Chapter 275: The Rising Stars of the East Blue
As for Doflamingo's piece, not only was it not soaked in a glass bubble, but the material of the identity chip itself was also highly problematic. If this piece were handed over to the Celestial Dragons, they would definitely realize it was a fake.
Ian thought it over, calculated the time, and decided it should still be feasible. So he called Konenai over and whispered his instructions in her ear.
"No problem, I'll take care of it right away!" Konenai agreed immediately after listening. She picked up the fake identity chip made by the Revolutionary Army and left.
After Konenai went out, she quietly found a ship and left Travira Island. Two weeks later, Ian finally called for Baby-5.
"What do you want?" Baby-5 was still smoking a cigarette and wearing a maid outfit, looking all tsundere. But when she came in, she was carrying a plate of small cookies for Ian, which completely gave away her true feelings.
Ian found it amusing. He took the cookies, picked one up, and took a bite. "Doflamingo sent you to deliver the weapons. Did he set a time for you to return?"
"No," Baby-5 said, a bit dejectedly.
"So it seems he wants you to be the liaison between us," Ian said, stroking his chin. "He doesn't think I'm some pervert, does he? Trying to tempt me with a pretty maid like you?"
"I... I..." Baby-5 blushed at Ian's words. She cupped her cheeks and asked, "Am I really pretty?"
"Of course!" Ian nodded. "Be more confident! Anyway, back to business. Since he left you here, you should fulfill your duties. You should have a Den Den Mushi to contact him, right?"
Baby-5 hesitated for a moment, then pulled a Den Den Mushi from her apron pocket.
It was a direct-connect Den Den Mushi, the kind that didn't need dialing. When Ian picked up the receiver, the Den Den Mushi immediately made a "purupurupuru" sound.
Soon, the call connected, and the Den Den Mushi transformed into Doflamingo's distinctive sunglasses shape.
"Hey, Baby-5?" Doflamingo's voice came from the other end.
"Oh, it's me," Ian said, glancing at the nervous Baby-5, and chuckled.
Baby-5 didn't actually know what was in the box Doflamingo had asked her to deliver to Ian. She only knew it was important. But Ian suddenly contacting Doflamingo made her worry that she might have messed something up.
"So it's you, Ian!" Doflamingo recognized Ian's voice and laughed with his signature "Fufufufufu." "How is it? Satisfied with the batch of weapons?"
"Not bad, but I'm kind of thinking I don't want to pay," Ian said, picking at his ear.
"Hmm? Why?" Doflamingo's voice turned dark. "Kid, don't think that just because you're a Warlord now, you can welch on a debt! Do you think I'm an ATM? I already gave you 3 billion Berries, and now you want this batch of weapons for free!?"
"That's not the reason," Ian said. "It's mainly because the thing Baby-5 brought from you was so poorly made. It makes me wonder if you're deliberately trying to get me to piss off the Celestial Dragons!"
"What do you mean?" Doflamingo was taken aback.
"You've probably never seen a real identity chip, have you?" Ian said, propping his legs up on the table and leaning back leisurely. "Even if you wanted to fool the Celestial Dragons with a fake, you could at least make it look decent. That thing is obviously fake at first glance. If the Celestial Dragons get it and think I'm messing with them, what then?"
"So what do you want to do?" Doflamingo asked.
Ian tapped on the armrest of his chair, pretending to think, then said, "How about this: since our deal is done, I can give you the real identity chip first. Once you have it, hurry up and make a perfect replica, so I can hand it over to the Celestial Dragons."
"Fufufufufu! That would be perfect!" Doflamingo laughed heartily. He hadn't expected that the shoddy fake chip would actually serve this purpose.
"Of course, because of this, consider the cost of those weapons as your additional payment. What do you think?" Ian asked.
"..." Doflamingo was speechless. This kid was so stingy! He was trying to tie together two completely unrelated things just to avoid paying!
The batch of weapons Doflamingo had sent with Baby-5 was quoted to Ian at 2 billion Berries. That was a bit steep for Ian, but for Doflamingo, the cost wasn't that high. After thinking it over, and because Ian had offered to deliver the real identity chip early, Doflamingo decided to let it slide.
"Fine, consider those weapons a gift to you!" Doflamingo said. "Where's the chip?"
"Glad you're reasonable!" Ian said, slapping his thigh in satisfaction. "The identity chip was buried on Stripe Island. That was the first island I landed on after escaping Mary Geoise. Send someone there first, and when they arrive, contact me. I'll tell you where it's buried."
Doflamingo believed him immediately. He thought Ian's words made sense. After all, he had been keeping tabs on Ian. Ian was now in the central New World and had never gone back. It was plausible that the identity chip was buried on that island where he first landed. Putting himself in Ian's shoes, Doflamingo would have done the same.
