Chapter 254: The Final Negotiation (Part 1)
On the vast sea, a warship flying the flag of the Dragon Hunter Pirates sailed steadily forward.
Following the Log Pose this time, the voyage was exceptionally long. Ian and his crew had already been on the ship for a full fifteen days.
Fortunately, the warship they had seized earlier was well-stocked with supplies. Originally designed to carry hundreds of Marines, the ship now held only about seventy of Ian's men, so the provisions were more than enough to meet their needs.
On the deck, the combatants of the Dragon Hunter Pirates were training hard, sweat pouring down their faces.
This was something Ian had thought of after setting sail. Although most of the crew members were former gladiator slaves rescued from Mary Geoise and already possessed a solid combat foundation, Ian still adhered to the principle of making them as strong as possible, so he began drilling them further.
The one in charge of this training was Fujitora, who created a suitable gravity field on the ship to help everyone exercise.
After the Salamis incident, the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates had also realized that their crew was not yet strong enough, so they had no resistance to Ian's orders.
For a pirate crew, there were typically three components: the captain, the executives, and the combatants.
In this world of Devil Fruits, those who became executives were usually Devil Fruit users. Ordinary people, if they wanted to rival the extraordinary power of Devil Fruits, had to put in much more effort through training.
In the New World, those who couldn't use Haki were basically cannon fodder. Ian felt that since these people had followed him all the way from Mary Geoise, he couldn't bear to see them become mere cannon fodder. Fortunately, with Fujitora, a Gravity-Gravity Fruit user, on board, he could help them train effectively. Perhaps, in time, they would awaken their own Haki abilities.
Ian was also on the ship, practicing his swordsmanship. When he assassinated Teach, he had inadvertently taken the final step and grasped the use of momentum. Now, he was familiarizing himself with this ability.
Momentum was a mysterious thing. It seemed entirely different from Haki, not a form of energy at all, but a belief specific to combat.
You could call it fighting spirit or killing intent—whatever name you chose. Those who mastered the use of momentum could impose a strong sense of threat on their opponents during battle. When applied to attacks, it made the enemy feel as if they couldn't dodge, which was known as locking on.
This ability was extremely useful because in the New World, many people could use Observation Haki. When two Observation Haki users fought, both could sense and predict each other's movements. Unless one was far faster than the other, the battle would likely drag on without a clear winner. In such a situation, the one who could use momentum would gain a significant advantage.
It was only after Ian understood the use of momentum that he elevated his swordsmanship to a master level. This made his sword swings now completely different from before.
His movements were slow. Every time he raised and lowered the sword, it was easy to see clearly. Yet each swing gave the impression of gathering immense force, like a mountain. In simpler terms, every swing was full of momentum.
Ian was just swinging in the air at the moment. If there were an opponent in front of him, they would feel the subtlety of it. A seemingly simple downward slash would bring enormous pressure.
This was what was often referred to as blade momentum or sword momentum in stories. After years of practicing swordsmanship, Ian had finally truly entered the hall of mastery and grasped some essence of the sword.
As Ian was practicing, the lookout on the mast shouted, "Captain! A ship has been spotted behind us, heading our way!"
During these days at sea, Ian and his crew had encountered several other pirate crews. Some were native to the New World, while others had crossed the first half of the Grand Line. Regardless of their origins, none of these crews were particularly famous. In the New World, any pirate with a bit of reputation had either surrendered to one of the Four Emperors or been eliminated by them.
Only these lesser-known pirate crews could temporarily survive in the cracks.
From this perspective, the Dragon Hunter Pirates were quite fortunate. Because of their connection to the Whitebeard Pirates, they hadn't attracted the covetous attention of the other three Emperor crews. Otherwise, with their total bounty of over 1.2 billion, they would have long been targeted for recruitment.
The pirate crews they had encountered this time were different from those before. When Ian's bounty was still 500 million, some reckless fools had tried to attack the Dragon Hunter Pirates to gain fame. But after the battle on Salamis Island, where Ian and Fujitora fought Marine Admirals Kizaru and Zephyr, no one dared to mess with their crew anymore.
Unless they were complete bumpkins from the countryside with no access to news, pirates in the New World now rarely failed to recognize their flag.
This had led to the several pirate crews they encountered immediately turning tail and fleeing upon seeing their flag, afraid that the Dragon Hunter Pirates might be in a bad mood and pick a fight with them.
At that moment, Ian truly realized the benefits of a high bounty and reputation. For some pirate crews, the Dragon Hunter Pirates had become a major boss.
So when he heard the lookout's shout, Ian didn't pay much attention. He assumed it was some pirate ship that would retreat after seeing their flag.
However, to his surprise, the lookout's voice rang out again soon after: "Captain, it's not a pirate ship! That vessel is flying the World Government's flag!"
"Oh?" Ian perked up with interest.
As mentioned before, starting from the middle of the New World, Marine influence didn't reach far. These were territories under the Four Emperors' control. A lone warship flying the Marine or World Government flag would likely be attacked by pirates. Yet this approaching ship not only flew the World Government flag but was also alone, without any escorting warships.
"Is it coming for us?" Fujitora walked over and asked.
"Probably," Ian replied. "Lower the sails and slow down. Let them come closer. Prepare for battle."
The crew immediately sprang into action, hauling cannonballs from the hold, adjusting the cannon angles, and aiming menacingly at the approaching vessel.
Soon, the ship drew near. It was indeed a warship. Perhaps intimidated by the cannons aimed at them, the warship stopped at a distance and quickly lowered a small boat. Several people climbed in and rowed toward Ian's ship.
Ian's eyesight was good enough to see that the people on the small boat looked similar to the CPO members he had encountered on the Moby Dick.
Sure enough, as the small boat approached, Ian saw three masked figures wearing suits and coats.
Recalling what the CPO had said on the Moby Dick, Ian immediately understood. The World Government had sent people to negotiate with the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
Back then, they had only presented the World Government's terms. Ian had responded once, and since the CPO lacked the authority, they had returned to report. Now, half a month later, they were back.
This time, it should be the final negotiation, Ian thought.
"Let them on board!"
With Ian's order, a rope ladder was lowered over the side. The three CPO members, along with several Marine guards, boarded the Dragon Hunter Pirates' ship.
"We meet again, Captain Ian!" The leader was the same man with the feather mask from before, though his outfit had changed slightly, and he wore a different mask. His voice, however, was unchanged. As soon as he stepped on deck, he said to Ian, "I am here on behalf of the World Government and the World Nobles to negotiate with the Dragon Hunter Pirates."
"Oh, so how did they take my conditions from last time?" Ian asked with a slight smile. Though only half a month had passed, judging by how eagerly they had chased after him, it was clear the Celestial Dragons were getting impatient.
"Your conditions have been conveyed," the masked man said. "The World Government has agreed in principle to your joining the Seven Warlords of the Sea..."