Chapter 255: Island at War
Generally speaking, pirates at the level of the Seven Warlords of the Sea each had their own territories.
Crocodile ran his Baroque Works in Alabasta, Boa Hancock had Amazon Lily, Gecko Moria had a massive Thriller Bark ship in the Florian Triangle, and even the lone wolf Hawk-Eye Mihawk occupied Kuraigana Island.
Ian felt it was time for him to claim a territory and settle down for a while to develop.
Surviving in the New World was no easy feat. Ian had only been here for a few months. Since he didn’t want to align himself under any of the Four Emperors, he needed the strength to stand independently. Besides the Whitebeard Pirates, there were three other Emperors in the New World. You never knew when you might provoke one of their factions. Kaido of the Beasts was a complete madman, Big Mom was unpredictable, and even Red-Haired Shanks, who seemed the most approachable, had an unknown temper and attitude.
So, while Ian and his crew seemed fine for now, hidden dangers lurked everywhere. They needed to prepare for potential crises. Finding a territory to develop for a while would be excellent for the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
However, Ian had no leads at the moment. He wasn’t familiar with the geography of the New World. How could he know which territory belonged to which faction? If he rashly occupied one, it could lead to major trouble.
Moreover, Ian calculated that soon his status as a Seven Warlord would be recognized and announced by the World Government. For a Warlord to settle within the territory of a Four Emperor in the New World wouldn’t be easy.
As far as Ian knew, the only Warlord with territory in the New World was Doflamingo. Doflamingo’s foothold there likely owed to his partnership with Kaido of the Beasts. After all, he was a notorious dark broker in the underworld. Ian even suspected that Doflamingo might have secretly allied with the Beast Pirates, given his epithet “Joker” was a card from a deck!
Of course, these were just Ian’s guesses, not certainties. But it showed how much influence the Four Emperors wielded in the New World.
As the ship continued sailing, Ian summoned Baby-5.
This woman was originally one of Doflamingo’s people, currently staying with the Dragon Hunter Pirates as a hostage. Given her personality, Ian thought she might be swayable, but he knew he couldn’t fully trust her yet. So, when discussing matters with Fujitora, Ian tried to avoid her.
“You’ve been with Doflamingo in the New World for a long time. You must know the situation well, right?” Ian asked Baby-5. “Tell me, which places in the New World aren’t occupied by other factions?”
Baby-5 didn’t refuse. She knew this man would soon become a big shot like her young master. After thinking, she said, “To be honest, I’m not too detailed. I can only say that in the New World, the more dangerous an island, the less likely it is to be occupied.”
Ian nodded in understanding. Indeed, what Baby-5 said was common knowledge. The New World had many islands, but few were suitable for habitation. Those profitable islands had likely been divided among the Four Emperors, who had been entrenched there for years. If Ian tried to claim one, he’d probably provoke their forces.
Conversely, some more dangerous islands might be different.
These dangerous islands were often favorites of adventurers, but they frequently led to casualties and weren’t necessarily safe places to establish power.
This made Ian realize why many rookie pirates entering the New World from the first half of the Grand Line wanted to challenge the Four Emperors. Besides seeking fame, there was a sense of challenging the old order.
“Dangerous islands, huh?” Ian rubbed his chin, thinking. The one that came to mind was Punk Hazard. That island wasn’t far from the Red Line. Originally a secret Marine research facility, a massive explosion had filled it with toxic gas. The Marines had long since evacuated. That dangerous island was probably deserted now.
However, Ian knew that Punk Hazard would soon be taken over by Caesar, who would set up a lab there. Together with Doflamingo, he’d secretly develop artificial Devil Fruits, producing the raw material SAD needed for them.
Technically, Ian was now in a cooperative relationship with Doflamingo. If he took his crew there, it might be feasible. Caesar’s Gas-Gas Fruit was a Logia type, terrifying to others but not something Ian worried about. If he brought the Dragon Hunter Pirates there, he could easily drive Caesar out.
Even if Ian were more ambitious, he could muscle into Doflamingo’s business, obtaining those artificial Devil Fruits to boost his subordinates’ abilities.
But this thought only flashed through Ian’s mind before he abandoned it. First, they had already passed Punk Hazard’s location. Turning back would be troublesome. Second, Ian didn’t know if artificial Devil Fruits had any drawbacks. They felt like knockoffs. If quality was an issue, it would be a huge problem. The Dragon Hunter Pirates’ members were his companions, and Ian didn’t want them to suffer.
Also, Ian knew that Caesar was insane enough to conduct human experiments. Such actions were intolerable not just to Ian but likely to Fujitora as well.
On top of that, Caesar had secretly embezzled research funds from Big Mom. If Ian got mixed up with him, Big Mom might come knocking, and he’d never be able to clear his name.
With so many downsides, Ian gave up on Punk Hazard.
Waving Baby-5 away, Ian called Margaret over and asked, “On the Log Pose, which needle trembles the most?”
Margaret didn’t know what Ian was planning. She showed him the Log Pose and said, “We’ve been following the steadiest needle, and we should arrive soon. The other two needles point southeast and southwest.”
Ian looked and saw that their current course aligned with the middle needle. After thinking, he said, “Alright, let’s land first and see what kind of island it is and if any faction occupies it. If so, we’ll resupply and check out the other two islands.”
Suitable islands weren’t easy to find. Ian could only take it one step at a time.
Margaret was right. The next morning, Ian’s crew spotted land ahead.
Overall, their voyage had been smooth. Perhaps the island’s magnetic field was stable and relatively safe, so they hadn’t encountered any severe weather and arrived without incident.
However, as they approached the island, Ian began to notice something off.
Several places on the island were emitting thick smoke, rising into the sky. As they drew closer, they heard rumbling sounds in the distance.
“Is that… cannon fire?” The Dragon Hunter Pirates’ members gathered on the deck. Sardine shaded his eyes and looked ahead. “This island… seems to be at war!?”
As the ship neared the island, a more gruesome scene unfolded. In the coastal waters, broken planks and bloated corpses floated. The bodies showed various causes of death: stab wounds, gunshot wounds, and some were missing limbs. The seawater had a faint reddish tint, clearly stained with blood. Below the surface, numerous bloodthirsty sharks and Sea Kings, driven mad by the scent, were viciously tearing at the corpses.
This made their approach difficult. Several massive Sea Kings burst from the water, attacking their ship. To prevent damage, Ian and Fujitora intervened, killing some. The rest were driven off by cannon fire from the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ members, wounded and fleeing.
“How tragic!” Zeke observed the corpses in the water. “There might have been a naval battle here, with hundreds dead.”
“Can you tell who they are?” Ian asked.
“Some look like pirates, but others seem like civilians!” Zeke replied. “Is this island being plundered by pirates?”
Fujitora frowned upon hearing this. Blind, he could only sense the corpses around. He asked, “Can you see the pirates’ flags?”
“Yes, some are floating on the water!” Zeke answered. “But they seem to be from several different crews, with various flags.”
“Captain, should we go ashore and check?” Fujitora asked.
“Of course!” Ian said. “Hopefully, these pirates aren’t under any of the Four Emperors, or we’ll be in trouble.”
“I doubt it,” Fujitora shook his head. “If these pirates were truly under an Emperor, the civilians probably wouldn’t have fought them.”
Ian paused, then realized Fujitora had a point…