# Chapter 200: Going to Find Ace
Ian did not know at this time that the greatest crisis he would face was about to descend.
After causing a major disturbance at the G5 base, Ian had considered the Marines' reaction, but he never imagined it would be so intense. On one hand, the restless Celestial Dragons kept pressuring the World Government, and on the other hand, Fujitora's appearance had raised the Dragon Hunter Pirates' threat level in the Marines' eyes. This chain reaction caused the Marines to dispatch over half their combat strength to deal with him.
Fortunately, Ian's choice to enter the New World at that time was extremely correct. Although the Marines had mobilized astonishing combat power, such a large-scale entry into the New World would likewise cause the Four Emperors to react.
Especially since Whitebeard's territory had recently been invaded by the Marines while hunting pirates, and this matter hadn't been completely resolved yet. The Marines appearing in such force could easily be misinterpreted as a signal that they intended to start a war with the Whitebeard Pirates.
For a time, well-informed individuals who heard about the Marines' mobilization all drew in sharp breaths simultaneously and began making their own moves. It was foreseeable that the New World was about to experience a major upheaval.
Ian was still unaware of these matters. The Dragon Hunter Pirates' ship, carrying Ian and his crew, had already returned to Grambo Island.
When Old K learned that his companions had long since perished, he broke down in loud, sorrowful cries.
The driving force that had sustained him in continuing to run the casino on this island had been his former pirate companions. However, despite continuously sending money to the G5 branch base, they had not kept their promise. All of Old K's efforts had been in vain.
"Damn Marines! I will never forgive you!" Old K ground his teeth in anger.
Fujitora sighed and said, "You can't say that. You're looking at this too one-sidedly. I've heard about the G5 branch's evil deeds, but they cannot represent the entire Marines."
Ian nodded in agreement beside him. He concurred with Fujitora's words. Extending the actions of certain individuals to the entire group was inappropriate. Although Ian was now a pirate and hostile toward the Marines, it was undeniable that the Marines' existence had its own rationale.
Old K let out a long breath and finally calmed down. He was extremely grateful to Fujitora and Ian, having heard about the destruction of the G5 branch and the death of its base commander, Vergo. Ian and Fujitora could be considered his benefactors, so he naturally listened to their advice.
He suddenly knelt on one knee before Ian and Fujitora, saying, "Captain Ian, Mr. Issho, I have no more attachments now. I wish to join the Dragon Hunter Pirates. May I have your permission?"
Fujitora laughed heartily and said, "You'll have to ask young Ian about that. I'm not his companion yet!"
Ian smiled slightly. He knew that the one-month bet between himself and Fujitora was still far from over. Fujitora was probably still observing and would only make his decision when the time came. So Ian didn't mind at all.
As for Old K, Ian was considering whether to let him join the crew.
Old K's strength wasn't particularly impressive, but he was at least a Devil Fruit user. His Illusion Fruit ability, if used well, might prove useful.
However, Ian was somewhat concerned about whether Old K could get along with the original crew members, given his different background from the rest of the pirate group.
After careful thought, Ian decided it probably wasn't too big a problem. From what he'd heard of Old K's experiences, he wasn't the kind of irredeemably evil pirate. Moreover, he had persisted alone on this island for so long to save his companions, which was quite admirable. When it came to being a pirate, loyalty was ultimately the most important thing.
"Alright!" Ian nodded. "I'll allow you to join!"
Old K was overjoyed and said to Ian, "Captain, I will close down this casino now. All the money in the casino will be handed over to you for disposal!"
Ian glanced at Fujitora and asked, "Uncle Issho, what do you think? Should we return this money to the island's villagers?"
Fujitora thought carefully and said, "Probably not. The people on this island have become too addicted. Suddenly giving them a large sum of money might not be good for them. It would be better to simply close the casino. Since they have no money to gamble with, they will gradually adapt and return to their former lives."
"Then how about this," Ian said after thinking. "I see quite a few farmlands on this island. Let's use part of the money to buy farming tools and crop seeds and distribute them to the people."
Fujitora smiled with relief and nodded, approving Ian's proposal.
This was the principle of giving a man a fish versus teaching him to fish. Fujitora felt that his judgment had been correct. Although young Ian was a pirate, he had principles and conscience in his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't have followed a blind old man like him and helped so diligently.
