Chapter 262: Rejected
Ian's Haki training had never been neglected. Although he rarely used Conqueror's Haki, he was still gradually familiarizing himself with controlling it.
The burst of Haki that swept through the entire tavern in an instant had deliberately bypassed the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates behind him, as well as the waitstaff standing by the bar counter.
Thud, thud, thud—sounds of bodies hitting the floor came one after another. The pirates who had been knocked unconscious collapsed onto the wooden floor of the tavern, producing loud noises. The three pirates who had been gritting their teeth and holding on finally gave in and fell unconscious as well.
Only then did Ian nod in satisfaction and turn his gaze back to the tavern.
Inside the entire tavern, aside from the stunned waitstaff, only about a dozen people remained standing. Ian didn't mind. He walked over to a table in the center, kicked away the pirates sitting around it one by one, and sat down.
Fujitora sat down with him, while the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates found seats at nearby tables. As for the pirates who had originally been sitting at those tables, they were all tossed aside without ceremony.
Ian looked at the dozen or so tense individuals and said, "It seems the rest of you are the captains of the pirate crews, right? State your names!"
Indeed, the remaining people happened to be the captains of the fourteen pirate crews hired for this job. To survive in the New World, these captains had to have some strength. Pirates with bounties of ten or twenty million Berries from the Grand Line were nowhere to be seen here. All fourteen of these pirate captains had bounties of over fifty million Berries, so it was natural that they could withstand the sweep of Ian's Conqueror's Haki.
However, among such pirate captains, there were bound to be hot-tempered individuals. Upon hearing Ian's words, a one-eyed captain wearing an eyepatch slammed the table and said, "What's the meaning of knocking out my crew!?"
These fourteen men hadn't been sitting at the same table to begin with, and he stood up so quickly that the other captains couldn't stop him in time. So when they heard his outburst, they all stared at him in disbelief.
Are you crazy!? That's a great pirate with a bounty of 650 million Berries! And you, One-Eyed Polly, with a bounty of just 72 million, dare to speak to him like that!?
The other pirate captains quickly looked at Ian, and sure enough, upon hearing those words, the Black Dragon Ian's expression instantly turned cold!
But strangely enough, he didn't get angry. Instead, he squinted at One-Eyed Polly.
Just as everyone was holding their breath and watching Ian, they felt something was off!
"Is... is it my imagination? Why does it feel like the air around us is trembling..." a pirate captain said in confusion, looking around and speaking softly.
It wasn't his imagination. The others also felt this trembling sensation, and then, as if realizing something, they all looked at Ian in terror.
Only Fujitora, sitting beside Ian, understood what was happening.
"Ian-kun's progress is truly astonishing!" Fujitora silently marveled to himself.
This trembling of the air was none other than the pressure Ian was emitting. Ever since he had grasped the use of aura during the assassination of Teach, in the half-month after leaving Salamis Island, Ian's Nen Training skill had finally broken through due to a chain reaction.
It had actually happened by chance, when Ian tried to combine aura with Psychic Power for fusion use.
The breakthrough to Master-level Nen Training was sudden, but the changes it brought were astonishing. Ian had always thought that Conqueror's Haki could only intimidate weaker enemies, but he never expected that after advancing to Master-level Nen Training, the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki had increased.
[Master-level Nen Training: Increases total Nen value by 75%, reduces Nen consumption by 25%. Unlocks Nen Diffusion, Nen Materialization, and Nen Tremor.]
This new way of using Nen, Nen Tremor, when combined with Conqueror's Haki, could affect the surrounding matter. The trembling of the air around them was exactly that.
As he slowly released the pressure of his Haki, the air around him trembled continuously. Dust, debris, and some wood shavings on the floor slowly floated up, suspended in midair.
Not only that, the trembling of the air seemed to cause the ground to shake slightly as well. The other pirate captains around them watched in terror as the liquid in their cups rippled with water waves.
As for One-Eyed Polly, who was being targeted by Ian, his situation was even worse. A tremendous oppressive force enveloped him, making him feel weak and limp all over, on the verge of collapsing to his knees.
And indeed, he did kneel. Although this pressure wasn't physically real, it was a tangible force acting on his psyche. He felt as if the young man staring at him had transformed into a dangerously massive beast, eyeing him hungrily. The fear of facing such a powerful existence made him instinctively submit.
