Chapter 161: Encounter with the Marines
Ian did not leave his name on the note, but given the tone of the words, Zoro naturally guessed who it was.
"R-R-Rude!" Zoro's face flushed red. He had almost bitten down just now, and seeing the note now felt like Ian had caught him in the act.
Angrily, he threw the note to the ground, sat down with his arms crossed, and sulked for a long while. But after some time, he still picked the note back up, grabbed the box and the fruit, and ran into the dojo to find Koushirou.
In a room within the dojo, only Koushirou and Zoro were present. They sat facing each other in a kneeling position, with three items laid out before them.
The first was the note, the second was the fruit from the box, and the third was naturally Ian's wanted poster.
Earlier, when Koushirou first saw the wanted poster, he had been hesitant to confirm whether it was Ian. But with the sudden arrival of this Devil Fruit, he understood that the masked man on the poster was undoubtedly Ian.
Especially when Zoro reported the paw-like imprint on the ground, Koushirou became even more certain of this.
"Master, do you mean that Senior Brother Ian sneaked into Mary Geoise just for this Devil Fruit?" Zoro asked curiously.
"Yes, that kid has always remembered it!" Koushirou squinted as he stared at the fruit in the box. "But for this thing, was it worth taking such a big risk?"
"Senior Brother Ian now has a bounty of five hundred million Berries!" Zoro said in disbelief, picking up the wanted poster. "Does that mean he really escaped from under a Marine Admiral's nose?"
"Heh heh, he's grown much stronger!" Koushirou said with a smile. "As long as he's safe, that's what matters. I've been worried about him."
"No, I have to go to sea too!" Zoro slammed the wanted poster down on the ground and said to Koushirou, "Otherwise, I feel like he's already left me far behind!"
"Haha!" Koushirou laughed cheerfully. "Yeah, he might really be able to beat you up every time he sees you now!"
This was probably the most frustrating thing for Zoro right now. It had been nearly a year since Ian set sail, yet in that short time, Ian's transformation was immense. When Ian was a bounty hunter in the East Blue, he had already captured the three most famous pirates there. Now, though he was no longer a bounty hunter, he had caused such a huge commotion in Mary Geoise and had leaped to become a great pirate with a five hundred million Berry bounty. Such a change made Zoro, stuck in Shimotsuki Village with no way out, find it utterly unbelievable.
He couldn't wait to set sail himself now.
Faced with Zoro's request, Koushirou said nothing, silently pondering before finally speaking: "Wait a bit longer! I said at least until you come of age."
Although Koushirou was usually smiling and seemed harmless, he had his own strict principles. He treated both Ian and Zoro like his own children, insisting they wait until adulthood before allowing them to go to sea.
Moreover, Koushirou had already received some intelligence reports from the Revolutionary Army and wanted to wait and see how things developed.
In truth, Zoro had made this request many times before, but it was always rejected, making him envious of Ian's age.
So, hearing Koushirou's answer this time wasn't too surprising; he just sat there sulking with his arms crossed.
After Koushirou got up and left, Zoro couldn't sit still either. He went to Kuina's room, sat in front of her, and said, "Hey, Kuina, you idiot, wake up already! Senior Brother Ian has gotten really strong. If you're any later, you won't catch up to him. Wake up, eat that fruit, and then we can set sail together!"
Zoro, the fool, rambled on and on to Kuina, but his words were all about his envy of Ian, thinking about how he would become just as strong once he went to sea.
But this fool didn't notice that every time he mentioned Ian's affairs, his five hundred million Berry bounty, or his growing strength, Kuina's fingers under the blanket trembled slightly...
………………
Two days later, in the New World.
Ian was on the ship, lifting the big guy Dorry up and down for squats. This silly black bear Mink's only role on the ship lately was to serve as Ian's exercise equipment.
Every day, he had to endure a pitiful two hours being lifted by Ian.
Once Ian finally finished his workout, Dorry's first move was to rush to the kitchen for comfort.
Perhaps because he had been knocked unconscious with a single slap last time, Matthew finally got a good night's sleep, so he was very grateful to Dorry and had been making honey cakes for him lately.
