Chapter 55: Commotion
♂』The next morning, Ian woke up early, a good habit he had developed during his time in Shimotsuki Village.
However, when he woke up, Ian noticed that Ace, who was supposed to be in the other bed, had already rolled off and was now sleeping on the floor. Not only was Ace a messy sleeper, but because of the handcuffs connecting them, he had nearly dragged Ian down with him.
Shaking his head speechlessly, Ian woke Ace up, and the two of them left the room together. They washed their faces with some water and then headed to the inn's dining area to prepare for breakfast.
The breakfast provided by the inn wasn't particularly tasty, but neither of them cared much; as long as it filled their stomachs, it was fine.
While eating, Ian checked his Psychic Power value.
Ian was now Level 6. With his own stat growth and the bonuses from two cards, he had a total of 112 Psychic Power points. Yesterday, when he used the Evil King Flame Slayer Sword to cut through the Seastone Handcuffs, he had almost completely drained his Psychic Power. However, thanks to his Intermediate Nen Training skill, which allowed him to recover 5 Psychic Power points per hour, he had regained over 40 points after a full night's rest.
According to Ian's estimate, this amount of Psychic Power should be enough to cut through the chain.
Psychic Power had always been a major constraint for Ian. Although the Intermediate Nen Training skill provided an additional percentage bonus to Psychic Power, training it was extremely troublesome. He had to consume one point of Psychic Power to gain one point of proficiency. In other words, even if Ian trained his Nen skills nonstop day and night, he could only gain a little over a hundred proficiency points in twenty-plus hours.
He was still quite far from reaching the Advanced Nen Training skill.
Moreover, Ian had also discovered another issue: he himself could not generate Psychic Power! This was evident from his basic stats. Back when he was Level 1, his Strength, Speed, and Health values all had some base points, but his Psychic Power value was completely zero! All of his current Psychic Power came from level-up bonuses and card enhancements.
So Ian had always wondered: what exactly was the essence of Psychic Power? Was it merely to allow him to use the skills from his cards?
These profound questions remained unknown to Ian for now.
Snapping back to reality, Ian looked at Ace, whose cheeks were bulging with food, and said to him, "After I cut the chain later, you should still come with me to see Garp. Even if the chain is broken, the handcuffs are still on your wrists. We need to find a way to open them."
But Ace shook his head and said, "No. I said no, and that's final."
"Why?" Ian asked, frustrated. "What's so hard about seeing your own grandfather? Even if you don't want to be a Marine, just tell him to his face. Are you going to avoid him forever like this?"
"You don't understand," Ace said. "That old man is a stubborn fool. All his communication with us is through his fists. I've told him countless times since I was a kid that I don't want to be a Marine, but he never listens. He just beats me every time! There's no reasoning with him."
"..." Ian didn't know how to respond. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Are you really going to force me to capture you?"
Ace turned his head and looked at Ian with a puzzled expression. "Why are you so determined to catch me? Is it because the old man is a Marine Vice Admiral, and you want to suck up to him? Do you want to be a Marine?"
"I..." Ian hesitated for a moment, then confessed the truth to Ace. "I need your grandfather's help to save someone."
"Save who?" Ace asked curiously.
"My junior sister," Ian said. "Although we're not blood-related, I've always treated her like my own little sister. She's been unconscious for a long time, and I want to see if I can get your grandfather to find a famous Marine doctor for her."
"Haha! So that's it!" Ace laughed, adjusting his hat. "That's easy. I'll write a letter to the old man, saying that you've already caught me. That way, your mission is complete, and you can make your request to him."
"Will that work?" Ian asked uncertainly. "He told me to catch you dozens of times, until you give up being a pirate..."
"..." Even Ace was at a loss for words. That old man was as strict as ever, asking someone to catch him dozens of times!?
After that, Ace asked the innkeeper for paper and a pen, and he began writing the letter right there on the dining counter. Whether it would work or not, it was worth a try. Besides, since he had set out to sea alone, there were some things he wanted to say to Garp, and this was a good opportunity to do it all at once.
While Ace was writing, Ian naturally didn't lean in to read it. So, as he ate, he idly observed the inn.
Just then, a guest staying at the inn ran in from outside, looking panicked. "Something terrible has happened in town!"
His words immediately caught the attention of the other guests having breakfast. They quickly pressed him for details. "What's going on? Have pirates appeared?"
