Chapter 90: Firefighting
Ian didn't know what to say at this point.
Ace's out-of-control fire fist had actually hit the storage warehouse in the city—this was something Ian had never expected.
He had originally thought it was just an ordinary building.
Especially after hearing from the local residents that the warehouse contained food meant to be tributed to Big Mom, Ian felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.
Big Mom loved sweet food, and the honey-glazed barbecue on Bibi Koi Island was a perfect dessert. Ian had eaten quite a bit of it when he was with Bill earlier, and it was indeed good, so he could understand why this island was protected through food tributes. Although Ian didn't know how the food could be transported all the way from the first half of the Grand Line to the New World in the second half, he figured there must be some special method of food preservation.
And now, the building on fire was the very hope of peace for Bibi Koi Island. It was because of these tributed foods that the island's people were spared from pirate invasions.
But now, because of Ace, that building was burning!
Although Ace hadn't done it intentionally, the fire was still his fault.
Ace, that guy, had probably caused trouble so many times that his first reaction upon seeing the warehouse on fire was to run away.
However, Ian understood the severity of the situation and grabbed him by the collar, saying, "Run? What for? Come with me to fight the fire!"
"Why?" Ace asked, puzzled.
Ian shook his head and said, "This happened because of us. We could just leave, but if the things in the warehouse are destroyed, the people on this island will face disaster! The Four Emperors' Big Mom won't get the dessert she wants, and she'll take it out on this island. She'll destroy it!"
"What's a Four Emperor? Are they strong?" Ace was stunned. "And who's Big Mom?"
The members of the Spade Pirates were speechless. Ace had been on this island for nearly a month and hadn't even bothered to study the pirate flag hanging around?
So they quickly explained to him. When Ace heard that even the World Government didn't dare to provoke the Four Emperors lightly, his eyes went wide.
This was the first time Ace had formed an impression of the Four Emperors.
"That's right!" Ian said seriously. "The island's residents are innocent. They shouldn't suffer because of us. So we have to fight the fire and help them!"
Ace nodded. He had wanted to run earlier because he hadn't realized how serious it was. Now that he understood, he naturally took responsibility.
In this regard, Ace and Luffy were the same—they weren't truly pirates at heart.
Ian also had to forget about Pix, the bounty he had killed. Although it was a bounty of over twenty million, Ian didn't know where the nearest Marine branch was on this route. Pix was dirty and ugly, and carrying him along would be disgusting, so Ian decided to temporarily give up on that and focus on fighting the fire first.
Leading Ace and the Spade Pirates, Ian ran at full speed. Along the way, he saw many local residents rushing to fight the fire with panic on their faces. Whether adults or children, they all carried buckets of water, not even thinking about the danger of fighting the fire.
In stark contrast, a large number of pirates were fleeing!
Yes, fleeing! The news of the warehouse fire had spread across the entire Bibi Koi Island. When they heard that the burning building was the warehouse storing the tributed food, the pirates immediately sensed the gravity of the situation. Once the warehouse was severely damaged, and the Big Mom Pirates arrived, this island might be finished! Out of self-preservation, the pirates didn't hesitate to flee this place of trouble.
They didn't want to run into a Four Emperors' pirate crew...
A flood of pirates surged toward the harbor, boarding their ships and setting sail, showing no attachment to the island that had given them delicious food.
The local residents were risking their lives to fight the fire, while the pirates fled without looking back. This stark contrast made Ian shake his head as he watched.
When he had seen Ace's flames fly out earlier, he hadn't thought much of it. But as he ran closer, Ian realized the building was quite far away. As he ran, he passed an alley and suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Ace asked him.
"Wait for me!" Ian turned back and ran to the alley entrance. When he had passed by earlier, his peripheral vision had caught something in the alley.
When Ian ran in, he found Roland Gale's body.
Ace followed him in and said, "I remember now, this is where I bumped into that porcupine guy... Hey, is this person dead?"
"Yeah," Ian replied. He walked over, crouched down, and picked up an item beside Roland Gale's body.
It was the Eternal Pointer to Alabasta. The glass of the pointer had reflected light, catching Ian's attention to this dark alley. But he hadn't expected to find Roland Gale lying there, eyes wide open in unwilling death.
Several needles were embedded in his body, piercing through it, causing his death. Needless to say, it must have been Pix who did it.
Connecting the events, Ian immediately understood why Roland Gale had died here.
Perhaps Roland Gale was the first to get the Flame-Flame Fruit, but unfortunately, he didn't become a Logia user because of it. Instead, he lost his life.
Ian couldn't help but marvel at the irony of fate. If Roland Gale had taken a bite out of curiosity when he got the Devil Fruit, perhaps there would be no "Fire Fist Ace" in this world.
They say character determines fate, and that's very true. As a noble, Roland Gale didn't dare to try the Devil Fruit because of its strange appearance, missing the chance to become strong and losing his life in the process. Meanwhile, Ace, the glutton, didn't care about anything—he bumped into someone, picked up the Devil Fruit, and ran off with it as if it were an after-dinner snack... and ended up laughing last.
This story teaches us that those who pretend to be refined die on the road of pretense, while only gluttons are the darlings of fate...
Although he hadn't witnessed the exact scene, Ian deduced the cause and effect. He picked up the Eternal Pointer, put it in his pocket, and said to the unseeing Roland Gale, "Sigh, even though I hate nobles like you, killing Pix counts as avenging you. As for your Eternal Pointer, I'll take it as payment."
Standing up, Ian said to Ace, "Let's go. Hurry to fight the fire!"
Ace nodded, glanced at Roland Gale on the ground, said nothing, and followed Ian, holding his hat as they ran.
The group ran for a while longer and finally arrived at the warehouse.
By now, the fire had grown larger. The side hit by Ace's flames was completely ablaze.
When Ace's fire fist had flown over and hit the warehouse earlier, it had only ignited a few scattered flammable materials. But unfortunately, the warehouse contained a large amount of volcanic stone.
Although this was where the honey-glazed barbecue was stored, it was also where the barbecue was made. The residents of Bibi Koi Island had placed many volcanic stones at the bottom of the warehouse and stacked various honey-glazed foods on top. This was done to slowly bake the food and keep it warm, so that when the Big Mom Pirates came to pick it up, it would be at the perfect temperature.
When the warehouse caught fire, the heat from the flames combined with the heat from the volcanic stones, and the situation spiraled out of control!
Local residents, waiters, chefs, restaurant owners, and even some Marine soldiers were all gathered here. They formed a line, passing buckets of water to the front, where people poured the water onto the fire. At the same time, several water carts sprayed water guns at the burning warehouse. Everyone was working hard to fight the fire, knowing full well what the destruction of this warehouse meant for the island. No one dared to slack off.
At this rate, they could indeed put out the fire, but by the time they did, it might be too late. The fire might be extinguished, but the warehouse would be destroyed.
Seeing this, Ian said to Ace, "Ace, try to see if you can control these flames!"
"Me? Control these flames?" Ace was stunned.
"Yeah, just try it," Ian said. He didn't know if this method would work. He had never heard of a Logia user being able to control external natural elements of the same type, but he had to let Ace try.
If Ace could transfer or absorb these flames, the fire could be put out quickly.
Ian knew this might be difficult for Ace. He had only just obtained the Flame-Flame Fruit and couldn't even control his own power well, let alone external energy.
But Ian had no other choice. His only hope was Ace. After eating the Flame-Flame Fruit, Ace had become a fire man. He was the one who understood flames best. If he couldn't do it, who could?