Chapter 48: The Ship Problem
"Huh? Who did you say?" The mustachioed man's words were a bit slurred, likely due to the sharp pain in his shoulder, so Ian couldn't make it out clearly at first.
Johnny and Yosaku, however, heard him clearly and immediately cried out in shock: "You... what did you say? The... the Krieg Pirates!?"
"That's right!" The mustachioed man and the other pirates sneered. "We told you before, even though we're pirates, we're not afraid of any bounty hunters! We're the biggest boss in the East Blue, the Krieg Pirates! In the East Blue, no bounty hunter dares to mess with us!"
Before he could finish, a foot suddenly shot out from the side and kicked him square in the face.
*Pfft!* The mustachioed man's face twisted to the side as a tooth flew out, mixed with blood...
It was Ian who kicked him. Under the stunned gazes of everyone, he calmly withdrew his foot and said, "Shut up! Didn't I tell you? Small fry like you should just get lost!"
"You... are you crazy!?" Another pirate screamed. "We told you we're from the Krieg Pirates, and you still dare to attack!?"
Ian was getting annoyed. He walked over, poked the pirate in the forehead, and said, "So what if it's the Krieg Pirates? I already told you, I'm a bounty hunter! And you still dare to say, right in front of me, that no one dares to mess with you? Damn it, are you trying to slap me in the face?"
With that, Ian started kicking the group of pirates. He hated it when people pulled the "backup" card like that.
The Marine soldiers ahead turned around, dumbfounded, watching Ian beat and kick the pirates. Seeing this, they finally believed that this seemingly seventeen- or eighteen-year-old kid had actually captured this whole bunch of pirates.
Many of the Marines shrank their necks in fear at Ian's violent temper, which flared up at the slightest provocation...
In the end, Johnny and Yosaku had to pull Ian back. Johnny pulled out a stack of wanted posters and flipped through them for Ian, saying, "Brother Ian, listen to me first. The Krieg Pirates are nothing like the Buggy Pirates. Their captain, 'Pirate Admiral' Krieg, is a genuine pirate with a bounty in the millions. He's notoriously ruthless here in the East Blue. Pissing them off would be a real hassle!"
Ian took the wanted posters and saw that Krieg's bounty was exactly as he remembered: 17 million Berries.
Keep in mind, Ian had set sail three years before Luffy. Even Buggy's bounty was only 7 million at this point. He hadn't expected Krieg to already have such a high bounty.
What Ian didn't know was that bounties mainly depended on the government's attitude toward pirates. Krieg had originally been a Marine soldier who later defected to become a pirate. He often disguised his crew as Marines or merchant ships to lower people's guard before attacking villages and vessels. To the government, he wasn't just a disgrace to the Marines but also someone constantly tarnishing their reputation—a pirate with immense threat potential.
This explained why Krieg's bounty had reached the millions before Buggy's. Buggy was obsessed with looting treasure and rarely provoked the Marines, keeping a low profile. Krieg, on the other hand, was infamous. Their reputations were worlds apart.
Infamy had its perks, though. The Krieg Pirates were currently recognized as the dominant force in the East Blue, with many pirates choosing to join them. From Johnny and Yosaku's explanations, Ian finally understood why they were so wary of Krieg. It was said that the Krieg Pirates had grown significantly, boasting over thirty large ships and two to three thousand subordinates!
A force like that probably rivaled even some smaller Marine branches...
Ian turned to the Marine Chief Petty Officer and asked, "Are you Marines just letting the Krieg Pirates grow like this?"
The Chief Petty Officer spread his hands helplessly and said, "What can we do? The Marines' elite forces are all concentrated in the Grand Line's various direct branches. Not just the East Blue, but the North Blue, South Blue, and West Blue too—the Marine forces in the four seas are all weak. We're powerless! Maybe things will improve now that Captain Smog from headquarters has arrived..."
Ian shook his head upon hearing this. Even the Marines feared Krieg, but Ian knew full well that Krieg was a tragic figure. In terms of strength, he wasn't even as good as Buggy. At least Buggy was a Devil Fruit user. Krieg was just an ordinary man, slightly stronger than average, with no real strategy. He couldn't even compare to Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates. His so-called "tactics" of disguising attacks were just cunning, not strategy. His supposed strength was just an illusion built on numbers. Perhaps because of his inner weakness, he always relied on external equipment to arm himself.