Only at these times, when Dorry was happily eating his cake, would he listen to Matthew's slow, leisurely tone.
During the journey to their destination, the people on the ship were getting to know each other, gradually forming friendships with those of compatible personalities. Dorry and Matthew were among them.
Watching Dorry sprint toward the kitchen, Ian couldn't help but find it amusing.
He sat down on a deck chair, picked up the drink Matthew had prepared for him, and began to sip it.
Just then, the lookout sailor in the crow's nest suddenly shouted, "Captain Ian, ship spotted ahead!"
"Oh!?" Ian straightened up and asked, "What kind of ship?"
"White sails, it's the Marine insignia!" the sailor shouted. "It's a Marine patrol ship!"
Finally showing up, huh? Ian thought, immediately starting to gather his crew.
He didn't need to call out much; the combat-ready sailors on board had already heard the lookout's shout and came up from the cabins to the deck.
"Captain, they've probably spotted us!"
Everyone gathered at the railing, looking at the distant Marine patrol ship. It was a standard Marine Headquarters warship, with sturdy gun emplacements on both the bow and sides. From Ian's perspective, they could clearly see the Marine patrol ship turning and heading straight for them.
Since this was a newly formed pirate crew, the Marine patrol ship didn't seem to recognize their flag. But because Ian's crew was flying a pirate flag, the Marines couldn't just ignore them.
"Prepare for battle!" Ian ordered. "Bring out all the cannons and load the shells. If the Marines attack us, we'll fight back!"
"Whoo!!"
The crew shouted in unison and scattered to get ready.
Ian's crew didn't have many weapons, mostly seized from the Marine soldiers who had chased them in Mary Geoise. Sardine the Giant still hadn't found a suitable weapon and was currently using a large iron plate as a shield.
Aside from that, the ship's cannons and shells were only what Jinbe had left behind, not many in number.
Still, that didn't dampen the crew's fighting spirit.
Meanwhile, on the Marine patrol ship, a Rear Admiral was also holding a telescope, observing Ian's ship.
This Rear Admiral was Rear Admiral Merni from Marine Headquarters. With a puzzled look, he examined Ian's flag and asked his subordinate, "Are you sure you've never seen this pirate crew's flag before?"
"Yes, Rear Admiral Merni!" The Marine beside him stood at attention and saluted. "It's probably a newly formed pirate crew!"
Merni nodded. Out on the sea, countless pirate crews were formed every day, and just as many perished. Encountering a new one wasn't that strange.
Seeing that they were approaching firing range, Merni ordered, "Warning shots! Make them stop for inspection!"
"Yes!"
At his command, the Marine warship's cannons began to slowly adjust, aiming at Ian's ship.
Merni was one of the officers sent out by Marine Headquarters to hunt down the escaped slaves. He was one of the dispatched officers, under the command of Vice Admiral Momonga, in charge of this patrol ship.
They had been out for nearly a week but had found no trace of the escaped slaves. Reluctantly, they had to board every pirate ship they encountered for inspection.
Weaker pirate crews, unable to resist the Marines, could only stop after being shelled.
Stronger ones, however, would fight back, fleeing while counterattacking, which gave Merni quite a headache.
After all, this was the New World. Most pirates who survived here had some strength, so cooperation was rare, and battles were more common.
Now, seeing another new pirate crew appear, Merni thought this newly formed one would have little combat ability, so he gave that order.
But to his utter surprise, after the Marines' warning shots, the newly formed pirate crew actually fired back at them!
Were these pirates insane!?
Merni stared in disbelief at the two shell splashes near his ship's railing. A newly formed pirate crew—didn't they know this was a Marine warship? How dare they fight the Marines!?
"Direct bombardment! Sink them!" Merni, now furious, gave the order.
A standard Marine Headquarters warship had formidable firepower. Instantly, all available cannons unleashed a barrage of shells at Ian's ship!
On the open sea, cannons were often inaccurate, but dense fire could still sink a ship—a common Marine tactic.
However, as Merni watched through his telescope, he witnessed a sight that left him dumbfounded.
The shells that should have hit the enemy ship were all blocked by a Giant using a shield!