In the banquet hall, graceful dancers had just finished their routine.
Black sat at the head of the table as a pastry chef with trembling hands presented a strawberry cake.
For a Celestial Dragon, the strawberry cake had to be perfect: every seed oriented precisely upward, satisfying their obsession with "orderly beauty."
The previous chef had his fingers severed by a supervising official because a single strawberry seed was misaligned by fifteen degrees.
Stella, sitting beside Black, carefully cut the cake with a silver knife inlaid with rubies and fed him a piece.
Over two months, Stella had gradually adapted to her role; her initial apprehension was fading.
Black ate, then gestured to the young man from earlier:
"What is your name?"
"Your Highness, my name is Aramaki."
In the vast sea, many strong individuals bore names, yet few could be recruited by Black.
Rocks' crew members had been unruly and bound by grievances with the Celestial Dragons. Though Rocks could command them easily, they were inexperienced at sea, and even by the God Valley War, the crew was not fully united.
Even if another strong individual appeared, the emperors of the sea would likely not comply willingly.
Among those around Black's age, future Shichibukai made up the majority.
These "silver medalists," though not the strongest, were harder to handle than the Four Emperors, often acting invincible. Even emperors weighed pros and cons, but Shichibukai drew swords at the slightest provocation.
Stubborn to the core, even when beaten, they maintained a "do what you will" attitude, making communication impossible.
Only Doflamingo had a hint of sense, yet he carried deep conflicts with the Celestial Dragons.
Other notable figures were Shanks' recruits, yet their loyalty to Shanks meant they would not follow Black easily.
After careful thought, the only future powerhouse who could be recruited easily was the future Marine Admiral, Aramaki.
"Aramaki" was Black's age, one year younger than Doflamingo, and still a spirited youth, without the "Death River in My Heart" tattoo on his chest that would appear decades later.
Judging by his hairstyle, Aramaki had already eaten the Mori Mori Fruit (Forest-Forest Fruit).
Black valued Aramaki's personality highly. He believed humans survived by dominating weaker species, and non-affiliated nations were inferior. Aramaki defended the World Government and the Celestial Dragons vigorously, showing no mercy to enemies.
Recruiting him now had an additional benefit.
The World Government and Gorosei were arrogant; even talented individuals from the lower world were often ignored.
By recruiting Aramaki early, Black ensured that even if Aramaki grew strong in the future, the Gorosei would see him merely as a lucky find—a strong "Slave" discovered wandering the seas.
No extra attention on Black, no interference with his private assets.
"This is the kind of talent a transmigrator needs to recruit as a Celestial Dragon!"
Black felt satisfied:
"Those transmigrators who sought Zephyr, Moriah, or Kuma—how did they succeed with words alone? These people are fundamentally incompatible with Celestial Dragons. No matter how eloquent or virtuous you appear, the Celestial Dragons assume ulterior motives. That's their reputation, forged over eight hundred years."
Black was not here to save the world; he merely aimed to change its owner.
Standing, he approached Aramaki, kneeling on one knee, and patted his shoulder:
"Get up. As my retainer, you won't need to kneel constantly. By the way, are you a Devil Fruit user?"
Aramaki rose quickly, trembling with excitement:
"Your Highness, I am a Mori Mori Fruit user."
Black nodded:
"Starting tomorrow, these two CPs will train you. I look forward to your growth."
"Yes! Saint Black, I will not let you down!"
Seeing Aramaki's energized expression, Black was pleased.
In the original story, Zephyr criticized Kizaru for over-reliance on his Devil Fruit. In reality, Kizaru's swordsmanship and physical combat were world-class.
In Black's view, Kizaru was still too confrontational; his Devil Fruit could be developed more elegantly.
Aramaki, however, relied heavily on his Devil Fruit, making him essentially a larger version of Smoker.
By training him with CPs and restricting his Devil Fruit usage, Black could refine his combat skills.
After three days in Taya Kingdom, enjoying the queen and princess sent by the king, Black decided to bring them along. He took both food and possessions.
The sanctuary drifted across South Blue. With Black's identity and Marine escort, foolish pirates dared not intervene.
Black lounged under a parasol, while on deck, Aramaki sparred with two CPs.
His physique was solid, yet his reliance on the Devil Fruit had left his physical combat and Haki underdeveloped.
Now only seventeen, in his prime for growth, under Black's supervision, Aramaki's potential exceeded the original story.
Recently, Black's own strength growth had slowed. Perhaps recruiting Aramaki too smoothly had drawn his luck, leaving him to train Haki alone.
Still, progress was better than none. To advance his two-color Haki to the second stage, Black needed to either defeat many Haki-wielding opponents or get a lucky card draw.
Recently, he challenged a young Kizaru daily. Kizaru's strength was moderate; with Iron Balloon, Black was not weaker.
Yet even young Kizaru, seasoned in combat, made it difficult to seize an opening.
The challenge was not in gaining the upper hand, but in completely defeating Kizaru—a formidable task.