The air underground was cold and heavy.
Aiden left the stifling crystal warehouse. Like a ghost, he moved silently through a thick isolation door and reached the deepest part of the underground space.
There was an office here that looked completely out of place.
There were no damp rock walls or exposed pipes. The floor was covered with a thick, expensive carpet. Famous paintings from around the world hung on the walls. Behind a massive mahogany desk, there was even a set of fine porcelain from Mariejois.
This was clearly the main control room.
Aiden did not start rummaging through drawers like some common thief. He stood in the center of the room and flicked a tiny spark of electricity from his fingertip.
Zzap.
The current traveled through the air and entered the desk's keyhole. It instantly destroyed the mechanical structure inside.
Click.
With a soft sound, a hidden drawer on the side of the desk popped open. There were no gold or silver treasures inside. Instead, there was a gold-stamped letter sealed with wax and a thick black ledger.
Aiden picked up the ledger and flipped through it. It was filled with names, ages, origins, and final "results."
No. 4021, Male, 24 years old, strong build. Origin: Sailor from a West Blue merchant ship. Result: Labor-grade crystal, shipped.
No. 4022, Female, 16 years old, attractive appearance. Origin: Refugee from Furen Island. Result: Ornamental-grade crystal, awaiting shipment.
Every single line represented a living human life.
Aiden closed the ledger, and the look in his eyes turned even colder. He picked up the gold-stamped letter. The wax seal was stamped with a unique emblem, a skull wrapped in diamonds.
He tore open the envelope. A faint scent drifted out. Aiden quickly scanned the handwriting.
"To my dear ally, Commodore Nelson: Regarding the cargo urgently needed by Mariejois, I will arrive at the G-17 branch in person aboard the Diamond Queen on the 24th of this month to 'carve' them."
Aiden saw this and silently calculated the time.
"Today is the 22nd, which means he arrives the day after tomorrow."
He continued reading.
"The client this time is very important. It is the noble Saint Jalmack. He has a unique taste for the art of 'despair.' Please make sure to select the most perfect 'raw materials' from this batch of 'rough stones.'"
Aiden's lips curled into a cold smirk.
"Saint Jalmack. No matter which pig it is, this business still leads back to Mariejois in the end."
Aiden kept reading, but the content in the second half of the letter made him raise an eyebrow slightly.
"Additionally, a CP0 envoy from the World Government will be coming with me. As long as the tribute this time satisfies the Lords, the proposal to nominate me as one of the first Seven Warlords of the Sea should pass smoothly."
"This is our shared glory and the foundation for our monopoly over this Golden Route."
The signature read: Duke of Crystal, Victor Hugo.
"Duke of Crystal..."
Aiden looked at the signature, and the lifelike crystal statues in the underground warehouse immediately flashed through his mind.
"Just as I thought."
Aiden understood now.
"I was wondering who had the Devil Fruit ability to instantly turn living people into crystals. Now it seems it was this Victor."
"To be called the 'Duke of Crystal,' it must be some kind of crystal-related Paramecia. No wonder he can create 'art' that satisfies even the Celestial Dragons."
After confirming the culprit, Aiden's gaze fell on the words "Seven Warlords of the Sea." A flash of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea... so it is starting already?"
As someone from another world, he naturally knew about this system. After Roger started the Great Pirate Era, the number of pirates exploded. The Navy gradually began to feel like it could not handle them alone. To balance the growing pirate forces, the higher-ups of the World Government proposed this "using poison against poison" plan.
"Victor Hugo..."
Aiden searched his memory, but he was sure this person did not exist in the original story.
"A name I've never heard before. It seems he was wiped out before the main story began. Still, that makes no difference..." Aiden flicked the letter, and a spark of electricity danced on his fingertip. "Now that you've crossed paths with me, you are not living long enough to see the main story begin."
"Still, if he can be nominated as one of the first Warlords, then his strength definitely can't be underestimated."
Aiden knew exactly how much weight the title of "Warlord" carried. In the original setting, aside from Dracule Mihawk, whose strength was on a completely different level, the other Warlords like Doflamingo, Hancock, and Jinbe all basically had power comparable to an Emperor's right-hand man.
They were the true rulers of these seas.
"To be on the same candidate list as people like them..." There was no fear in Aiden's eyes. Only excitement. "This Duke of Crystal might be worth testing myself against."
Aiden tucked the letter and the ledger into his clothes.
"He's arriving the day after tomorrow. Good, there's still time to prepare."
He took one last look at the office. Then his figure blurred and turned into a bolt of electricity, disappearing silently into the darkness through the ventilation duct.
Suite.
Gion had not gone to sleep. She wore her coat over her shoulders and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window with her arms crossed.
Zzap.
A soft sound came from the vent. Then, a cluster of blue-white electricity gathered in the middle of the room, turning into Aiden's figure.
"How was it?" Gion immediately turned around and quickly walked over. "What is the situation down there?"
Aiden said nothing.
He walked to the coffee table, poured himself a glass of ice water, and drank it all in one go. Then, he pulled the letter and the ledger from his clothes and gently placed them in front of Gion.
"See for yourself."
Gion gave him a suspicious look and picked up the black ledger. After flipping through only a few pages, her face turned pale. Her fingers gripped the ledger so tightly that her knuckles turned white and cracked.
"So this is why there are no poor people here..."
Gion's voice trembled with extreme rage. "Treating people like cargo and turning them into that damned art?!"
"That bastard Nelson, how does he dare?! He's a Navy Commodore, yet he's working together with pirates!!"
"It's not just Nelson."
Aiden sat on the sofa and pointed at the gold-stamped letter. "Look at this. His partner."
Gion forced down her anger and picked up the letter. However, the moment she saw the contents on the stationery, her rage was instantly replaced by shock.