spoke to Sami. Picked up his glass and stood.
Sami looked pleased.
She caught his meaning—he'd attend the meeting with her. Unspoken, but definitely backing her up.
All those years of free booze finally paying off!
Don't be fooled by how peaceful the underworld looked under Aus's rule. Like some grand unification era.
But remember—this was a hands-off boss.
Plus, lots of people knew the inside scoop. Aus nominally controlled the underworld, but wouldn't micromanage everyone's markets and business.
Sami had Aus's backing, sure. But she couldn't summon him whenever she wanted.
As half of Aus's mentor, Rayleigh's name was both legitimate and powerful.
"First time meeting you, Lord Aus!"
Private room one.
Tall man sitting on the sofa, legs crossed. In front of him, guy in a captain's uniform with a scraggly beard bowed slightly.
"Shipping King Umit. I know you. First guy to bend the knee after Morgans sent the signal."
Looking at this tactful bastard, honestly—just bowing in submission earned him major points.
Not to mention he apparently brought good news.
"You're too kind, Lord Aus. Any smart person would've made the same choice."
Then, knowing why Aus wanted to see him alone, he slowly pulled out a Vivre Card fragment.
"Is that..."
"That's right. Where this Vivre Card points—that's the legendary
Pure Gold!"
Hearing that, Aus couldn't control his grin. Flicked his hand. Card appeared in his palm.
Back when Umit surrendered, Aus had told him via Den Den Mushi to watch for a giant golden lantern fish.
This Shipping King had massive maritime power. Transportation giant with business across all four seas and the Grand Line.
If anyone on the vast ocean could spot a special Sea King, it was him.
And the bastard delivered—or got insanely lucky.
After passing down orders to watch for giant golden lantern fish, within just a few months, one of his fleets actually found it.
Fleet captain saw the target. Ditched his cargo. Charged full speed into the lantern fish's guts with a Vivre Card.
Before leaving, told his crew to deliver the other half to Umit.
Why?
Simple. Umit offered five billion Belly to complete Aus's task.
And publicly guaranteed on his industry reputation—if something happened, the money would reach the guy's family and he'd protect them.
In shipping, reputation was worth more than life.
Because of that, even on these violent seas, countless people still chose to haul cargo.
After Umit explained everything, Aus stayed quiet for a moment.
"I'm authorizing double the price...
And announce to the seas—his family's under my protection. If he comes back alive, I'll make him a hereditary noble."
Made the decision for two reasons. One—win hearts. Reward loyalty.
Two—Pure Gold's location was worth this price. Hell, Aus was getting a bargain.
Called Pure Gold, but it wasn't actually gold. Just looked like it.
A scientist invented it to save his dying daughter—a "divine object" that delayed aging and froze life signs!
Just wear a piece the size of a red bean. A hundred years pass like a few days.
Not quite the Surgery Fruit's immortality operation, but another form of eternal life. For Aus, an invaluable treasure.
More than that—if life could truly freeze, Aus's original sixty or seventy years of peak enjoyment before turning into an old man
Just got extended infinitely. He could enjoy the world's greatest pleasures and freedom forever!
That temptation made even Aus—who'd seen it all—feel his heart race.
Plus, this was urgent. If that guy's body or Vivre Card dissolved in stomach acid, everything was fucked.
"You've impressed me, Umit. If this pans out and the operation succeeds...
I'll grant you eternal life!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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