The first half of the Grand Line, the waters near the G-17 Branch.
The sea breeze blew across the waves.
An exhausted News Coo flapped its wings, passing through the gray clouds.
Perhaps because the mailbag it carried was too heavy, a copy of the latest World Economy News Paper slipped from its claws. It spun through the wind and fell toward the deck of a warship slowly pulling into the port.
Smack.
The newspaper hit the deck, wet with seawater.
A foot wearing a black military boot stepped over and pinned the newspaper down.
Aiden bent down and picked up the paper, which was already half-soaked.
On the front page, a massive, bold black headline stood out sharply.
It had clearly been written to make him look like a criminal.
"The Most Heinous Marine Traitor! Former Rear Admiral Aiden Sentenced to Life Imprisonment, Escorted to Impel Down Level 6 Today!"
Below the title, there was a photo of Impel Down's dark gates, along with a picture of a figure in a Marine coat being locked away from behind.
It looked very convincing.
"Heh..."
Aiden looked at the headline and found it a bit funny.
"Those old guys in the World Government are first-rate at making up stories."
He casually rubbed his fingers together, and a blue-white electric arc jumped at his fingertips.
Bzzzt—
The newspaper that represented the World Government's official lie instantly turned into a cloud of ash under the high heat and scattered into the sea with the wind.
Aiden looked up, letting the sea breeze mess up his black hair.
Ahead of him, a massive steel fortress slowly rose from the horizon.
The G-17 Branch had now become one of the strongest fortresses in the first half of the Grand Line, as well as its wealthiest trade hub.
...
Earlier during the voyage, Aiden had already learned over the Den Den Mushi that the custom warship he had been looking forward to had arrived from Water 7. It was quietly parked in Sector D.
As soon as the warship stopped, Aiden did not even enter the main base.
He went straight to Sector D.
Back then, Warlord candidate Victor's incredibly luxurious flagship had been parked here. It was exactly at that time that Aiden had decided to build his own custom warship.
Now, things had changed.
When Aiden passed through the quarantine zone and stood at the edge of the berth, he stopped for a moment.
Even though he had already seen the blueprints and had mentally prepared himself, seeing the real thing in front of him still hit differently.
In the center of the berth, a huge silver-gray warship lay quietly in the water.
Even Aiden was surprised by the ship in front of him.
It was completely different from the standard warships he usually saw.
Its total length was about one hundred and twenty meters. Its long, narrow hull looked built for speed and ramming.
Although it still kept the structure of a sailing ship, heavy silver-gray armor wrapped around the key areas on both sides of the hull, right outside the sturdy keel built from the Treasure Tree Adam.
That armor was forged from Blacksteel.
Under the searchlights, the Adam wood and Blacksteel armor fit together cleanly, giving the ship a rough but powerful look.
It looked tough without losing the shape of a sailing ship.
The figurehead was a silver hooded reaper with wings spread behind it.
In its hands was a lightning-shaped scythe. Inside the blade, some kind of special conductive device was embedded, as if it was ready to unleash lightning into the sea at any moment.
"Is this... Master Tom's masterpiece?"
Aiden quickly walked up the gangway. His palm gently brushed over the cold, smooth hull.
But this was not what surprised Aiden the most.
He pushed open the heavy cabin door and went straight to the engine room at the bottom of the ship.
There were neatly arranged traditional coal-fired boilers and a sail-and-cable winch system for normal sailing.
On the other side of the engine room stood a massive cylindrical device with an extremely complex structure. Thick copper pipes and coils covered it and connected to rows of jet-like propulsion ports on both sides of the hull.
This was a second power core that Master Tom had specially installed to work with Aiden's Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers.
Looking at the complex machinery in front of him, Aiden could not help but reach out and gently touch the cold metal casing.
This precise circuit design, along with the transmission structure that turned lightning energy into pure kinetic energy, did not look like something Master Tom could make alone.
It seemed a bit more believable to say it was the work of Vegapunk.
Although he did not know where Master Tom got this technology, this was undoubtedly a system built for Aiden alone.
