Chapter 297: Finally Hitched a Ride Again
Ian had no idea that while he was unleashing a devastating combo on Hawkins, several bizarre deaths were occurring one after another in the Lubnir Kingdom near the sea area!
And every single one of these victims was a rampaging pirate.
One of them had been drinking in a tavern when four deep slash wounds suddenly appeared on his waist—two on each side—gushing blood profusely.
Before his companions could even react, the pirate suddenly flew up from his chair, his body cleaved clean in half from the middle...
Another victim died differently. This pirate had been in the middle of a fight when purple flames suddenly erupted from his body, turning him into a charred, blackened corpse. His death actually terrified his opponent, who thought he had witnessed a case of spontaneous combustion...
There were many similar deaths. Some suddenly collapsed with countless sword wounds all over their bodies, twitching and trembling. Others walking down the street had a purple flame explode from their foreheads. Some had a perfectly round hole appear in their chests, as if burned by high heat. Finally, several were struck by astonishing bolts of lightning and fell as charred remains.
Though these bizarre deaths seemed unrelated, if one looked closely, every single victim had once encountered the Hawkins Pirates...
This was the strength of Hawkins's ability. As long as he had set up enough substitutes in advance, any damage he received would be transferred to them, causing these strange deaths. To anyone unaware of his power, he would truly seem immortal.
Such an ability was naturally terrifying. When Hawkins fought other pirates, no matter how they tried to kill him, they couldn't, and in their panic, he would finish them off. As Hawkins killed more and more pirates, his reputation grew.
But like many Devil Fruit users who relied too heavily on their abilities, Hawkins's other combat skills seemed lacking. When he transformed into a scarecrow, his attacks were straightforward and easily countered by fire.
Moreover, without using Haki, a pure Devil Fruit user like him might survive in the first half of the Grand Line, but it would get harder and harder later on.
So, to Ian, Hawkins was nothing more than a decent meat shield—that was his assessment.
And clearly, Ian was on a completely different level from Hawkins. Any casual strike from Ian could be lethal, while Hawkins had no way to fight back.
The Hawkins Pirates crew looked at Ian as if he were a demon king. That day, they remembered the fear of their captain being dominated by a demon king...
After Ian spoke, they hurriedly jumped into the sea to rescue their captain. Those still on the ship crouched on the deck like quails, covering their heads, not daring to move.
Their only thought now was: Whatever you want to commandeer, just take it, just don't focus on us!
Hawkins was quickly pulled up. As Ian expected, he wasn't dead. Once on board, several substitute puppets crawled out from the gaps in his scarecrow-like arm straw—some charred, some severed. They fell to the ground and lay still.
Ian watched in fascination, feeling as if those substitute puppets were alive. This world had so much strange science.
Hawkins's Demon Vanquishing Form retracted, and he reverted to his tall, handsome blond self with the same deadpan expression. But he spoke: "I know who you are! You're the newly joined Warlord, right?"
"Oh? You know me?" Ian said.
"How did someone like you end up in the North Blue?" Hawkins asked, still shaken.
Though he had survived Ian's attack thanks to his ability, Ian's assault had cost him several substitutes. Those substitutes only activated when he suffered severe or fatal damage, meaning every single one of Ian's strikes would have gravely wounded Hawkins!
Such overwhelming strength was something Hawkins had never encountered before, and the memory still terrified him.
"Is this the level of a Warlord?" Hawkins thought, but he was also curious why Ian was here.
After all, all the Warlords recruited by the World Government usually stayed on the Grand Line, rarely venturing to other seas. Hawkins didn't know if he was lucky or unlucky.
"None of your business!" Ian naturally wouldn't tell Hawkins why he was here. He simply said, "Now, there's no problem with commandeering your ship, is there?"
Hawkins bowed slightly, hand on his chest, and said, "At your service!"
Though Hawkins was actually older, this world worked that way—the strong always made age irrelevant. Hawkins had yielded to Ian, so he could say such words naturally.
It was only after witnessing Ian's power that he understood the probability from his earlier divination. He knew Ian could definitely kill him. If the attack continued until all his substitute puppets were destroyed, Hawkins would have to take the damage himself, and that would be his end.
So, that "moment's decision" simply meant whether Ian was willing to stop...
Since Hawkins recognized him, Ian stopped worrying. He pulled his hat from his pocket, put it on, looked around, and pointed at a pirate from the Hawkins crew. "You! Yes, you! Wash your clothes and bring them to me!"
His hat could fit in his pocket, but not his clothes. Ian had lost his shirt, but luckily, he spotted a pirate wearing a coat similar to his old one, so he asked for it.
The pirate Ian pointed at initially trembled, nearly wetting himself. When he heard Ian only wanted his clothes, he sighed in relief and hurried off to wash them.
He swore to wash them several times until there was no smell before daring to present them.
After sorting out the clothes, Ian asked Hawkins, "Got any food? I'm hungry!"
Hawkins naturally dared not say no, so he had food brought to Ian. As Ian ate, he commented, "Not as good as my crew's chef. I suggest you find a new one!"
Hearing this, the chef hiding in the galley nearly fainted from fear...
Fortunately, Ian wasn't a cruel person. He was just making an offhand remark.
As Ian ate without concern, Hawkins sat down and asked curiously, "Are you that trusting? Not afraid of poison in the food?"
Ian looked up, squinting with a smile. "Trust me, if the food were poisoned, you'd be the unlucky ones! Before the poison took effect, your entire crew would be wiped out!"
Hawkins didn't press the issue. He said, "Are you heading to Reverse Mountain? Let me warn you, if the weather permits, it'll take at least fifteen days from here."
"Yeah, no problem. I'm not in a hurry," Ian nodded.
Through this brief exchange, Hawkins realized that this Warlord wasn't as hard to deal with as he'd imagined. So he cautiously asked, "You came from the Grand Line. Can you tell us about it?"
Ian glanced at him and smiled. "What, thinking of heading to the Grand Line?"
Hawkins said nothing, just looked at Ian.
"Going to the Grand Line is actually pretty simple," Ian said. "How about joining my crew? Then I can take you straight to the New World..."