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Even though Aero felt like rolling his eyes, the truth was clear: neither Dylan nor Eddie was ready to take on Arlong yet.
They might be able to match Krieg, barely but Arlong was a different beast altogether.
As the meeting settled into a calm silence, Eddie began packing up the wanted posters he'd spread across the table.
But Aero stopped him just as he reached for the one featuring the red-nosed clown pirate.
"Leave that one," Aero said, holding up the poster of the grinning clown with the bright yellow captain's hat. "These three, Arlong, Krieg, and Buggy, will be our first targets in the East Blue."
Eddie blinked. "Buggy? What did he do to get on your radar?"
Aero rolled the poster and tucked it into his coat. He noticed their curious stares and explained:
"It's not about what he did... it's about what he didn't do."
Dylan raised an eyebrow. "You're saying... he's been holding back?"
"Exactly," Aero said. "This guy's been active for nineteen years in East Blue. His bounty? Just 15 million Berries. That's 2 million less than Krieg."
"Which doesn't make sense," Dylan noted. "Either he's weak… or he's hiding something."
Aero gave a knowing nod. "Someone who survives nearly two decades in the 'peaceful' East Blue without being wiped out by the Navy? That's not luck."
Eddie frowned. "So, are we… going after him too?"
"No," Aero said flatly. "There's no reason to fight Buggy. We won't benefit from it."
He let that sink in before continuing, his tone calm but firm.
"Our real target in East Blue is Arlong. That hasn't changed. Everything we do from here on out revolves around that."
Eddie relaxed. "Alright, so we're not fighting Buggy. Good. I doubt he'd want to team up either. The guy's been laying low for years. He's not about to leap back into the Grand Line with a rookie crew."
"We're not trying to recruit him. I just… want to meet him," Aero said.
Neither Dylan nor Eddie pressed for more. They knew by now that if Aero didn't want to explain something, he had his reasons.
Dylan shifted gears. "Then where exactly is Arlong hiding?"
"Cocoyasi Village."
Aero turned to Eddie. "How long would it take us to sail there from our current location?"
Eddie adjusted his sunglasses. "Given today's winds and current speed… about two weeks, maybe a little more."
Aero nodded. "Then we start preparing now. That's it for the meeting. Dismissed."
He stood, pushed his chair back under the table, and stretched. Dylan and Eddie followed his lead.
From the way Aero was yawning, it was pretty clear he'd called this meeting just to settle his mind before crashing for the night.
Still, the mention of a real fight ahead got everyone's adrenaline going. The idea of storming Arlong Park was enough to keep even the sleepiest of pirates wide awake tonight.
As the two men remained behind, staring silently at the bounties on the table, Aero slipped out of the captain's quarters.
Out on the moonlit deck, he paused at the rail and looked out over the sea. His shadow stretched long across the wooden planks, reaching into the corners untouched by moonlight.
Two crew members stood watch up on the mast, scanning the sea. They worked in rotating pairs of four shifts, always vigilant. It was necessary. None of them were strong enough yet to relax.
Even Aero.
He could sense every shift of the wind on this ship. He could, if he wanted, use his Devil Fruit power to blanket the entire vessel and monitor every movement aboard.
But he didn't.
That kind of power made people complacent. The crew needed to build their own instincts and their own sense of danger. Without that, they wouldn't survive what was coming.
Aero moved without a sound across the deck, stepping up to the rail and resting both hands on the polished wood. The anchor was dropped, sails furled. The Gōshi-maru rested calmly on the waves.
Below, the sea lapped softly against the hull. Gentle. Deceptive. A reminder.
This world didn't care about them.
Aero's thoughts were interrupted by approaching footsteps. Dylan emerged from below deck, joining him quietly at the rail.
Moments later, Eddie strolled up too, his sunglasses still on, one hand casually draped across the wood while his eyes darted around, scanning everything.
"This world," Aero began, his voice low, "is like the sea—endless, violent, unpredictable. If we want to survive the coming storm, we have to be stronger than the waves themselves."
"Most people," he continued, "are like stones. Tossed in the water, they make a splash... and vanish."
His gaze sharpened.
"But I'm not here to vanish. I'm here to carve my name into the tide. To build a ship that cuts through hurricanes."
He remembered that feeling—powerlessness. Three times he'd truly felt it since coming to this world.
The first was when Scar dragged him aboard his ship on Rubber Island. The second was when he watched a man split cannon fire with a blade. The third was trapped on that Navy warship before he lost control.
That sense of helplessness… it burned. And it never left him.
But one thing was clear now:
It would never happen again.
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