Aiden took a deep breath and pressed his right hand onto the conductive crystal at the core of the device.
Bzzzt—
With a thought, a strand of blue-white electric current flowed in from his fingertips.
The next second.
Hum—!!!
A deep hum spread through the engine room and out into the port.
Right after, the gears in the whole engine room started spinning. The floor began to vibrate under his feet.
"Whoa..."
Aiden felt the vibrations coming from below, and he could not stop smiling.
As long as he wanted, this ship could turn his lightning into kinetic energy, bursting with a speed several times greater than a normal sailing warship.
Even in the Calm Belt, this ship could move without wind.
When he left the engine room and went to the captain's cabin, Aiden saw a thick kraft paper bag on the desk.
Opening it, inside was a complete set of extremely detailed blueprints, along with a handwritten note from Master Tom:
[A man with a Don needs a ship with a Don! Only you can control this power system. Here are the blueprints, the only copy in the world. Don't lose them! —Tom]
Aiden looked at those words, and warmth rose in his chest.
"The only copy..."
Aiden carefully stored the blueprints into the system's storage space, then glanced at the ship that now belonged to him.
"From today on, you'll be called the Storm Reaper."
Coming out of Sector D's port and heading back into the base, Aiden had not walked more than a few steps when white smoke suddenly filled the path ahead.
Whoosh—
A thick cloud of smoke poured out from the corner, instantly blocking Aiden's way.
The smoke cleared, revealing a tall figure wearing an open leather jacket.
Smoker stood there with two cigars in his mouth.
"Yo, isn't this the most heinous Marine traitor, Aiden?"
Smoker blew out a smoke ring.
"The World Government announced that you were already locked up in Impel Down. What? Did you break out? You actually dare to show up at the G-17 Branch."
Aiden looked at the guy putting on an act in front of him and smiled.
He did not explain.
Instead, he played along, sighed, and raised his hands as if surrendering.
"Yeah, I broke out. I didn't expect to get caught red-handed by Captain Smoker right after coming back."
"There's nothing I can do. Go ahead and arrest me."
Seeing Aiden play along like that, the serious act on Smoker's face finally broke.
"Pfft... Cough, cough, cough!"
"Hahahaha!"
The act broke at the same time for both of them, and they laughed together.
Smoker punched Aiden on the shoulder and then followed up with a solid hug.
"You bastard, you actually dared to do it."
He did not ask Aiden why he killed a Celestial Dragon, nor did he ask what he had gone through.
Because he understood Aiden.
If Aiden drew his sword, it meant the other side deserved to die.
Aiden patted Smoker on the back, and the two separated.
"How long are you staying this time?"
Smoker knew Aiden did not like the smell of smoke, so he put out his cigars on his own.
"I'm leaving early tomorrow morning."
Aiden pointed in the direction of the Sector D port behind him.
"I mostly came back to take my new ship, the Storm Reaper."
"The Storm Reaper?"
Smoker paused for a moment.
"That new ship parked in Sector D? What a tacky name."
Aiden nodded, not bothering to argue with Smoker.
"Besides the ship, I'm also taking Issho with me."
"What about me?"
Smoker raised an eyebrow and pointed at his own nose.
"You're just going to leave me here alone?"
"You?"
Aiden said it as if it were obvious.
"Of course you're staying behind to help me watch over the G-17 Branch. It's a goose that lays golden eggs."
"You know it too. This place isn't just a military fortress, it's also our coin purse. Whether it's the trade with the Blacksteel Empire or our veteran resettlement program, we need someone trustworthy and capable to hold the fort."
"I wouldn't feel at ease handing it over to anyone else."
"Tch..."
Smoker clicked his tongue.
"That sounds nice. I think you just want to be a hands-off boss."
"You bastard... It was one thing when you used to dump all the base's work on me in the past. It's even worse this time. You're just dumping this huge burden entirely on me."
"Capable people do more work."
Aiden threw an arm around Smoker's shoulder, and the two walked side by side toward the base building.
"Besides, back when I was here, you were the one approving most of the base's documents, and you set the training plans too. You already know the job. The change will be smooth."
