Chapter 12: Dragon and the Severely Injured Sabo
Ian didn't know what Kuma was thinking, why he had given his hat to him, but this silent man was someone Ian could never see through, having no idea what was going on in his mind.
Kuma walked out. Ian took the bear ear hat off his head and looked at the cute bear ear hat in his hand. He felt a complaint stuck in his throat, not knowing how to spit it out.
What the hell? Did everyone in this world love giving hats that much?
He wondered what he looked like wearing this hat. Ian imagined it and suddenly felt incredibly awkward.
But he also knew that Kuma might have been well-intentioned toward him. If giving the Den Den Mushi was thanks for the food from the dojo, then this hat was probably his personal token of gratitude.
Helpless, Ian had to put the bear ear hat back on.
When he returned to the dojo, Ian heard laughter coming from inside, which surprised him. He couldn't imagine that someone as traditional as Master Koushirou could get along so well with Ivankov.
Walking in, Ian said to Koushirou, "Master, it's done!"
"Then we should leave too!" Ivankov stood up from the floor and put his hood back on, covering his purple afro.
Kuma and the other Revolutionary Army soldiers did the same, hiding themselves completely again.
Koushirou was staring at the hat on Ian's head in surprise. Hearing Ivankov's words, he snapped back to reality and asked, "Won't you stay a little longer?"
"No, staying too long in the village isn't good!" Ivankov said. "We'll go to the beach and wait for the ship."
Koushirou nodded and said to Ian, "Ian, see them off!"
"Alright!" Ian didn't need Koushirou to tell him; he had already decided to do so. When Ivankov said they'd wait at the beach, they were obviously waiting for Dragon. Ian wanted to go and take a look.
Ian led the way out of the dojo, followed by Ivankov and Kuma, while the Revolutionary Army soldiers bowed respectfully to Koushirou before leaving.
"..." Watching the group leave, the dojo became empty. Koushirou knelt there, silent, lost in thought.
Along the way, including Ivankov, all the Revolutionary Army soldiers looked curiously at the cute bear ear hat on Ian's head.
They naturally knew it was Kuma's hat. What surprised them was that Kuma would give his own hat to someone else.
But seeing Kuma now without his hat, his hair in waves, even Ivankov didn't ask what had happened. They just kept staring at Ian.
Feeling the burning gazes on his back, Ian felt itchy all over. So this time, he didn't take them on a detour but headed straight for the beach. Soon, they were out of the village.
The Revolutionary Army soldier who had fought Ian scratched his head in confusion and said, "Hey! It didn't seem this fast when we came!"
Ian turned back seriously and said, "You're imagining things."
"Really?" The soldier became uncertain.
"Yeah!" Ian nodded firmly. "You're probably hungry, so you're hallucinating."
Ivankov saw this and laughed, "Hee-haw! What a characterful boy!"
Ian shrugged. He knew he couldn't fool Ivankov and Kuma about the detour, but since he was still a child, childish pranks would be forgiven, right?
Shimotsuki Village wasn't very big, and the population wasn't large. When Ian brought the group to the beach, they could see a few small fishing boats tied up on the shore, left by the village fishermen who had gone out to sea. It was already afternoon, and the fishermen had long since returned, so the beach was quiet. Ivankov and his group coming here didn't risk being seen.
According to the timeline, the Revolutionary Army was still in the stage of gathering strength at this time, so they kept a low profile. For them, being as unseen as possible was best.
Ian stayed with them, waiting on the beach. Ivankov initially tried to persuade him to go back, but Ian shook his head. Helpless, the group let him stay.
They waited until dark, but no ship came. Fortunately, Kuma and a few Revolutionary Army soldiers found the food he had launched away. The group cooked a pot of rice by the beach, caught a few fish, and grilled them over a fire. Ian didn't stand on ceremony and joined them for the meal.
The moon had risen, and Ian was starting to yawn when he suddenly heard a Revolutionary Army soldier standing watch on higher ground shout, "It's here!"
Ian quickly got up and looked into the distance. Under the night sky, a dark shape was sailing toward them.
As time passed, the shape grew larger. When it came closer, Ian could make out the ship's silhouette in the moonlight.
It was a huge three-masted sailing ship, but the bow was shaped like a dragon's head, winding downward, with the dragon's body serving as the keel supporting the entire ship. At the stern, a dragon's tail emerged, making the ship look as if it were being carried by a dragon.
This was undoubtedly Dragon's ship.
A Revolutionary Army soldier had already lit a lamp to signal the ship. Dragon's ship slowed down and approached the shore.