So two years later, when Krieg foolishly tried to challenge the Grand Line, he tragically ran into Hawk-Eye Mihawk, who single-handedly defeated his entire fleet. Krieg barely lasted seven days in the Grand Line before limping back.
Ian didn't care much about the so-called Krieg Pirates. He had a rough sense of his own strength and knew he was already stronger than Zoro was when he set sail. If that so-called Pirate Admiral Krieg dared to come after him, Ian would just take him out.
As for his thousands of subordinates, looking at the pirates in front of him, Ian could tell what kind of trash they were. Pulling stunts like blocking the road to fake accidents and steal things—could these even be called pirates?
So Ian completely ignored their threats, dragging and kicking the group all the way to the Marine base.
The Chief Petty Officer and his men interrogated the pirates one by one, checking if any of them were wanted.
The result almost made Ian want to kick them again. He'd had a feeling earlier that these guys were nothing but low-tier pirates, and the interrogation confirmed it. Almost none of them were wanted by the Marines—meaning they had no bounties at all!
Except for the mustachioed man. He used to be a mountain bandit who accidentally beat someone into a coma during a robbery, then fled to sea and joined the Krieg Pirates. He was the only one with a bounty, but it wasn't a Marine-issued one. It was put up by the victim's family, and it was a measly 50,000 Berries...
If not for the mustachioed man's bounty, Ian would have been tempted to beat the whole group again.
Buggy's 7-million bounty wouldn't be paid out until Smog arrived in two days, so the mustachioed man's 50,000 Berries was the only money Ian had earned so far. Luckily, the Marines were straightforward and paid him immediately.
With that 50,000, he should be fine in Loguetown for the next couple of days. This lifted Ian's spirits a bit, so he said to Johnny and Yosaku, "Come on, I'm treating you to a meal!"
"Awesome!" Johnny and Yosaku raised their hands and cheered.
Despite how weak they were, they were pretty loyal. Ian also noticed that even though these two were just starting out, they seemed like local experts who knew a lot about things. Ian wanted to ask them some questions over the meal.
He led them to the bustling restaurant he'd seen earlier on the street. Before they could even order, Johnny and Yosaku were already slapping the table and shouting, "Beer! Three big glasses of beer first!"
It seemed people who sailed the seas were all good drinkers. Ian didn't mind. When the beer arrived, he clinked glasses with Johnny and Yosaku and said, "Bottoms up!"
After downing a big glass of beer in one go, while the waiter refilled their glasses, Ian asked them, "Do you know if there's a shipyard in Loguetown that sells large ships?"
"What, Brother Ian, you want to buy a ship?" Johnny asked curiously.
"Yeah, more specifically, I want a medium-sized ship. I'm planning to head to the Grand Line!" Ian said.
On his way to Loguetown, he'd already thought it over. He probably had to go to the Grand Line. Devil Fruit users were incredibly rare in the East Blue. Even Buggy had gotten his Devil Fruit from the Grand Line.
So to find Devil Fruits, he had to go to the Grand Line.
Kuina had been bedridden for so many years. Even if she woke up, she'd probably be pretty bitter. As her brother, Ian figured he should either not help at all or go all the way. He wanted to get her the strongest Logia-type fruit possible.
Devil Fruit abilities depended on the user's training, but Logia fruits were generally considered stronger. As long as you didn't run into a fruit that countered yours, Logia types were usually unbeatable—unless you faced someone who could use Haki. The nature of Logia fruits meant they had a higher starting point than Paramecia or Zoan types.
To find Devil Fruits, he had to go to the Grand Line. But his little boat wouldn't cut it for that journey, so Ian felt he needed to upgrade to a bigger ship.
However, a ship that was too big couldn't be handled by one person. After careful consideration, Ian decided a medium-sized ship was the best fit.
Johnny took a sip of beer, wiped his mouth, and said, "Honestly, Brother Ian, even if you get that 7-million bounty, buying a ship is still going to be tough."
"No way!" Ian asked. "How expensive can a medium-sized ship be?"
"It's not about the price!" Yosaku shook his head. "It's about ordering one. You can't buy a ready-made ship from a shipyard. You have to place an order. But after ordering, it could take anywhere from five or six months to a year to get the ship. Can you wait that long, Brother Ian?"
"That long!?" Ian said in surprise.
"Of course! Building a ship isn't easy!" Johnny said. "The wood needs to be dried, then painted, then dried again. There are a lot of steps involved. If you ask me, instead of buying a new ship, you should ask around Loguetown to see if anyone's selling a used one. It'll be cheaper, and you can get it right away!"