Chapter 264: Shocking Identity
This rebel leader, after listening to Ian's analysis, had a look of struggle on his face the entire time.
He was well aware that what Ian said was correct. The power of a Devil Fruit user was unstoppable for ordinary people. Waldo had originally used his ability to kill the former king and successfully take the throne. In such a small country, a pirate with a bounty of three hundred and forty million Berry was virtually an unsolvable threat. Unless the rebel army had equipment as strong as the Marines, even regular firearms and ammunition would have little effect against a Devil Fruit user.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates were an even more powerful pirate crew. To overthrow Waldo, they had to rely on their strength. This was the reason the leader had come to see Ian.
And Ian felt the same way. He had to keep the refining technology in his own hands. This was the Dragon Hunter Pirates' foundation for survival. If the rebel army was too greedy and unwilling to accept his conditions, then Ian would consider going it alone.
If that happened, he would just spend money to have the miners mine the ore for him. The principle was the same.
Perhaps the leader also realized this, and in the end, he gritted his teeth and agreed.
"But how will you contact the World Government?" the leader asked again.
Ian smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry about that. Maybe in a day or two, you'll see it in the news!"
Contacting the World Government was far too easy for a Warlord of the Sea...
With the agreement reached, the two sides began discussing the details of their cooperation. It was only at this point that the leader revealed his name.
Ariance. The leader's name was Ariance, and he was actually the leader of the rebel army! He had originally been a miner himself, but because he was the first to start resisting Waldo four years ago, the miners' rebel army had elected him as their leader. Barring any unexpected events, he would likely become the new king of this country after Waldo was overthrown.
When he learned from Ian that a shipment of firearms and weapons would arrive soon to support the rebel army, Ariance was overjoyed.
What the rebel army lacked most right now was weapons and ammunition. The few swords and blades they had were forged from iron ore they had mined themselves. But the problem was that there wasn't much iron ore on this island, so they couldn't be self-sufficient. Ian's support came at just the right time.
Of course, these weapons were not cheap. The cost was at least in the hundreds of millions. Given Ian's personality, he wouldn't be the one paying for them. The rebel army would have to repay him later.
The two sides agreed that before the weapons arrived, Ian would find a way to drive away the pirate mercenaries occupying the island. Once Waldo had no one left to use, the rebel army would launch a general offensive and overthrow his rule in one fell swoop.
After the discussion, Ariance prepared to leave. But just as he was about to go, he remembered something and said to Ian, "Oh, there's one more piece of information I should tell you."
"Go ahead," Ian said.
"Although many people know that Waldo was once a big pirate with a bounty of three hundred and forty million, very few know that his old nickname was 'The Ripper'!" Ariance said. "He's been lying low for years, so it's hard to find his old wanted poster now. Our rebel army investigated for a long time before we found out that he seems to be a Rip-Rip Fruit user!"
"Rip-Rip Fruit!?" Ian frowned. What kind of fruit was that?
Based on the name alone, it seemed to be some kind of Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, with the ability being... ripping!?
Ian thought of Buggy again. The name of this fruit sounded similar to Buggy's Chop-Chop Fruit, but... the abilities were probably completely different. The name of this fruit evoked extremely violent attack methods...
Three hundred and forty million, plus the nickname "The Ripper." This Waldo was probably not simple.
Just as Ian was thinking this, Ariance continued, "We also found out that Waldo's original name wasn't this. He wasn't a pirate from the start. But we could only dig up this much. Everything before Waldo became a pirate is a mystery!"
Ian didn't think much of it, but Konenai, upon hearing this, couldn't help but frown. She rested her chin on her hand and began to think carefully.
After Ariance left, Ian noticed Konenai's strange behavior and asked her, "What's wrong?"
"Ripper Waldo?" Konenai said with some confusion. "I feel like I've heard that name before."
"What's so strange about that? That guy had a bounty of three hundred and forty million. He must have been pretty famous. It's normal for you to have heard of him!" Ian said with a smile.
"No... it's not like that!" Konenai said. "When I say I've heard it, I don't mean from a wanted poster. I mean I heard someone mention it back at the Revolutionary Army base!"
"Huh!? What do you mean?" Not just Ian, but Walnut and Yard also leaned in.
"This Ripper Waldo seems to be someone the Revolutionary Army takes seriously!" Konenai said. "You might not know this, but I was born and raised on Baltigo. When I was sixteen, I joined the Revolutionary Army and was then assigned to the Rose Kingdom for a mission. I spent some time at the Revolutionary Army base on Baltigo and heard some of my comrades mention this person!"
