Chapter 250: The Influence of the Celestial Dragons
Ian had no idea what happened afterward on the Moby Dick. After leaving Salamis Island, the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ ship sailed across the sea.
The ship beneath them was no longer the one Jinbe had given them. The original vessel had capsized in the tsunami, its mast and hull shattered upon landing, completely destroyed. The ship Ian and his crew now sailed was the one they had seized from the Marines.
Using a Marine warship directly was not an option. In the New World, where powerful pirates roamed freely, a lone warship would often invite hostility and attacks. So, during their time on Salamis Island, the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates had repainted and made minor modifications to the warship. Now, the entire vessel had changed its appearance—from the original blue-and-white to a solid black. The figurehead had also been replaced with a dragon’s head bearing a longsword.
Once the pirate flag was raised, the ship finally began to look like it belonged to the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
The warship was naturally much larger than their previous vessel. Even Sardine remarked that he could move freely on board.
More importantly, the warship had greater firepower. When they first seized it from the Marines, the crew had inventoried the supplies and found the powder magazine in the hold packed with cannonballs. They wouldn’t run out anytime soon. With this ship, the Dragon Hunter Pirates could now unleash a thunderous barrage during sea battles.
However, since it was a Marine warship, Ian worried it might have hidden traps. He ordered everyone to thoroughly inspect the vessel. As expected, they found a small black Den Den Mushi in the hold, along with a bomb that could be remotely detonated via Den Den Mushi signals. When they discovered it, everyone’s hearts skipped a beat.
Marine warships were excellent vessels, but the reason pirates rarely used captured warships as their own was precisely this.
Only after eliminating such hidden dangers could the Dragon Hunter Pirates safely use the ship.
Ian lay on the deck, basking in the sun. The light membrane of the Twin Heaven Return Shield enveloped his entire body from head to toe, healing his injuries.
Whitebeard’s shockwave attacks were incredibly powerful, and Ian had suffered severe damage, so the treatment took longer than usual.
The crew members were all busy with their tasks. Only Fujitora walked over and sat beside him, saying, “Ian, you were a bit impulsive this time.”
“I’m sorry, I dragged everyone into this,” Ian said sincerely to Fujitora. “Uncle Fujitora, you’re the first mate. If I ever act like this again, you must stop me.”
“This incident happened too suddenly. Even if I had reacted, it might have been too late,” Fujitora said with a closed-eye smile. “But you handled things wisely afterward. At least you didn’t start a full-blown fight with the Whitebeard Pirates.”
“If we had really fought, the misunderstanding would have been even worse,” Ian said. “Even now, we have to be prepared. If Teach really dies, the Whitebeard Pirates will send people to hunt us down.”
“First the Marines, now a Yonko crew. You really know how to stir things up,” Fujitora shook his head with a wry smile. “But don’t worry. That Teach might not die. I can still hear his ‘voice’—it hasn’t disappeared yet.”
Ian was stunned for a moment, then realized this must be due to Fujitora’s Observation Haki.
But then he frowned. Teach was still alive?
The idea of three hearts was utterly inconceivable to Ian, so he never considered it.
Although Teach wasn’t dead, Ian had indeed killed him once. And this time, he had severely disrupted Teach’s subsequent plans, so it wasn’t entirely useless.
“Where do we go next?” Fujitora asked.
“Let’s follow the Log Pose to the next island,” Ian replied.
Fujitora didn’t say anything more. He nodded and went to find Margaret. Ian took off his hat and pulled out a small piece of paper from inside—it was Ace’s Vivre Card. During his time on Salamis Island, Ian had found a shop that could make Vivre Cards. Using his own nail clippings, he had the shop owner create his Vivre Card and exchanged it with Ace.
This Vivre Card of Ace pointed toward Salamis Island, moving slightly. Ian stared at it for a while, then clenched his fist and put it back into his hat.
For now, Ian couldn’t think too much about Ace. The rift with the Whitebeard Pirates would take time to heal. Suddenly, Ian felt a pang of nostalgia for Shimotsuki Village, wondering if he should go back and visit once he was no longer being hunted by the Marines…
…
While the Dragon Hunter Pirates continued sailing, far away at the top of the Red Line in Mary Geoise, Sengoku was meeting with the Five Elders.