The messenger nodded. "It's the Krieg Pirates!"
As soon as that name was mentioned, the inn erupted in screams of fear. Some of the more timid guests scrambled to their feet, ready to bolt out the door, while others dove straight under the tables!
The inn descended into chaos.
Seeing this, the messenger quickly added, "Don't panic! Don't panic! The Krieg Pirates haven't attacked! They're just gathered in the central plaza! It doesn't seem like they're here to rob anyone!"
The guests breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Ian watched the scene in the inn with some surprise. He hadn't expected the Krieg Pirates to have such a fearsome reputation that even the mere news of their presence could terrify everyone like this.
Under the guests' persistent questioning, the messenger recounted what he had seen in detail. "I got up early this morning and went out for a stroll. Then I noticed the Marines in town mobilizing and heading toward the plaza. Out of curiosity, I followed them. When I got there, I saw over five hundred pirates from the Krieg Pirates standing in the square!"
"F-Five hundred!?" The guests were startled again by the number.
"Yeah, it was a huge scene!" the messenger said, still shaken. "Almost all the Marines in town were deployed, and they were facing off against the pirates. But strangely, the Krieg Pirates didn't start a fight with the Marines. They laid down two people covered in blood in the square, then just stood by with their arms crossed. That was it."
"They didn't fight?" The guests were surprised. "And the Marines didn't try to arrest them?"
"Don't be ridiculous! The Marines are outnumbered!" the messenger retorted. "Don't you know how big the Krieg Pirates are? If five hundred of them showed up, who's to say there aren't more lurking in town?"
"That's true!" the guests said nervously. "The Marines in Loguetown probably only have about five hundred men. If a fight breaks out, who knows who would win?"
"Something big is about to happen in this town! Maybe we should leave now!" someone suggested.
This idea gained a lot of support, and people hurried back to their rooms to pack. However, some of the bolder ones continued to question the messenger. "You said the Krieg Pirates laid down two people covered in blood? What's that about?"
"I don't know," the messenger shrugged. "But it looked like they were putting those two on display. Maybe... it's about revenge?"
"Revenge? That's possible!" the crowd murmured. "Who are those unlucky bastards to have provoked the Krieg Pirates?"
"No idea, but I heard those two bloody guys are bounty hunters..." the messenger said.
Hearing this, Ian's heart suddenly skipped a beat. For some reason, the words "bounty hunters" immediately made him think of Johnny and Yosaku, who had been missing since yesterday.
He couldn't help but think this way, especially since he had captured members of the Krieg Pirates just yesterday!
Realizing what was happening, Ian immediately understood the situation. He stood up abruptly, the handcuffs yanking Ace's hand, causing him to leave a large streak across the paper. Ace looked up in surprise. "What's wrong?"
Without a word, Ian drew the longsword from his back. Flames burst forth as he slashed at the chain connecting their handcuffs!
With over 40 Psychic Power points and targeting the same spot he had cut yesterday, he managed to melt through half of the chain. Since the chain was made of interlocking links, melting half of it reduced its tensile strength by half. Ian gave it a hard yank, and the chain finally snapped.
His Psychic Power was completely drained, leaving Ian feeling exhausted. He said to Ace, "Finish your letter and leave it with the innkeeper. I'll pick it up later. If you want to leave, go ahead. I'll let you off this time."
"What are you going to do?" Ace asked curiously.
"To kill," Ian said, pulling his hat down low. He sheathed his longsword on his back and walked out of the inn.
The guests in the inn had noticed the flames on Ian's sword, and they stared in stunned silence as he walked out. When they snapped out of it, they screamed and scattered in all directions.
The murderous intent in Ian's parting words made everyone realize that something truly big was about to happen. Not only had pirates come to town, but a monster had arrived as well.
Only Ace scratched his head for a moment, then finished his letter, sealed it, and handed it to the innkeeper, who was hiding behind the counter, asking him to keep it safe. He then politely bowed to the innkeeper to thank him for his hospitality before heading toward the door.
The innkeeper quickly called out, "Hey, kid! Where are you going?"
"I'm going to help with the killing," Ace said, turning back with a smile.
The innkeeper stared blankly at Ace, at a loss for words. It wasn't until Ace had disappeared into the distance that he suddenly shouted.
"Hey! You haven't paid for your room yet!!!"