So, with Ian's permission, Old K quickly became busy. He first closed the casino, expelled all the gamblers, gathered the casino employees, gave them severance pay, and then collected all the casino's money, piling it before Ian.
"Captain, I was still somewhat cautious back then," Old K said. "I didn't hand over all the casino's profits to the G5 Marines. I held back some. Over two years, I managed to save quite a bit. I originally planned to take this money and return to my hometown with my companions after rescuing them. Now it's all yours!"
"How much is here in total?" Ian asked, looking at the large pile of banknotes before him.
"Two hundred twenty-four million Berry in total!" Old K replied.
Ian was delighted when he heard this. With so much money, the Dragon Hunter Pirates wouldn't have to worry about expenses for a while.
Ian called the Dragon Hunter Pirates' members to put the money into suitcases and carry them onto the ship. The original members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, seeing the money Old K had contributed, became much friendlier toward him, slapping him on the back as they led him onto the ship.
"Uncle Issho, will you do it, or should I?" Ian asked, surveying the empty casino.
Fujitora stood up and said, "I'll do it. If you act, it might cause a huge commotion again."
"And if you act, won't it cause a commotion too?" Ian said with a smile.
Fujitora laughed heartily and drew his staff sword slightly from its sheath. This seemed to be a habit when he used his Devil Fruit ability. As his sword left the sheath, the ground around the casino began to tremble slowly.
He was applying powerful pressure to the entire casino area.
As his ability intensified, the casino began to collapse. Cracks appeared in the walls and ceiling, which then crumbled into countless pieces of rubble.
Boom! With a loud noise that echoed across the island, Old K's casino was reduced to a pile of ruins.
The island's residents naturally witnessed this scene. When Ian and Fujitora emerged from the swirling dust, the islanders stared at them in fear.
Ian noticed something was off, so he shouted loudly to them, "From today onward, this casino no longer exists! Dear guests, you have families in your world who need you to take care of them. Live well!"
Upon hearing this, many people were stunned. But soon, the women and children on the island reacted quickly, unable to hold back tears of joy.
The casino was gone! This meant their men would no longer be addicted to gambling and would come back!
Amidst the cheers, Ian and Fujitora left the scene, returned to the harbor, and boarded the ship.
Fujitora stood at the bow, looking at the island, and said, "Gambling addiction isn't so easy to break. I know this from personal experience. These gamblers might need some time to adapt. Hopefully, they won't gather privately to gamble anymore."
"Without the casino leading them, this phenomenon might still occur, but it will be much better," Ian said. "Small gambling is entertaining; heavy gambling harms the body. If we can't eliminate it all at once, let them take it slowly."
Fujitora laughed heartily and said, "Well said! By the way, young Ian, where are we going next? I'll still be on your ship for over twenty days!"
"Let's first go to a nearby island to buy seeds and farming tools for them," Ian said. "Then, I want to go to Whitebeard Pirates' territory!"
"Whitebeard Pirates?" Fujitora asked in surprise. "What are you going there for?"
"I have a friend in the Whitebeard Pirates," Ian said, thinking of Ace. "There's something I've been concerned about. I need to find him and talk to him."
Ian was referring, of course, to the matter of Marshall D. Teach, Blackbeard. Ever since encountering him on Stripe Island, Ian had been troubled. He didn't know if Ace had already joined the Whitebeard Pirates. If he had, Ian felt he needed to warn Ace to be careful of Blackbeard.
Based on Ian's understanding of Ace, Ace joining the Whitebeard Pirates was as certain as a nail driven into a board. It was absolutely going to happen.
The reason was simple: Whitebeard gave Ace the fatherly love he had never been able to have.
Ace had never met his father, Roger, and the legacy Roger left him was entirely negative. He had heard the term "blood of sin" from others more times than he could count.
In contrast, the care and protection Whitebeard showed Ace were genuine. Didn't Ace crave fatherly love? No, he craved it more than anyone!
So, the title "Old Man" struck the softest place deep in Ace's heart, making him willingly join the Whitebeard Pirates and aspire to help Whitebeard become the Pirate King.
For this reason, Ian was powerless to stop Ace from joining the Whitebeard Pirates.