Deep within the Flower Country in the West Blue, a secret meeting was underway in the Happo Navy's fortress. Beneath the dim lights, an oppressive atmosphere filled the air.
Bang!
Chinjao, built as powerfully as a bear, slammed his fist onto the heavy wooden table, sending spiderweb cracks across its surface. The "12" tattoo on his head twisted slightly with his bulging veins, and the eyes that had weathered countless storms burned with humiliation.
"We must get Aaron Ball under our control!" His voice echoed through the stone hall like muffled thunder beneath the sea. "Ever since that bastard Garp flattened my head..."
He unconsciously touched his flattened skull, the resentment in his eyes almost tangible. The humiliation of thirty years ago felt like yesterday. Whenever the night grew quiet, that Marine hero's iron fist still reappeared in his dreams.
"Those petty scoundrels back home have seen our weakness, and their provocations are growing more frequent." Chinjao's expression darkened further. "Our ruler's suppression of us is becoming more obvious by the day, too. Worse still..."
He surveyed the children and grandchildren seated around the table, a barely perceptible bitterness in his voice. "Because we can't open the Jade Iceburg, even the brats under our command are baring their teeth behind our backs."
Seated farther down the table, Caiyi hung his head, the fresh "13" tattoo on his forehead faintly visible in the lamplight. "It's all my fault, Grandpa. If I'd mastered the Drill Dragon Drill Nail, the Happo Navy wouldn't have been disgraced..."
His younger brother Boo interrupted him. "Big brother, how is this your fault? It's all that damned Garp's doing!" Boo slammed the table and sprang to his feet in agitation. "Grandpa's right. Once we control Boer and make him forge weapons for us, the Happo Navy's strength will reach a whole new level! Then all these problems back home will resolve themselves!"
Caiyi's brow remained furrowed, his concern plain on his face. "Old man, abducting him outright would be far too dishonorable. Besides, even if we captured him, wouldn't it backfire if he resented us and refused to put his heart into forging blades for us?"
A cold smile curled Chinjao's lips, carrying a cunning honed through decades of fighting at sea. "Who said anything about force?" His gaze swept over several granddaughters present. "Pick a few of your clever, pretty cousins and feed him a little 'something.' Once they're carrying his children, he'll be part of our family!"
He abruptly rose, his five-meter frame casting an enormous shadow in the lamplight. "Our family's rise begins today! Get our fastest speedboat ready immediately. I'll lead the expedition to the Kingdom of Bernia myself."
He pulled a secret report from inside his clothes and slapped it heavily onto the table. "According to intelligence from the Underground Forces, this brat is Vice Admiral-level at most. If we don't act now, we'll never get another chance once the monsters of the New World catch wind of this!"
While the Happo Navy plotted, a brand-new industrial miracle was taking shape on the eastern coast of the Kingdom of Bernia.
Beside the azure bay, Boer stood before the newly completed salt refinery, the sea breeze brushing his coat. Beside him, the Steel Heavy Industry Consortium's two chief designers were deep in heated discussion.
"Hahaha!" Copperhammer, only 1.6 meters tall, waved his thick arms, his booming voice drowning out even the waves. "You know, those Marines' families really are useful! Their discipline and organization are impeccable, and even their literacy rate is far higher than ordinary workers'! The factory can start production as soon as construction is finished. We won't even need a settling-in period!"
He excitedly slapped the gleaming silver distillation tank beside him, drawing a dull metallic echo. The master craftsman's face glowed red with pride, every wrinkle brimming with accomplishment.
Hunter Winster, meanwhile, maintained his elegance. He lightly adjusted his glasses, tracing complex shapes in the sand with his cane. "Lord Boer, please take a look at this."
An assistant hurriedly retrieved two meticulously drawn blueprints from a briefcase. Hunter first pointed his cane toward the mouth of the bay. "Here, if we build a curved dam, we can both retain seawater for salt extraction and install three sets of underwater turbines."
His cane then swept toward the ridge above. "Then we'll put a row of windmills there. By my calculations, combining tidal and wind power will be enough to meet the entire factory's energy needs."
Boer's eyes immediately lit up. He clasped Hunter's hand and shook it sincerely. "The wisdom of you two masters never ceases to amaze me! Everything the Commonwealth has achieved today is thanks to your ingenious ideas."
He turned toward the factory gleaming in the sunlight before him, warmth welling in his heart. Only a month ago, this had been a barren stretch of beach. Now, the West Blue's most modern salt-refining facility stood here.
Copperhammer leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Kid, you should've seen those old nobles' faces when the first batch of refined salt came out! They looked worse than if they'd swallowed flies! We're finally going to break the monopoly they've held for all these years!"