“Have you lost your minds? Are you actually considering agreeing to the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ terms!?” Sengoku shouted angrily.
“Calm down, Fleet Admiral,” said the white-bearded Five Elder with three tufts of hair on his chin, sitting on the sofa. “The information brought back by CPO proves that the Dragon Hunter Pirates are indeed willing to negotiate, not outright refusing. So there’s room for discussion. That man named Ian isn’t stupid. If we simply cancel the pursuit against him, he won’t feel safe.”
“Exactly,” added another Five Elder, who wore round glasses and held a longsword. “The Celestial Dragons were already inclined to offer him a Warlord position in exchange for the identity chip. So his condition is reasonable. If we don’t give him the Warlord position, he’ll worry that the Celestial Dragons will settle scores with him and his crew after retrieving the chip.”
“But he’s also asking for 200 billion Berries!” Sengoku said. “No Warlord has ever threatened to demand money from them!”
The Five Elder in a black hat shook his head. “200 billion is indeed too much; it needs to be negotiated down. But you must understand, this money is actually being demanded from the Celestial Dragons. It has nothing to do with the World Government or the Marines.”
“So, do you think the Celestial Dragons will pay?” Sengoku asked.
The Five Elders exchanged glances. Honestly, they weren’t sure either. Money was important to the Celestial Dragons. After all, Doflamingo had only been allowed to join the Warlords because he threatened to seize the Heavenly Tribute.
This time, it depended on whether the Celestial Dragons valued the identity chip more than money.
Sengoku saw this hesitation in their expressions and continued, “Even if the Celestial Dragons are willing to pay, I won’t approve this proposal. You know the Marines have been planning to strike against the Whitebeard Pirates for years. Whitebeard is old, but he’s still the most powerful of the Yonko. If the Marines want to expand their influence in the New World, they must take down Whitebeard. If he’s allowed to die of old age, the threat of the Yonko will persist forever, and we’ll never be able to change that.”
Sengoku took a breath and said bitterly, “And now, at this critical moment, you want to let someone connected to the Whitebeard Pirates join the Warlords!? Do you think the Marines don’t have enough problems!?”
“We understand your concerns,” said the Five Elder with blond hair and a beard after a moment of silence. “But CPO reported that shortly after they left, the Dragon Hunter Pirates clashed with the Whitebeard Pirates. It’s said that Ian severely injured a key member of the Whitebeard Pirates. Now, the Dragon Hunter Pirates have left Salamis Island.”
“So what!?” Sengoku retorted. “What if it’s a coordinated act? The CPO agents didn’t witness the conflict firsthand. Who knows if it’s real or fake?”
“Fleet Admiral, don’t be so stubborn,” the black-hatted Five Elder said again. “The top priority now is to retrieve the Celestial Dragons’ identity chip. The Musgarud family is frantic. If they can’t get the chip back, they’ll be expelled from Mary Geoise and lose their status as World Nobles. They’ve been using all their connections and influence to pressure the World Government. We’re in a tough spot. The possibility of a coordinated act exists, but it’s only a possibility. What if it’s true? Wouldn’t that give us an ally against the Whitebeard Pirates?”
Hearing this, Sengoku realized that the World Government was now firmly on the side of the Celestial Dragons. No matter how much he opposed it, they would force this proposal through.
Sengoku felt powerless. He could sense that although the Celestial Dragons couldn’t directly command the Marines, their influence had gradually seeped into the organization through the World Government. The Marines’ stance of justice could no longer remain pure.
What he didn’t know was that this wasn’t an isolated case. In the future, to fill the Warlord ranks, the World Government would completely disregard Zephyr, a loyal former Marine Admiral, and recruit his enemy into the Warlords instead…
Not all Celestial Dragons were fools. Gradually, using money and capital, they were reclaiming some power. The World Government and the Marines, burdened by enormous military expenses, had to repeatedly compromise with the Celestial Dragons…
“I still have reservations. Regardless, if you want to agree to Ian joining the Warlords, you should at least ask the other Warlords for their opinions,” Sengoku made one final effort. “What if inviting Ian causes hostility among the other Warlords? Do we want to see internal strife within the Warlords?”
“Very well,” the Five Elders exchanged glances, acknowledging this concern. “Then, Fleet Admiral, please send out the inquiry letters.”