Chapter 130: Infiltrating the Guard Unit
After finishing his instructions, Bear prepared to leave, but Ian heard a sizzling sound coming from his arms and body.
"Uncle Kuma, are you alright?" Ian asked with some concern.
"Internal functions are damaged; I need repairs!" Bear replied. "Since you were able to injure me, you have the ability to protect yourself."
Ian nodded. He understood what Bear meant. This was likely why Bear had suggested Ian infiltrate Holy Land Mary Geoise. With the Revolutionary Army's cover, as long as Ian didn't run into a Marine Admiral, he could escape unscathed.
Bear left. Ian turned around and looked at the pile of rubble behind him. He figured Hogkin and the others were probably fine—at most, they were just knocked out and slightly injured. So, he decided not to bother with them and left directly.
Not meeting with Hogkin and the others was also meant to protect them. Let them think he had been defeated and fled during the battle with Bear, disappearing without a word. That way, nothing in the future would implicate them.
Ian arrived at Red Tree Zone 13 to say goodbye to Rayleigh and Shakky.
Both Rayleigh and Shakky were living in seclusion, so Ian didn't mention his own matters to worry them. He only said he might be leaving Sabaody Archipelago.
Rayleigh and Shakky gave him a deep look but didn't ask anything, simply telling him to visit them again if he had the chance.
After settling everything, Ian went to Zones 50 to 59 of Sabaody Archipelago. This area was a gathering place for shipbuilders and coating craftsmen. There, Ian found a merchant ship heading to an island near Enies Lobby and sneaked aboard.
Enies Lobby was the judicial island. Sea trains operated there, so if Ian could reach the nearby waters and find the sea train tracks, he could determine the direction of the island.
While Ian was sneaking onto the merchant ship, Bear returned to Marine Headquarters.
Garp and Sengoku were surprised to see Bear returning injured and quickly pressed him for details.
"I was injured by the Pirate Hunter, Ian!" Bear left them with that statement. "But he was also heavily wounded and escaped."
This confused Garp and Sengoku. They had originally thought Ian had some connection with Kuma, but now Kuma had fought Ian and returned injured?
Bear didn't bother to explain further and left to repair his body. By creating this fait accompli, he severed any connection between himself and Ian.
This was also a form of protection for Ian.
Time passed quickly. Two days later, in the evening, a figure was running across the sea surface near Enies Lobby.
That figure was naturally Ian. It wasn't that he had mastered the art of water-walking; rather, he was stepping on the sea train tracks submerged just below the water's surface, allowing him to walk on the sea.
Ian was pressed for time this trip. The merchant ship he had boarded had taken a wide detour, causing him to only realize his mistake when he saw a sea train roaring past on the surface in the distance. In the end, he had to jump into the sea and swim toward the tracks.
The physical training Rayleigh had him do through swimming finally paid off. After finding the tracks, Ian confirmed the direction and ran along them.
After rushing as fast as he could, he finally reached the outer waters of Enies Lobby within the agreed time.
He was exhausted and hungry, but he didn't dare relax. After spotting the outline of the island, he continued forward. Bear had given him a small Den Den Mushi, and Ian wasn't sure about its reception range, so he had to get as close as possible.
As darkness fell, Ian could only activate his Psychic Field to sense the tracks beneath his feet as he ran. Just then, the small Den Den Mushi hidden in his hat suddenly rang with a "puru puru" sound.
Ian stopped, holding the small Den Den Mushi in one hand while picking up the receiver with the other.
"Comrade, have you arrived?" A deliberately lowered voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
"Yes!" This was Ian's first time communicating with a Revolutionary Army member, so he also lowered his voice cautiously. "I'm on the sea train tracks, about ten kilometers from Enies Lobby Island."
"Our ship has already arrived outside Enies Lobby!" The voice on the other end said. "It will be anchored here for the night. Since there are Marine escort ships, you'll have to wait until late at night to board. We'll hang a lantern by the ship as a signal."
"Understood!" Ian replied.
The other party didn't waste any words and hung up directly.