"Get lost! That was just you being lazy!"
The two bickered with each other as they walked forward.
Just then, a squad of Marines patrolling not far away suddenly stopped.
The man leading them stopped and turned.
It was Captain Moore.
He was inspecting the port's defense layout, but he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye. He pushed past the soldiers blocking him and rubbed his eyes hard.
Once he clearly saw that face, he froze.
"Base... Base Commander?!"
Captain Moore ignored his manners and rushed over to Aiden in a few quick steps, saluting excitedly.
"Base Commander Aiden! You're back!!"
Aiden looked at his excited old subordinate and smiled helplessly.
"Moore, I'm not some Base Commander right now."
Aiden pointed at his casual clothes, which carried no military rank.
"I'm currently an Impel Down criminal who got stripped of his rank. Calling me that goes against the rules."
Captain Moore straightened his neck and answered seriously.
"At G-17, no matter what your status is, you will always be our Base Commander! Everyone at G-17 agrees on that!"
Hearing this, Aiden could not help but laugh and scold him.
"You guy, you're really stubborn."
He pointed at Smoker next to him and teased,
"Saying something like that right in front of the current Base Commander Smoker, aren't you afraid he'll make things hard for you in the future?"
Moore froze.
He subconsciously looked over at Smoker, whose mouth twitched, and immediately scratched his head in awkwardness.
Smoker clicked his tongue at Aiden, then looked at Moore.
"I'm not that petty, okay!"
"Also, don't just stand there looking dumb. Notify the cafeteria to add extra food tonight! Bring out those bottles of good alcohol we've been saving!"
"Yes, sir!!"
Moore replied excitedly.
He turned around and ran off to pass the order, faster than before.
Watching Moore run off, Aiden and Smoker looked at each other and started laughing again.
The banquet lasted almost all night and ended the next morning.
The sky was just beginning to brighten, and a thin layer of fog still floated over the sea.
At the exclusive berth in Sector D's port, the Storm Reaper's massive steel body rested quietly in the water, waiting for its first long voyage.
On the deck, it was already filled with Marine soldiers ready to go.
These were the elites Aiden had carefully selected from the G-17 Branch, totaling one hundred and twenty people.
After all, heading to an unfamiliar place like the New World, he had to bring some of his own trusted people to act as a core crew.
Besides, although the Storm Reaper was backed by advanced technology, just him and Issho could not sail such a large warship alone. It needed a professional team to maintain and operate it.
The selected Marines were also very excited.
In their eyes, being able to follow Base Commander Aiden to the New World was a great honor.
And at the very front of the team stood a young man wearing a Lieutenant Commander's uniform.
Lieutenant Commander Kane.
It was the same unlucky guy who got scolded mercilessly back then for trying to bribe Captain Moore.
However, although he looked slick, he was useful.
Last night, after learning the news that Aiden was heading to the G-5 Branch in the New World, he had found Aiden right away and volunteered to go with him.
This guy had some connections at Headquarters and was very well informed.
He had keenly grasped Aiden's unshakable prestige among the higher-ups in the Marines. He concluded that following Aiden, even going to a dead-end place like G-5, would definitely have a bright future.
To prove his value, he had rattled off an introduction to the various complicated power distributions in the New World for Aiden.
Aiden felt that he was indeed useful. Since he did not sense any ill intent from him, he simply went with the flow and agreed.
After all, heading to a chaotic place like the New World, he needed a sharp junior officer to handle those trivial chores.
He could not just expect himself or Issho to solve everything, right?
Smart, slick people like this were sometimes surprisingly useful.
"Is everyone ready?"
Aiden walked onto the deck and saw Smoker standing on the pier.
He waved at him from a distance.
Neither of them said anything sentimental.
Aiden smiled, turned around, and ordered the ship to set sail.
The giant iron anchor slowly rose to the sound of the winch turning.
The white sails unfurled on the mainmast with a boom, instantly filling with the sea breeze.
With the wind pushing its sails, the Storm Reaper's massive body slowly left the berth and sailed out of the port.