The Collector's Invitation!

The enforcement robots' humiliating retreat caused quite a stir at the port of Void Knowhere.

Inside the countless ships docked there, smugglers, mercenaries, and information brokers from every corner of the universe had watched the unbelievable scene through portholes and external cameras.

A crate of aether metal worth enough to buy half the port, used to pay an extortionate "docking fee"?

"Filthy rich" didn't even begin to cover it.

It was insane!

"Hey, hear about the sucker from Earth? Nearly blinded the Collector's robots with all that metal!"

"Earth? What backwater Planets is that? How could anyone there have that much money?"

"Who knows? But look at that flagship—big, black, and built like a brick. Those people aren't to be messed with."

Rumors about the Jokester and its mysterious owner spread like a virus through Void Knowhere's information networks. Link and his Fleet had made a name for themselves in the bluntest way possible.

Under countless gazes—some awed, some greedy, some curious—the Jokester sailed unimpeded into the abandoned section of the port it had "bought."

Kraglin and his Ravagers were already clearing out the junk with gusto, preparing to establish their first base in space. Excitement and pride shone on their faces. With a boss who spent money like that, they felt their pirate careers had peaked.

Link paid none of it any mind. He simply sat on his Wong Throne and waited.

He was waiting for the big fish to bite.

Sure enough.

Less than ten minutes after they docked, a small shuttle fashioned entirely from an unknown white stone emerged silently from the soaring spire at the center of Void Knowhere. Luxurious and elegant, it glided like a ballet dancer to a precise stop at the Jokester's docking port.

The hatch opened, and a figure slowly stepped out.