Chapter 10 - Captain

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The patrol unit's duties were simple—patrolling, collecting protection fees, and discreetly aiding Drum Kingdom soldiers stationed at the docks in maintaining order.

In Villia Port, the underworld and the authorities actually worked together, and their cooperation was currently in a honeymoon phase. Most of the time, there were no clashes between the two sides—sometimes they even helped each other.

This strange alliance was a direct product of the Great Pirate Era. After the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was executed, countless pirates from all four seas flooded into the Grand Line, placing tremendous pressure on its nations.

The Drum Kingdom, being located in the early half of the Grand Line, was one of the first to bear the brunt.

The situation worsened after Drum Kingdom amassed great wealth from exporting medicine. In the eyes of many pirates, it became a plump piece of meat—one every moderately strong crew wanted to take a bite out of.

Although Drum Kingdom was a medical powerhouse, it was also a small, wintry island nation with a low population and limited military strength. Lacking any true powerhouse to deter invaders, the kingdom's meager forces were no match for the flood of pirates arriving from the seas.

Thus, the authorities had no choice but to cooperate with powerful local crime syndicates.

The underworld might have been made up of unsavory individuals, but at least they were "lawful evil," unlike the "chaotic evil" pirates. Much like the government, they valued local stability, and despised pirates who recklessly damaged the economy and disrupted order.

Naturally, the syndicates welcomed the alliance. With official backing, their businesses could flourish even more.

They too felt the pressure from pirate crews. Having the government's support might not greatly boost their strength, but it would give them a secure base of operations and remove concerns about their rear.

In short—it was mutually beneficial.

Sure enough, once the government and local syndicates joined forces, pirate activity along the coast quickly dropped. After crushing several notorious pirate crews, order in Drum Kingdom's surrounding waters began to stabilize.

As stability returned, Drum Kingdom's economy grew even more prosperous. Both the authorities and the underworld were raking in profits.

However, there was only one official faction in the kingdom, while there were many criminal factions. Inevitably, competition over profits led the gangs to fight openly and covertly. The authorities, of course, were more than happy to watch—and even quietly backed the Dars Gang to counter the Frosthorn Gang.

Thanks to this meddling, relations between the Frosthorn Gang and the Dars Gang were extremely tense. If not for the restraint of both sides' upper leadership, they would have been at full-scale war already.

Even without war, skirmishes at the lower levels were constant, with minor clashes breaking out at the slightest spark.

Today was no different. Aaron's dangerous patrol unit had gotten into another dispute with the Dars Gang over protection fee territories.

As in recent weeks, the confrontation had devolved into a fierce shouting match rather than physical violence.

As the newcomer, Aaron kept a low profile, standing behind his squad leader, Kaz, and leaving the spotlight to him.

Still, many younger Frosthorn Gang members clustered protectively around Aaron, treating him as their center of gravity.

During the standoff, Aaron kept a discreet eye on the Dars Gang members—especially the gunmen—ready to take them out the instant a fight broke out.

It had been over two months since Aaron had joined the Frosthorn Gang. In that time, he had been deliberately low-key, working hard to build good relations with his colleagues and making as many allies in the gang as possible.

Thanks to his superb marksmanship, his status as Reggie's disciple, his humble yet generous nature, and his willingness to help others, he had quickly integrated into Hoffman's team and won over many younger members.

With intelligence from Shuma at the docks, Aaron also gained a deeper, more complete understanding of the situation. Slowly, a new and more ambitious plan for rising through the ranks began forming in his mind.

"Tch… just like yesterday. Looks like we're going home empty-handed again. What a coward, right, boss?"

One of the young gunmen beside him grumbled quietly as Kaz began losing ground in the war of words.

Aaron said nothing, but smirked inwardly.

Frankly, he had no idea how anyone could settle protection fee disputes through shouting matches. Shouldn't such things be decided with fists?

Not that he cared to find out the nuances of this ritual. All that mattered was that Kaz had once again lost.

When Kaz lost, the patrol unit's share of the protection fees shrank—and with it, everyone's cut.

A few losses here and there were tolerable, but Kaz's frequent defeats had badly eroded his authority.

The irony was bitter: their territory was the most dangerous sector in Hoffman's dock district, yet their earnings were falling behind those of other patrol units.

The comparison bred resentment. Members had begun whispering that ever since Kaz's crushing defeat last month, he had gone soft—choosing words over action, losing the ruthless edge he once had.

Kaz, age 35, had been with the Frosthorn Gang for seven years. A competent swordsman, fond of drink, married with two children at 12 Little Gold Street in the slums—plus a mistress on the side. After a clash with the Dars Gang last month, his sword arm had been badly injured, crippling his skill. He was now secretly trying to switch to firearms.

This was everything Aaron knew about his squad leader.

From the moment he joined the dangerous patrol unit, Aaron had ordered Shuma to investigate Kaz and the other members. He had no intention of slowly climbing the ranks through seniority—he planned to rise fast.

Kaz was the first obstacle he intended to remove.

The surprising thing was how easy it would be. From the intel alone, Kaz was already too weak to hold the position. No strength meant no confidence.

If Aaron simply exposed the fact that Kaz's sword arm was crippled, the man's career would be over.

But Aaron didn't do that. Instead, he quietly helped Kaz when the older man came to him for shooting lessons.

Not out of kindness—but because he didn't want someone else taking that position yet.

After all, he'd only been here two months. Even with his excellent marksmanship and monstrous sword talent displayed at the dojo, he still lacked the prestige to take the role.

By helping Kaz, he bought himself more time to build reputation, bribe Hoffman, and secure the man's goodwill.

In fact, it was thanks to Kaz's introductions that Aaron had been able to cement his position so quickly—and even win the title of top gunman in the patrol unit after a fair shooting contest.

Through daily sword bouts and skirmishes with the Dars Gang, Aaron had also earned respect from the close-combat fighters in the unit.

Those with true strength easily earn respect. Those with strength and humility earn loyalty.

Before he realized it, Aaron had become the second most influential man in the patrol unit—right behind Kaz.

"Thank you for your help, Captain Kaz," Aaron thought as he watched the man's face suddenly turn pale. "But it's time for your curtain call."

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