However, Doflamingo didn't know about Ian's secret identity. He had no idea that before Ian landed on Stripe Island, Kuma had already met with him.
And Ian had sent Konenai out two weeks early to secretly go to Stripe Island and bury the fake chip made by the Revolutionary Army somewhere, intending for Doflamingo to find it.
Doflamingo's location in Dressrosa was closer to Stripe Island, but with this time difference, Ian estimated that Konenai would arrive at Stripe Island ahead of time. This way, Ian, who had never left Travira on the surface, would make Doflamingo even more convinced that the chip he dug up was real.
After saying this, Ian added, "Once you get the identity chip, hurry up and make an exact copy. Then bury it back in the same spot. I'll tell the World Government people to go dig it up there. Make sure you do it right. If you make another shoddy product and the Celestial Dragons find out, don't blame me for pinning it on you and telling them I sold you the real chip!"
"..." Doflamingo gritted his teeth at Ian's words. He had indeed considered such a scheme—getting the identity chip and then using it to frame Ian. But he hadn't expected Ian to be so cautious.
"This kid is really cunning!" Doflamingo thought bitterly, but he still said, "Don't worry. We're allies now. Why would I want to harm you?"
"Good to hear!" Ian snorted and hung up the receiver.
After hanging up, Ian breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was particularly cunning, but when dealing with someone as sly as Doflamingo, he had to keep his mind sharp and consider every possible scenario to avoid any oversight. Honestly, talking to Doflamingo always left Ian mentally exhausted.
"Allies, huh? Once you get the identity chip, you'll probably turn on me," Ian muttered to himself, pursing his lips. After all, he had killed Vergo, and Doflamingo would definitely want revenge for that. Even if he couldn't kill Ian, he would at least try to mess with him.
But now that Ian was also a Warlord, Doflamingo probably wouldn't act personally, Ian mused.
He was lost in thought and forgot that Baby-5 was still in the room. At that moment, Baby-5 looked equally dejected. During Ian's call with Doflamingo, the young master she had admired since childhood hadn't mentioned her at all, showing no concern for her current situation.
When Ian snapped out of it, he saw Baby-5's gloomy expression.
"What's wrong?" Ian asked her. "Feeling lonely without friends here? You can go hang out with Margaret and the others. Go shopping or something. Friends are made through interaction, you know!"
"Yeah..." Baby-5 nodded and left without another word. Ian had no idea what was going through her mind, so he just scratched his head and watched her go.
Then Ian sat back down in his chair and muttered to himself, "With the identity chip issue settled, maybe it's time to head back to the East Blue... With a Marine ship, traveling through the Calm Belt should be fast, right? I wonder how that kid Zoro is doing. Counting the time, it's been a year and three months since I set sail. In a few more months, Zoro will turn 18. He should be setting sail soon..."
What Ian didn't know was that far away in the East Blue, at Shimotsuki Village, something major had happened two weeks earlier!
Let's rewind a bit to the third day after the news of Ian becoming a Warlord broke.
At that time, the East Blue was in an uproar!
Ian had become the true rising star of the East Blue. Starting as a pirate hunter, he had captured the three most notorious pirates in the East Blue, making him a household name. Then, when he entered the New World and caused a ruckus at Mary Geoise, many people in the East Blue didn't recognize him from the masked photo at first. But when his identity was exposed, people were shocked to realize that the famous pirate hunter from the East Blue had become a wanted criminal with a bounty of 500 million Berries. Many thought they were seeing fake news.
Even more shocking, shortly after Ian's identity was revealed, news broke that his Dragon Hunter Pirates had clashed with a Marine Admiral. Since there were few live broadcast screens in the East Blue, few people saw it, and the story morphed into rumors that Ian had defeated two Marine Admirals and escaped.
This rumor led to some newly formed pirate crews in the East Blue shamelessly claiming to be under the Dragon Hunter Pirates. Dozens of such crews popped up, all using Ian's name. This forced Smoker to mobilize his Marines and arrest a bunch of pirates.
Just when everyone thought Ian had become a full-fledged great pirate, the World Government's news left them stunned again: Ian had been appointed as a Warlord!
This constant shift in identity left many people confused.
Still, people felt a sense of pride. The East Blue had produced a Warlord-level figure! Someone recognized by the World Government as a great pirate!
The people of the East Blue suddenly felt a newfound confidence. The East Blue had long been considered the weakest sea, which, while reflecting its peace, also made people feel inferior. Now that the East Blue had produced a Warlord, who would dare say that anymore?