"Ivankov, can I go up and take a look?" Ian tugged at Ivankov's cloak, pretending to be innocent. "I've never seen such a big ship before!"
Ivankov wasn't surprised by Ian's request. In fact, seeing Ian wait with them all this time, Ivankov had guessed that Ian wanted to see their ship. So he said, "Hee-haw! Ian little candy! Going up to look is fine, but I have to say, I can't take you with me! So after you've seen it, you have to get off and go back, okay?"
"No problem!" Ian nodded.
When the dragon ship had stopped, a gangplank was lowered from the left side. Ivankov and Kuma began boarding, with Ian following closely behind. The remaining Revolutionary Army soldiers called for some crew members to come and help carry the food.
Once on board, Ivankov shouted, "You're too slow, Dragon! How long do we have to wait?"
Ian followed behind Ivankov, peeking out from behind his tall figure. On the deck, a figure in a green cloak slowly turned around.
In the moonlight, Dragon still wore his hood, so Ian couldn't see his face clearly.
"Sorry!" Dragon spoke, his voice deep. "I was delayed by something. To save this child..."
As he turned, he revealed a child lying on the deck behind him. Ian's first sight was the thick bandages wrapped around the child.
The bandages covered the child's entire body, including his head and face. He was unconscious, mouth wide open. Through the gaps in the bandages, Ian could see black burn marks. Under the pale moonlight, the blood seeping through the bandages was glaringly bright.
Even Ian shivered when he saw the child. He was shocked by the severity of the injuries.
There was no doubt—this child was Sabo, whom Dragon had saved from the sea.
Seeing Sabo's tragic state in person, Ian couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. How cruel must someone be to inflict such heavy injuries on a child!?
If Dragon hadn't happened to save Sabo, he might have died right there!
At that moment, Ian truly understood for the first time how brutal the Celestial Dragons were...
Ivankov also saw Sabo lying on the deck. He jumped over in shock, crouching down to examine him.
"This is too severe!! Hey, someone come and help treat the wounds!" Ivankov shouted loudly.
"Ivankov, can you heal him?" Dragon asked.
"No, the child is too young. He needs specialized medicine!" Ivankov said. "I can only keep him alive for now! He needs to be sent for treatment quickly!"
With that, Ivankov took off his gloves and plunged his hands into Sabo's body!
"Healing Hormone, Adrenaline!"
Sabo on the ground suddenly coughed. Seeing this, Ivankov said happily, "Good! His heartbeat has recovered!"
Several Revolutionary Army soldiers quickly took the opportunity to lift Sabo onto a stretcher and carry him into the cabin.
Ivankov looked up and asked Dragon, "Who is this child? How did he get so badly injured?"
Dragon shook his head and said, "I don't know his name. He was attacked by Celestial Dragons... in that pitiful country..."
"I see..." Ivankov was speechless for a moment.
Just then, a voice suddenly said, "His name is Sabo!"
"Huh?" Dragon was startled and looked in the direction of the voice. On the deck stood another child. The one who had spoken was naturally Ian.
"Who are you?" Dragon asked curiously. "Do you know this injured child?"
As he spoke, Dragon naturally noticed the bear ear hat on Ian's head and glanced toward Kuma.
Ian shook his head and said, "I only know his name."
He knew very well that after such severe injuries, Sabo would lose his memory when he recovered. Saying the name was just to make it easier for the Revolutionary Army to address him later.
In fact, even if Ian hadn't said it, the Revolutionary Army would have found out his name from the things Sabo carried. Ian had spoken almost instinctively...
Dragon looked at Ivankov, who shrugged and said, "This is a child from the village dojo. A characterful boy. I brought him on board to take a look."
"Is that so?" Dragon glanced at Ian but didn't say anything. He turned and asked, "Where's the food?"
A Revolutionary Army soldier replied, "The village dojo gave us some."
"Good. Prepare to set sail!" Dragon said. "Return to Baltigo!"
Ian had now seen the person and had no regrets. Hearing Dragon's words, he knew he was being dismissed, so he said, "I need to go back to the dojo too!"
With that, he walked toward the gangplank on the side of the ship. After a few steps, he suddenly heard Dragon say, "Ivankov, see him off!"
Ivankov followed behind Ian and escorted him off the ship. When they reached the shore, Ivankov said to Ian, "Ian little candy, don't tell anyone about seeing us, okay?"
"I understand. You're not ordinary people!" Ian shrugged. "By the way, Uncle Kuma gave me a Den Den Mushi. Can I have your number?"
Ivankov was taken aback, then reacted: "Uncle Kuma? You call him that? What do you want my number for?"
Ian nodded. "Because I might need to find you for something in the future..."