Chapter 166: Rules
"Captain, I can see land!"
After another day of sailing, the lookout finally shouted out this news.
Hearing this shout, not only Ian but everyone on the entire ship couldn't help but cheer.
Counting the time, they had been drifting at sea for almost a week. Long-term life at sea was very monotonous; staring at the endless ocean day after day, people always felt mentally drained.
But fortunately, Ian and his crew had finally spotted an island.
Everyone excitedly gathered on the deck, gazing into the distance at the island appearing ahead. Ian asked Margaret, "What's the name of that island?"
However, Margaret shook her head and said, "I don't know."
There was no helping it. Although Margaret knew a bit about navigation and how to use a Log Pose in the New World, she wasn't a navigator after all. How could she possibly know the name of every island?
Of course, it didn't matter much; they would find out once they landed.
The ship filled its sails and headed straight for the island. But just as they were nearing the island, Ian suddenly heard a "pururururu" sound coming from somewhere!
It was the sound of his small Den Den Mushi. Ian initially thought someone was trying to contact him, but when he took out the small Den Den Mushi and looked at it, he realized it didn't seem to be the case!
The sound didn't seem like an incoming call, and the Den Den Mushi's eyes were closed.
Having used Den Den Mushi many times, Ian could naturally tell the difference in such small details. When there was a real incoming call, the Den Den Mushi would open its eyes, and the sound it made was a "puru puru" noise, not the current "pururururu"...
"What's this about?" Ian scratched his head in confusion.
Just then, the Longarm Tribe member Zeke suddenly changed expression and said, "Could it be a Territory Sea Slug!?"
"A... what?" The others didn't understand.
"Not good, Captain!" Zeke's expression tightened as he said to Ian, "This island might be the territory of one of the Four Emperors. I've heard before that there's a rare creature in the New World called the Territory Sea Slug. It lives on the seabed near the shore and emits electrical waves that Den Den Mushi can receive. The Four Emperors' crews use them near islands within their sphere of influence as territory markers!"
Ian immediately understood and asked, "You mean this island could be the territory of one of the Four Emperors?"
Zeke nodded and said, "Yes, and unlike ordinary islands that just borrow the Four Emperors' flag, being called a sphere of influence means there are members of the Four Emperors' crew stationed on the island!"
Ian rubbed his chin and said, "Even so, they can't stop people from landing, can they?"
"They allow it!" Zeke said. "But once you land, you have to follow their rules. Especially for pirate crews like us, we'll be monitored. If we cause trouble on the island, the Four Emperors' people will step in."
"Since landing is allowed, it's fine!" Ian smiled. "We'll just follow their rules!"
Turning around, Ian looked at the island ahead and muttered, "I just wonder... which Four Emperors' territory this island belongs to..."
The Four Emperors were the collective name for the four most powerful pirates in the New World. Any one of them had the strength to shake the entire Marines. They had many talented subordinates and vast power, their fame surpassing the Seven Warlords of the Sea, ruling over the second half of the Grand Line like emperors.
For a pirate crew to thrive in the New World, they either had to join under one of the Four Emperors or submit to them and follow the rules they set. Anyone who dared to defy or challenge the Four Emperors would come to no good end.
Over the decades, countless ambitious pirates had tried to challenge the Four Emperors, but years passed, and the Four Emperors remained the same, while the ambitious had long since turned to dust...
Although Ian didn't know which Four Emperors' territory the island ahead belonged to, he had never thought of provoking them, so he wasn't worried.
The ship gradually entered the harbor, and they could already see the bustling crowd on the shore. The island seemed very prosperous, which was evident from the number of ships in the port.
"Hey, pirate ships dock over there!"
As Ian and his crew tried to dock, an old man fishing on the pier shouted loudly at them, pointing them in the right direction.
Ian and the others didn't say much; they just adjusted their course slightly and headed to the right side of the port.
Docked there were ships of all sizes, all without exception flying black pirate flags. Ian stared at them, trying to identify them, but found he couldn't recognize any of them at all.
Well, that was obvious; he was still a rookie pirate after all.
After the ship docked, a group of people shouted and jumped off the ship, landing on the sandy beach and jumping around energetically.
Having been on the ship for so long, feeling the constant rocking, now standing on solid ground, Ian even felt a bit unsteady on his feet.
But even so, Ian felt much better overall.
Feeling good, Ian couldn't help but loudly announce, "Alright, we'll play on this island for three days!"
"Whoo! Long live the Captain!"
Everyone cheered loudly.
Margaret didn't seem interested in landing, and the few other girls on the ship felt the same. When they heard that this island might be the territory of a Four Emperors, they instinctively felt a bit scared.
Ian couldn't do anything about it, but someone always had to stay on the ship, so he arranged for shifts to watch over it and protect them.
Sardine, Dorry, Matthew, and the others followed Ian ashore. Matthew still had his dead-fish eyes, but his dark circles had faded a lot. Ian was worried that his hypnotic ability might cause trouble on the island, so he had him wear a pair of gloves.
Besides that, Ian also had the crew bring some unused supplies seized from the Marine ship, planning to sell them on the island to get money for buying daily necessities like food and water.
However, just as they were about to enter the island's town, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Ohhh! There's even a Giant Tribe member! Looks like a pretty strong pirate crew!"
Ian followed the sound and saw a group of people walking toward them on the pier. The one who spoke was a young man with messy blond hair and a lip ring, looking like a small-time thug.
Behind him were about a dozen people with similar appearances, covered in tattoos and various bizarre styles.
"Who are you?" Ian asked him.
"Huh? You don't know me?" The lip-ringed man was stunned for a moment, then said, "I see, first time on this island?"
Ian didn't speak, just nodded.
"Alright, I understand!" The lip-ringed man spread his hands and said, "Since you're pirates here for the first time, I need to explain the situation to you!"
"I'm Ramos! A member of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division!" Ramos said. "You're pirates, so once you're here, you have to follow our rules. This island is Whitebeard Old Man's territory. If you dare to cause trouble here, don't blame us for being rude!"
"Whitebeard!?" Ian was stunned. He hadn't expected this island to be Whitebeard's territory.
And... the Second Division?
Hearing that designation, Ian was a bit surprised and couldn't help asking, "Do you know Ace?"
But Ramos shook his head and said, "No, I don't."
Ian didn't know that Ace had already been taken away by Whitebeard, and this had happened not long ago. At this point, Ace was still scheming to assassinate Whitebeard and hadn't officially joined the Whitebeard Pirates yet. How could Ramos, a member stationed on the island, know Ace?
Ian didn't know about this, so he still thought Ace hadn't met Whitebeard yet.
Since that was the case, Ian didn't ask further and said, "Don't worry, we won't cause any trouble!"
"Good!" Ramos smiled. "Also, on this island, we don't interfere with whatever business you want to do, but you have to hand over thirty percent of the profits to us!"
"That's too much, isn't it?" Ian couldn't help saying.
"Can't help it. That's the rule specifically for you pirates!" Ramos shrugged. "Of course, you can also choose not to pay."
Ramos didn't say what the consequences of not paying would be, but Ian could naturally guess. Fortunately, they hadn't planned to do much business on the island anyway—just sell some spoils for a bit of money—so he didn't argue further.
"Since you have no objections, it's settled!" Ramos smiled smugly, as if he had already guessed Ian's reaction, and said, "By the way, what's your pirate crew called?"
"The Dragon Hunter Pirates!" Ian glanced at him and said flatly.
"Nice name. Well then, we'll meet again when you're ready to leave!" Ramos turned around and left with his men.