Hunter nodded lightly and added, "But we must be wary of their retaliation. I've heard there have been more and more unfamiliar faces at the port lately."
Boer smiled faintly, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the metal button on his cuff. His gaze passed over the bustling construction site toward the distant horizon. There, a speedboat was cutting through the waves, racing toward Bernia.
The smile on Boer's face froze in an instant.
"Excuse me for a moment, gentlemen."
His voice remained steady, but his gaze had already fixed on the distant horizon like a hawk's, as though seeking to pierce space itself. Within the vast expanse of his "Magnetic Sense," a life magnetic field burned like a miniature sun, radiating terrifying fluctuations of energy as it raced toward the Kingdom of Bernia at a heart-stopping speed!
And it was not alone! Several other dazzling lights clustered beside him, making Boer's heart sink.
He drew a deep breath, as though trying to suppress all the unease and gravity in his chest. Turning to Copperhammer and Hunter beside him, he struggled to keep his face calm, but could not entirely conceal the grave look that flashed deep in his eyes.
"If something should happen to me next..." Boer spoke slowly, each word clear. "Masters, don't stay here any longer. Leave Bernia immediately and go to the East Blue, back to your families." He paused, forcing a somewhat strained, apologetic smile. "Of course, that might not happen. Perhaps... I'm just overthinking things."
The smile instantly stiffened on Copperhammer's rugged face. Seeing a seriousness Boer had never shown before, he forcibly reined in his usual boisterous manner. He wanted to clap Boer on the shoulder as usual and offer a few bold words like "What's there to fear?" But when the words reached his lips, they became only a heavy sigh, and he slowly nodded. Hunter unconsciously tightened his grip on his cane, worry filling his eyes behind his glasses. He opened his mouth, but finally said only in a low voice, "Lord Boer, please... be careful."
Boer said no more. His figure flickered, magnetic field power surging around him as he became a streak of light and sped toward the Earl's residence in the Royal Capital.
Rather than entering through the main gate, he drifted down like a falling leaf into a quiet courtyard deep within the residence, where several rose bushes grew. Almost simultaneously, the housekeeper Elena, alerted by a servant, hurried over with her skirts lifted, still maintaining her elegance despite her haste.
She wore a well-tailored dark housekeeper's uniform that fully outlined her voluptuous, alluring figure, ripe as a peach. Upon seeing Boer, she immediately lowered her head slightly as usual, golden strands falling beside her ears, and spoke in her trained, calm voice. "Lord Boer, you're back. What are your instructions?"
This time, however, Boer did not issue instructions as usual. He stepped forward and, under Elena's slightly startled gaze, spread his arms and drew her warm, soft, fragrant body tightly into his embrace.
"Lord Boer... it's... it's still daytime... and..." The sudden intimacy startled Elena into stumbling over her words. Despite her exceptional professionalism, two alluring blushes instantly rose on her pale cheeks at this public display, under the astonished gazes of the surrounding attendants, and her body stiffened slightly.
Boer ignored her shyness. His azure eyes gazed deeply at the woman in his arms, as though seeking to carve her image into his heart. He lowered his head and used magnetic field vibrations to transmit his voice precisely into Elena's ears, preventing anyone else from hearing:
"I'm sorry, Elena. Listen, go pack immediately and take every valuable you can easily carry. If... if things look bad and you feel the situation slipping out of control, don't hesitate. Leave this place immediately and get as far away as you can."
Without waiting for Elena to recover from this sudden warning, he pressed a gentle kiss to her smooth forehead, one that carried the sense of a final farewell. Then he released her, floated into the air once more, and flew toward the port without looking back. Elena remained standing dumbly where she was, the flush rapidly draining from her face, replaced by pallor and a chill that sank her heart into the depths.
On his way to the port, Boer once again used magnetic field vibrations to transmit his voice precisely to Chloe and Allison, who were drinking tea on the terrace of a separate courtyard.
"Allison, stay with Chloe." His voice was frighteningly calm, as though he were giving instructions about something that had nothing to do with him. "If I die next, remember to go to the Marines. Use the rules to make them 'seek justice' for you. Although the Kent Family deserved to die, I'm certainly no decent, kindly man either. Use your status as my 'women' to tear into those nobles in the Commonwealth. How much flesh you can bite off will depend on your own abilities."
He paused, then his voice took on a trace of its usual irreverence, as though dispelling the heavy atmosphere:
"Of course-if I'm tough enough to survive... you'd better wash yourselves clean and wait obediently for me to come back and favor you! Hahaha!"
On the terrace, Chloe and Allison rose in unison, holding hands as they watched the figure rapidly receding through the sky. Chloe's eyes were filled with complicated worry, while Allison bit her lower lip hard, fear mingling with a trace of unwillingness in her gaze.
And over by the port, the storm gathered.
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