"Wow!" Walnut's eyes lit up as she grabbed Konenai and said, "Sister Konenai, you actually stayed at the Revolutionary Army base? Tell us what it's like there!"
"Sorry, I can't reveal too much!" Konenai said apologetically. "The location and information about the island are confidential. Just telling you the name is already pushing the limit!"
She turned to Ian and said, "Maybe you'll have a chance to visit Baltigo yourself someday!"
"Hmm!" Ian nodded. He had long known the name Baltigo, but honestly, he didn't even know which ocean the island was in.
"I need to contact my Revolutionary Army comrades and look into this person!" Konenai said, then pulled Walnut and ran off. Walnut's Calm-Calm Fruit could help prevent eavesdropping.
Ian looked at Yard and said helplessly, "Great. I'm a Revolutionary Army officer, and I don't even know how to contact other comrades, but she does..."
Yard chuckled, scratching his head with a shy expression, not knowing how to respond.
Ian was just making an offhand comment. He knew that the Revolutionary Army branches around the world were mostly lying low, with very little communication between them. Although Ian had been introduced to the Revolutionary Army by Kuma, he had never even met his boss, Dragon. So it was normal that he didn't know how to contact them. Perhaps that was why the Revolutionary Army had sent Konenai and the others to assist him.
It was late, and Ian and the others went to sleep in their rooms. However, to Ian's surprise, he was awakened in the middle of the night by Konenai, who burst into his room!
She had slammed the door open.
Behind her was Walnut, who immediately set up a soundproof barrier as soon as she entered Ian's room. Konenai looked anxious and said to Ian, "Ian, it's bad! We found out Waldo's true identity!"
"Calm down, take your time," Ian said, sitting up in bed. "Who is he exactly?"
"I don't know if you've heard of this, but several decades ago, there was a very famous research institute on the seas of this world!" Konenai said, sitting down on a chair to steady herself.
"Never heard of it. Several decades ago? I probably wasn't even born yet!" Ian said.
"It doesn't matter if you haven't heard of it, but you definitely know the name of one person from that institute!" Konenai said. "That person is Vegapunk!"
Whoosh! As soon as he heard that name, Ian lifted his head and stared at Konenai in shock.
"You heard me right. It's Vegapunk!" Konenai said. "You might know that Vegapunk is a Marine scientist, but you probably don't know that before becoming a Marine scientist, he was at this research institute."
Konenai took a breath and continued explaining to Ian, "Because of Vegapunk, the research institute's achievements were astonishing. It was renowned worldwide, and countries from all over the world secretly sponsored their research. However, one day, Vegapunk developed something called 'Lineage Factor,' a study that could create life, an achievement that approached the realm of gods. After the Lineage Factor was discovered, the World Government couldn't sit still anymore. They declared the institute an illegal organization, disbanded it, and arrested Vegapunk!"
"After that, Vegapunk joined the World Government's science team, with the government providing funding for his research. To protect this genius scientist, the Marine Science Unit was established!" Konenai said.
"You... you mean this Waldo is..." Ian asked in disbelief.
Konenai nodded very seriously and said, "Yes. When the institute was disbanded, not all the scientists were arrested like Vegapunk. Some escaped, and Waldo was one of them. I asked my Revolutionary Army comrades to check, and they found that his original name was actually Rul Waldo! He was an engineer at the institute. After the institute was disbanded, he escaped, and somehow, a few years later, he became a pirate. He seemed to have obtained his Devil Fruit ability around that time. Although he became a pirate, he kept a low profile, traveling all over the world as if searching for something. He had very few achievements, but the World Government seemed to recognize him. That's why they gave him a bounty of three hundred and forty million and pursued him. But unexpectedly, he suddenly disappeared again and came to this island to become a king..."
Ian was utterly shocked by this sudden news. Holy crap! This guy... this guy was actually Vegapunk's former colleague!?
With Konenai's reminder, Ian suddenly recalled that something like this had indeed happened in history. The most memorable example for Ian was the head of the Vinsmoke Family, Vinsmoke Judge! Sanji's father!
He had also been Vegapunk's colleague. After Vegapunk was arrested, he escaped as well, obtained the Lineage Factor technology, developed the Vinsmoke Family, established Germa as a country without territory, and became its king...
Well, setting aside the Germa Group for now, Ian never expected to run into another of Vegapunk's former colleagues here!
No wonder Ian had been wondering earlier. A pirate like this not only became a king but also mastered the refining technology for Thunder Stones. That didn't seem like something a pirate would do!
Who would have thought that the guy was actually a scientist!
So... how should this be handled now?