Chapter 299: Soaring Over Reverse Mountain
The tarot cards Hawkins used were not the kind Ian was familiar with. In truth, what were called tarot cards were merely a system of symbolic imagery; different fortune-tellers might use cards with completely different patterns.
Looking at the cards spread out all over the deck, Ian didn't immediately reach out to pick one. Instead, he first thought about his purpose.
This time, he had come out not only to find Nico Robin and have her decipher the Poneglyph text he had obtained, but also to return to the East Blue once, to visit Master Koushirou, as well as Zoro and Kuina.
However, he didn't want to expose his whereabouts. Although the identity chip had been returned to the Celestial Dragons, no one knew if they would still pursue him for killing that foolish son of the Musgarut family. So Ian didn't want anyone to know he had returned to the East Blue. He planned to go there secretly.
So, let's first divine the fortune of going to Alabasta!
With that thought, Ian looked at the cards on the ground and selected one.
He turned it over and saw that the card's pattern was of two people shaking hands. One of these people had a pale white face, the other a pitch-black face, both with no expression. Although their hands were clasped together, hidden behind their backs were two daggers.
The name of this card was "The Deception of White and Black"!
Ian couldn't understand the meaning of the card's imagery, so he handed it to Hawkins.
Hawkins took it, looked at it, and explained, "It seems your journey won't go smoothly."
"Oh?" Ian asked curiously, "How so?"
"Because you might not be able to see the person you want to see," Hawkins said. "Even if you do, that person might not cooperate with you. They might refuse to help you, or give you a false impression."
Ian frowned. What did this mean? He had been thinking about going to Alabasta to find Robin, but from Hawkins' words, would he not be able to find her? Or even if he did, would Robin refuse to tell him any information?
Robin could definitely read Poneglyphs, but if she could read them and refused to tell him the content, or simply told him a false version, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
Troublesome. If Hawkins' fortune-telling was really accurate, what would he do if this situation arose?
Could it be that the Poneglyph he had found contained something sensitive? Otherwise, if it was just an ordinary Poneglyph recording the history of the Barron Gray Terminal sky island, Robin shouldn't have any reason to hide it, right?
In just an instant, countless thoughts raced through Ian's mind, but he couldn't be sure about any of the possibilities he guessed.
Hawkins watched Ian's expression and continued, "And you need to be careful. Your journey might also hide some dangers. The daggers hidden behind the back often represent lurking threats."
"Dangers?" Ian was even more troubled. With his current strength, there were very few things that could truly pose a danger to him. He thought of Crocodile, who was also in Alabasta. Could this fortune be fulfilled by him?
After all, Crocodile was also one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. He might be the only one who could threaten Ian.
"Can't you be more specific?" Ian asked Hawkins.
Hawkins shook his head. "No, that's the will of fate. Fortune-telling can only ever see the direction of fate, not the truth. I can only give a vague description based on the card you chose."
Damn it, this was why he hated this kind of mystical nonsense. Ian sighed and decided not to ask further. Thinking about returning to the East Blue, he selected another card. This time, he didn't even look at it and directly handed it to Hawkins.
Hawkins took it, looked at it, and then met Ian's eyes. "The Two-Faced Clown. The smiling side represents a pleasant surprise you'll encounter, but the vicious side represents hidden danger! It seems this danger might be something that happens during this period, not necessarily a specific person, and it might not happen to you directly, but to someone related to you."
"Damn it!" Ian couldn't help but say. "The more I listen, the more confused I get! Can we just talk plainly!?"
Hawkins said, "You chose two cards, meaning your journey has two purposes. Both divinations hint at danger, so perhaps they are connected."
"In that case, what do you suggest I do?" Ian asked, staring at him. At this moment, Hawkins seemed like a charlatan to him, so his tone gradually became less polite.
"All I can say is, be careful in everything," Hawkins said, shaking his head. Then he gathered his fortune-telling cards and left the deck.
Ian regretted it. If he had known it would turn out like this, he wouldn't have asked Hawkins to divine. Now it had left him brooding. Lying back on a deck chair, Ian rested his head on his hands and forced himself not to think about the fortune-telling results. He kept refreshing the shop in his mind, buying the card fragments he needed, using that to distract himself.
And so, the days passed slowly.
The Hawkins Pirates' ship sailed on the sea without any major incidents. The climate of the North Blue was certainly much better than the Grand Line. However, during the journey, the Hawkins Pirates encountered the Marines once.
Pirates were rampant in the North Blue, so the Marines had many bases there. Encountering the Marines wasn't surprising, but this encounter showed Ian that the Hawkins Pirates, as rookie pirates with bounties over 100 million, carried considerable fame.
It was a single patrol ship. After encountering the Hawkins Pirates at sea, they only dared to follow from a distance, not daring to engage in battle. Hawkins completely ignored the warship, only speeding up to shake them off before Marine reinforcements arrived. This might have been out of consideration for Ian's attitude; otherwise, the Hawkins Pirates might have casually destroyed the patrol ship.
Finally, after fifteen days, the Hawkins Pirates' ship approached the entrance to Reverse Mountain in the North Blue.
At this point, they dared not go any further. If they continued, they would have to follow Ian into the Grand Line. After witnessing Ian's power, Hawkins still feared the Grand Line and didn't want to step into it so soon.
Ian didn't force them. He asked Hawkins for a small boat and rowed alone toward the entrance.
Seeing Ian finally leave, the members of the Hawkins Pirates collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Although Ian had been relatively easygoing on the ship, his status and strength had greatly improved, naturally giving him the aura of a major pirate at the level of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Facing him, the Hawkins Pirates' members always felt immense pressure.
"Turn back!" Hawkins said to his crew.
………………
Ian rode the small boat alone into the entrance's current and entered Reverse Mountain once again. But his mindset was different this time. Although the current rushing up the mountain was still fierce, Ian wasn't worried at all. He rode the small boat along the current, aiming straight for the entrance and charging upward. He now had enough arm strength to adjust the small boat's direction in the turbulent waters.
Once again, he reached the peak of Reverse Mountain. At the convergence point of the four seas' currents, the small boat was lifted high into the sky.
It was at this moment that Ian flew up. The flame wings behind him, which had absorbed the Black Dragon Wave, supported him as he grabbed the small boat, found the current leading to the East Blue, and flew all the way down!
Yes, Ian definitely had to return to the East Blue first. If he was swept back into the Grand Line by the current, he would have to cross the Calm Belt again to get back to the East Blue.
Ian said he had had enough and didn't want to swim dozens of kilometers again while being chased by Sea Kings.
Fortunately, he could now fly briefly. Turning at the peak of Reverse Mountain was the best choice.
A small boat wasn't very heavy. Ian grabbed it, quickly flew down Reverse Mountain, threw the boat back into the water, and landed on it. And so, he was once again standing on the surface of the East Blue.
"Haha! Perfect!" Ian smiled triumphantly, then oriented himself and rowed the small boat forward.
He needed to find the way back to Shimotsuki Village...