Chapter 149: The Drifting Island
Watching her run out, Ian let out a bitter laugh. Why was this girl so impulsive?
Supporting himself, Ian touched the cloth mask tied around his face and was surprised to find it was still there!
This meant that even after he had fallen into the sea and lost consciousness, the slaves who rescued him had not rashly removed his mask to see his face.
Perhaps they didn't understand why he wore the mask, but that didn't stop them from respecting him. This realization struck Ian deeply, as he saw that the slaves he had saved held a gratitude for him far beyond what he had imagined.
This also indirectly proved just how miserable their lives as slaves had been...
Lifting the blanket to look, Ian saw that both his legs were wrapped in bandages, as was his left hand. His clothes and pants had been washed, neatly folded, and placed on the cabinet beside the bed, likely done by the girl who had just left. Not only that, but on top of the clothes lay the small chest containing his Devil Fruit and the glass bubble he had taken from the Celestial Dragon's secret room.
Ian reached out, picked up the glass bubble, and carefully examined the crystal chip suspended inside it.
From his conversation with Aokiji, Ian realized that this crystal chip was the Celestial Dragon's identity chip, something of extreme importance to them.
It turned out that his initial intuition had been correct. This was indeed something crucial to Ian as well. If not for this identity chip, Aokiji might have gone all out and killed him back then!
Injuring Aokiji with the Black Dragon Wave had been pure luck, mainly because the flames of the Black Dragon Wave countered Aokiji's abilities. If it had been Kizaru or Akainu chasing him instead of Aokiji, Ian might have died right there.
Thinking about it sent a chill down Ian's spine.
Forcing himself out of bed, Ian grabbed his clothes and put them on, then tucked the Celestial Dragon's identity chip into his pants pocket for safekeeping. As for the small box containing the Devil Fruit, Ian found himself at a loss.
He had indeed obtained the Devil Fruit, but how to send it back to the East Blue was a problem.
Would he really have to cross the Calm Belt and go back himself?
Forget it, he'd figure it out later. First, he'd go outside and take a look.
Just as Ian opened the door, the girl from earlier came in carrying a tray.
"Ah, why are you up?" the girl exclaimed in surprise. "Go back and rest!"
"No, I've slept for so many days that my bones have gone stiff!" Ian said with a smile. "Give me the food; I'm hungry anyway!"
When Ian sat back down on the bed, he saw that the tray was filled with nothing but liquid foods.
He understood this, so he didn't mind. Lifting his mask, he picked up a spoon and began to eat. To his surprise, the food was actually very delicious.
"Did you make this?" Ian asked the girl, somewhat astonished.
"No, it was made by the chef, Matthew!" the girl said with a smile. "I heard that before he became a slave, he was a royal chef from the West Blue!"
"A royal chef!?" Ian said, surprised. "Someone like that ended up as a slave?"
The girl replied, "That's not strange. You might not know this, but among us, there are even princesses from some small countries! And they still ended up as slaves!"
"Even princesses?" Ian was even more shocked. Damn, were these Celestial Dragons really that impressive?
The girl giggled and said, "Enough about that. Please eat, benefactor!"
Ian nodded and asked her, "By the way, what's your name?"
"I'm Margaret!" the girl said.
"Hello, Margaret. You can call me Ian. Don't call me benefactor anymore; I'm not used to it," Ian said to her.
Margaret didn't say anything, just watched Ian eat with a smile.
Whether it was because he had been hungry for three days or because of his physical training, Ian felt that his appetite was gradually increasing. He ate five plates of food before he felt slightly full.
Margaret took the tray back, and Ian re-tied his mask before leaving the room to check out the deck.
However, just as he opened the cabin door, Ian heard singing coming from outside.
"Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho... Bring Binks' Sake to you, like the sea wind, follow your heart, ride the waves..."
Ian was taken aback. Looking closely, he saw that everyone on the deck—whether scrubbing the deck, repairing the railing, or organizing the ropes—was laughing joyfully and humming along to the tune.
