Note: Ajin = Akin
"Even though the threat from sea kings has greatly diminished, it's not entirely gone, and crossing the Calm Belt still requires a great deal of physical strength and energy. It's during this time that these pirates are at their weakest," Barbarossa's uninjured hand unconsciously rubbed the hilt of his sword with a hint of pride. "This is the best time to attack them, and they're likely to have Devil Fruits on them."
The conversation had already caught the attention of others, and Barbarossa's voice gradually rose, eventually evolving into a rallying speech: "When I first set out to sea and faced a crisis, I obtained a Devil Fruit there, which led to everything I have today! That place is my lucky spot, and I believe that won't change now. If we find another Devil Fruit there, we can avenge Reis and Haileidin and reclaim everything we've lost!"
Barbarossa wasn't lying. When he and Reis, Haileidin, and the others set out to sea for the first time, they encountered a situation similar to William's: being hunted by famous old pirates, they fled until they reached the Calm Belt. There, luck struck when they came across a pirate crew that had just escaped from the Grand Line and returned to the East Blue. The exhaustion from crossing the Calm Belt led the Redbeard brothers to sacrifice some of their members to defeat the crew, allowing them to consume the Devil Fruit.
In the end, with the power of the fruit, Barbarossa took revenge, rose to power, and became one of the most notorious pirates in the East Blue, connecting with Arcadius.
Their situation at that time was even more difficult than now, but Barbarossa endured. He believed that fate would continue to favor him. If he could find another Devil Fruit and present it to Arcadius and Roy, they would be unable to refuse his request and would even pay him a large sum of money.
With Arcadius and Roy's help, Barbarossa was more confident in pursuing revenge against Zepp and the chef pirate crew. Killing them would not only avenge his past but also allow him to claim their long-hidden treasure. All current difficulties would be resolved—so long as he could find a Devil Fruit.
Barbarossa looked up, as if he could see through the ceiling and into the sky, firmly believing that he could find a Devil Fruit and continue his legendary story in the East Blue.
William looked at Barbarossa, whose expression was resolute, and knew that with just a little push, Barbarossa would turn against Arcadius.
William finally understood why, despite his rage at Arcadius's humiliation, Barbarossa had restrained himself. Barbarossa believed he still had an escape route. The Devil Fruit was his last bargaining chip. With it, Arcadius wouldn't hold the past disagreements against him. A treasure worth hundreds of millions of Berries was enough to mend any rift between allies.
But what if the Devil Fruit couldn't be found? Or what if, even after finding one, Barbarossa realized it couldn't fix the division between them?
The Calm Belt stretched endlessly across the East Blue. In such a vast area, the chance of encountering a crew lucky enough to cross it safely, and one that just happened to have a Devil Fruit, was slim.
Of course, since the chance wasn't zero, it was still possible, but everything depended on luck. William's greatest dislike was relying on something as uncertain as luck.
As William sailed with Barbarossa toward the Calm Belt, Akin was in the Navy's 16th Division, polishing weapons.
After torturing Ward for information, William had decided not only to disguise himself and board the ship but also to leave Akin behind as an undercover agent in the Navy. This decision meant that Akin wasn't present for events like welcoming Sherlock.
In fact, before becoming an enemy of Barbarossa, Arcadius, and others, William had already planned to send someone to infiltrate the Navy. The Navy, as one of the largest sea powers, was something William needed to monitor and collect intelligence on, no matter what he was doing. He also considered stealing military technologies from them, such as weapon data and even combat techniques.
William didn't believe that even a small dojo like Yeng Shirou's could provide refined and detailed sword training, yet the Navy, a significant force on the sea, seemed to lack the training capabilities for its soldiers.
At that time, William wasn't in a rush and planned to act when the situation was right, intending to place Akin after extending his smuggling business into new areas. But after Valon's incident, those plans fell through.
Akin's placement under Roy was a coincidence. William hadn't known who the Navy officers colluding with Arcadius and Barbarossa were but reasoned that the waters around the Navia Kingdom were within the 16th Division's jurisdiction, making it more likely that the officers there were involved. Even if he guessed wrong, it wouldn't disrupt William's plan.
The Navy, part of the World Government, stood apart from the kingdoms, and their recruitment procedures were surprisingly rudimentary from William's perspective as a time-traveler. Initially, he thought that like on Earth in his past life, the Navy and World Government would conduct political checks on new recruits, but he soon discovered that he had overestimated them.
The recruitment system, already underdeveloped, coupled with semi-independent, semi-isolated management at various Navy bases, meant the Navy's ranks were filled with mixed quality. Some fugitives from different kingdoms even hid among the recruits to avoid capture.
Thus, Akin easily transformed into a new recruit for the 16th Division, earning favor from the lieutenant, Rat, thanks to his skills and bribery.
However, Akin was never sure whether Rat valued his money or his abilities more.
Rat was a greedy little man, and Akin was certain of that. He despised the sneaky officer, but William had a penchant for such genuine villains. Through cash bribes, Akin gathered valuable information from Rat, which helped William perfect his plans.
As Akin polished his weapon, he glanced at the time, packed up his tools, and left. He walked down the corridor to his quarters, retrieved a box of cigars and a bottle of sherry from under his bed, and made his way to the duty room.
Reaching the duty room, he knocked gently when he saw no one around. Pushing the door open, he stepped inside.
Akin discreetly scanned the desk cluttered with bugged phones and smiled at the young Navy soldier who looked puzzled at him. "Neil, help me out, will you?"
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