With a thud, One-Eyed Polly knelt on the ground, drenched in cold sweat, his clothes soaked through.
The other pirate captains didn't know what One-Eyed Polly had experienced, but this only deepened their fear of Ian. Just by looking at him, he could make that hot-tempered One-Eyed Polly kneel... this... this...
Seeing One-Eyed Polly kneel, Ian finally let him off and withdrew his aura. With his body as the center, the dust and debris floating around him spread outward with a faint popping sound, like a soap bubble bursting, and then fell silent.
This Nen Tremor brought about a powerful aura and oppressive force that could disturb surrounding objects. Ian only realized this after using it once. For now, this Nen Tremor wasn't too strong, but as Ian grew stronger in the future, he might be able to replicate the overwhelming force of Whitebeard and Red-Haired Shanks' battle, which could tear apart the clouds!
Yes, that kind of power! If Ian could reach that level, he would likely possess the strength befitting a Yonko!
"Alright!" Ian said, looking at the pale-faced pirate captains. "Since you don't want to state your names, I won't bother asking. Tell me, why are so many pirate crews gathered on this island?"
Upon hearing Ian's question, no one dared to question him anymore. A bearded pirate captain quickly stood up and said, "G-great sir! We're here because we were hired by the king of this country! We're here to make some extra cash!"
Ian naturally knew what he meant by "extra cash," but he still pretended to be interested and said, "Oh? There's money to be made? That's good news. Can you introduce me?"
"O-of course!" The bearded pirate captain was taken aback for a moment, then rubbed his hands together obsequiously and said, "Though I'm not sure if the king can come up with enough money to hire you!"
The strength Ian had displayed was certainly worthy of his bounty. Although the pirate captains didn't know why Ian had appeared on this island, since he had shown interest, they naturally had to cooperate. So the bearded pirate captain personally ran out of the tavern and headed to the palace to contact the pirate king.
During the time he was away, the other pirate captains didn't know whether to sit or stand. They wanted to approach Ian and strike up a conversation, but they didn't know what topic to use. Meanwhile, Ian paid them little attention, simply drinking and clinking glasses with Fujitora.
The tavern's waitstaff nervously brought the best liquor in the house to Ian and the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates. Ian smiled and said "thank you" to one of them, which made the waiter feel flattered and honored.
Before long, the bearded pirate captain returned, leading a man into the tavern. The man was dressed in flashy clothes but had a sleazy face.
"This is the palace steward, Habbs. He's here on behalf of King Valoa!" the bearded pirate captain introduced with a smile.
Without waiting for Ian to speak, the palace steward, Habbs, carried a leather case over to Ian and Fujitora, placed it on the table, and opened it, revealing stacks of Berry bills.
"This is 50 million Berries!" Habbs said with a bow and a scrape. "King Valoa is very grateful for your help, Lord Ian, but since the matters on the island are all trivial, we won't trouble you with them."
At first, when Ian saw the money, he thought it was a done deal, assuming the money was the pirate king's hiring fee. But after hearing Habbs' words, he suddenly realized that the pirate king, Valoa, had actually rejected him!?
What was going on? Ian couldn't figure it out. He looked at Habbs and noticed tattoos on his neck and wrists, which were typical of pirates. So he was sure that Habbs was one of Valoa's men. Since his identity was correct, what Habbs conveyed must be Valoa's original words.
Seeing Ian silent, Habbs also looked at him cautiously, his heart full of anxiety.
Indeed, a pirate crew with such a high bounty like the Dragon Hunter Pirates landing on this island and seemingly wanting to help the king make money should, in theory, be a good thing for Valoa.
But the problem was that Ian and his crew's bounties were too high. Just Ian alone, as the captain, had a bounty more than double Valoa's. Adding Fujitora's bounty made it even more outrageous.
Valoa was a pirate with a bounty of 340 million Berries, so his strength was certainly considerable. The reason he dared to recruit pirates as mercenaries was that he had the ability to suppress those with lower bounties. But when it came to Ian, he didn't have that confidence. Having become a king from a pirate himself, he naturally worried that he wouldn't be able to control Ian and would end up being overthrown instead!
So he sent Habbs with the money to politely refuse Ian, hoping to use this sum to send Ian and his crew away...