"Binks' Sake." Ian knew this song well. It was a favorite among sailors at sea, a tune that had been popular for many years. Back when he was on Ace's ship, Ian had heard Jimmy and the others sing it more than once.
The weather was clear, with a cloudless sky, and sunlight shone on the faces of these former slaves. They sang cheerfully, and even Ian, who had no ear for music, could hear the unrestrained joy in their voices.
Ian's appearance caught the attention of the people on the deck. They immediately recognized him and exclaimed excitedly, "Benefactor, why are you out here?"
Margaret had already informed them that Ian had woken up, but not wanting to disturb his rest, they hadn't rushed to the cabin to see him. They hadn't expected Ian to come out on his own.
With this surprised shout, a large figure came stomping across the deck.
"Galuqiu!!!"
It was the black bear Mink Tribe member. He rushed up and pressed his big face against Ian's, squishing both their faces together.
This was a Mink Tribe greeting for someone they liked. Even so, the big black bear Mink wasn't satisfied and kept rubbing his face against Ian's.
Although Ian knew about this custom, it was his first time experiencing it, and he felt a bit awkward. But he knew the black bear Mink meant well, so he accepted it with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
The people on the deck seemed to notice Ian's embarrassment and burst into laughter.
"Where are we now?" After finally calming down the black bear Mink, Ian walked to the ship's railing and looked around. He saw that the ship was docked at a coast, with land stretching out ahead. He asked the people on the deck.
"Benefactor!" a large man with a tattoo on his face replied, "We're on a deserted island. The Fish-Man brothers brought us here!"
As he explained, Ian learned that after they had charged down the Red Line, many people had fallen into the water. Those who were unharmed jumped in to rescue them. But after the rescue, they found that the ship's rudder had broken, making it impossible to steer.
Worried about being pursued by the Marines, the Fish-Man slaves discussed the situation and jumped back into the water, pushing the ship from behind.
Although they were strong and the sea was their domain, relying on human strength to push a ship couldn't last long. In other words, they couldn't escape very far.
Fortunately, the Fish-Men knew about this deserted island near the Red Line. Their homeland, Fish-Man Island, was directly below the Red Line, so they were familiar with the surrounding waters. They led the group here to rest.
Although it was close to the Red Line, the Fish-Men weren't worried about being found by the Marines. According to them, this island had only recently formed.
The New World had many underwater volcanoes. Eruptions from these volcanoes often created new islands. The island they were on now had formed this way, from an eruption over a decade ago. Such newly formed islands usually had no magnetic field.
In other words, it couldn't be found using a Log Pose!
Similar situations were common in the New World. Besides these newly formed islands, there were also islands with no magnetic field at all, or drifting, moving islands. To reach such islands, you either needed to know their general location and coordinates, or you had to find them using a Vivre Card—provided you had a companion on the island holding one.
In the New World, it was extremely difficult for the Marines to catch pirates. The Log Pose used here had to be three bound together, pointing to three different islands simultaneously. During a chase, the Marines had no idea which island the pirates would head to. They could only send out numerous patrol ships to track them down.
This was one of the reasons the Marines' influence in the New World was greatly weakened. Many pirates, when pursued by the Marines, would flee to such islands. The locals knew the way, but the Marines were completely in the dark.
The island where Ian and his group had docked was like this. Even though it was close to the Red Line, they didn't need to worry about being found by the Marines. The island had only recently formed, and its underwater foundation hadn't stabilized yet, making it a drifting island. The Marines' maps couldn't record its exact location. Only the Fish-Men, who often swam in these waters, knew how to find it.
Hearing this explanation, Ian felt much more at ease. No wonder he hadn't seen any sign of the Marines even after being unconscious for three days.
"Now that the benefactor is awake, let's have a banquet!" suggested a slave who had likely been a pirate before.
This proposal immediately won everyone's approval...