Ian continued running forward until he could faintly see the fleet outside the island. Only then did he stop and wait quietly.
The night sea was quite peaceful and romantic. The sea train tracks also kept Sea Kings away, so Ian stayed on the tracks without any trouble.
As the night deepened, Ian suddenly spotted a faint light flickering on one of the ships in the darkness.
The light was dim, likely to avoid attracting the attention of the Marine escort ship's watchmen. After seeing the light, Ian quietly slipped into the water and swam toward that ship.
The darkness was his best cover. Without alerting anyone, Ian swam to the side of the ship.
It was a massive vessel. Based on what Bear had told him, Ian knew it belonged to the royal family of some country, which explained its size and luxury.
A rope ladder had already been lowered by the side of the ship. Ian found it and climbed aboard.
A person in a black cloak was waiting there. Seeing Ian come up, they looked around, confirmed no one was watching, and gestured for Ian to follow.
This person led Ian carefully into the cabin. The cabin was eerily quiet. They went down several levels, almost to the bottom of the ship, before entering a room.
After closing the door, the person first tossed Ian a clean towel.
Ian was soaking wet and didn't stand on ceremony. He took off his clothes and pants and started drying himself. The person in the black cloak handed him a set of clean clothes before pulling back their hood.
When the hood came off, Ian was instantly embarrassed. He hadn't expected the person in the cloak to be a rather pretty girl.
She had long golden hair that curled down in loops at her temples. Under the cloak, she wore a silver suit of armor, giving her a spirited and valiant appearance.
Yet, in front of such a girl, Ian had stripped down to dry himself. How could he not be embarrassed?
He quickly covered himself and said, "Sorry, I didn't realize you were a girl..."
"It's fine. I didn't explain my identity earlier either!" The girl laughed cheerfully and extended a hand still wearing a black glove. "I'm Konenai, your contact."
Ian shook her hand and smiled. "Hello! I'm Ian."
"Put on your clothes first. That's the identity you'll be playing from now on!" Konenai said. "This ship belongs to the Rose Kingdom of the South Blue. It's heading to the World Government meeting. We're all part of the ship's guard unit."
While dressing, Ian asked, "Won't my sudden appearance raise suspicion?"
"It's fine!" Konenai replied. "In truth, on a ship this big, even the captain doesn't know exactly how many people are on board. Sailors, guards, the royal family's stewards, servants—it's a mixed crowd."
"Oh, that's good!" Ian felt much more relieved.
After Ian finished dressing, Konenai stepped forward to straighten his clothes and nodded approvingly. "Not bad, but your weapon is a bit out of place. You'll need to swap it."
Ian looked at his outfit, which was Western-style armor. Following Konenai's advice, he switched to a double-edged knight's sword. As for the Enma sword, he quietly unequipped it, making it disappear.
"There are two other Revolutionary Army comrades on board. I'll introduce you tomorrow!" Konenai said with a smile. "Actually, I'm quite curious. Our original orders were to find a way into Mary Geoise to eavesdrop on the meeting's intelligence, but suddenly we received new orders to change the mission and assist you in infiltrating Mary Geoise."
"A last-minute change?" Ian's heart stirred. He knew this was likely Uncle Kuma's doing, so he could only say, "I'm not entirely sure either. I was just recently introduced to the Revolutionary Army."
"Revolutionary Army comrades usually have a surface identity!" Konenai said. "We normally only take direct orders from our senior officers, so we won't ask too many questions about your mission. We'll just assist you when the time comes."
Hearing this, Ian felt a bit guilty. Konenai thought he had a mission, but Ian knew full well that this was purely a personal matter.
So he said, "I don't need much. Just provide some backup when necessary."
"Alright, understood!" Konenai said. "Get some rest now."
She left the room, and Ian stayed behind alone, starting to think.
No matter what, he owed the Revolutionary Army this time. Uncle Kuma must have used his position as an officer to arrange everything for him.
Now, all he could do was pray that the infiltration of Mary Geoise would go smoothly...