Chapter 305: The Prophecy Comes True
Ian didn't recognize Kuina at first. For one thing, he hadn't received any news of her awakening, and for another, after waking up, Kuina had cut her hair short—just like Tashigi—and was wearing a Marine uniform. It was so far from what Ian had imagined that he failed to identify her.
But the more Ian looked, the more something felt off. Although he had mistaken Kuina for Tashigi, Tashigi was a glasses-wearing girl with a somewhat reserved demeanor, completely different from Kuina's temperament.
When Kuina entered, she didn't notice Ian standing by the side door, because Sanji's voice had drawn her attention.
And Sanji, that pervy cook, immediately reverted to his old habits the moment he saw Kuina. His eyes turned into heart shapes, he raised his hands high, and his legs wobbled like noodles as he rushed toward her.
"Hey! Beautiful Marine lady, I'm at your service!" Sanji dashed up to Kuina, dropped to one knee, and produced a rose from nowhere, holding it out to her as he declared in a reverent tone: "From today onward, I am your most loyal servant!"
With her dashing, heroic aura and that pristine white Marine uniform, the moment Sanji saw Kuina, he felt his heart had been captured.
This was pure uniform temptation...
Kuina was startled by Sanji's expression and took a small step back, then couldn't help but snap coldly: "Shut up!"
Kuina's personality had always been fiery. Back when Zoro first came to the Isshin Dojo and was defeated by her, Zoro had refused to admit defeat, and Kuina had even called him a "yapping wild dog." Now faced with Sanji's excessive flattery, she felt even more uncomfortable, so her tone was naturally cold.
But in front of a beautiful woman, Sanji was thick-skinned. He didn't care about her scolding or coldness at all; instead, he snorted two puffs of hot air through his nostrils, almost ready to address her as "Your Majesty Queen"...
Kuina steadied herself, placed the scabbard of her sword on Sanji's shoulder, and asked: "Tell me, is the person who captured the Rock Pirates' captain earlier in your restaurant?"
Hearing this, Sanji immediately sobered up, recalling what Zeff had said earlier. Logically, he could have just made up a lie to cover things up, but the problem was that Sanji had his own chivalrous code—he didn't want to deceive any woman. So he simply kept his mouth shut and said nothing.
With Sanji refusing to cooperate, Kuina couldn't force him. Although she was now a Marine Lieutenant with some authority, she was never the type to abuse her power. Faced with Sanji, a waiter and cook at the restaurant, she wouldn't threaten him. So she turned to the Marine soldiers and said: "Search—"
But before she could finish, a voice suddenly came from the side, filled with excitement and disbelief: "Ku... Kuina!?"
Hearing that voice, Kuina's heart jolted. She turned toward the sound and immediately saw Ian standing in the corner.
At that moment, Kuina was also struck as if by lightning. Her voice trembling, she said: "You... you..."
Although she had seen Ian's photo on his wanted poster, she hadn't seen his real face since she fell into a coma. But Ian calling out her name suddenly brought everything rushing back.
So how did Ian confirm that the person before him was Kuina? It was because of the Wado Ichimonji in her hand!
Ian was most familiar with that famous sword. During Kuina's coma, Zoro had been using that very blade to spar with him! When Kuina placed the sword on Sanji's shoulder, Ian instantly recognized it!
The Wado Ichimonji—appearing in Kuina's hand—allowed Ian to make an immediate judgment.
For Ian, this was an enormous surprise. He hadn't expected that returning to the East Blue would allow him to see Kuina awake! When had this happened!?
Ian couldn't believe it and pinched his thigh hard. The pain made him gasp, but it also confirmed that this wasn't an illusion!
If there was anyone in this world most important to Ian, it would be Koushirou and Kuina. They were the first people he saw when he arrived in this world, the ones who had been by his side.
So, when he realized that Kuina had truly awakened, Ian trembled all over with excitement.
He immediately wanted to rush over.
But Kuina was faster. She dashed up first, grabbed Ian's hand, and dragged him out through the side door to the outside of the restaurant. Then, with a bang, she slammed the side door shut.
This left the Marine soldiers inside the restaurant exchanging bewildered glances, unsure of what had just happened. Lieutenant Kuina had given an order earlier but hadn't finished it before being interrupted, so the soldiers didn't know whether to carry out the search.
As for Sanji, when he saw Kuina pulling Ian's hand and running out, he was furious. He had finally found a goddess-level beauty, and before he could even say a few words, that freeloader had stolen her away!
So he immediately chased after them through the side door...
But less than three seconds after Sanji ran out, a loud crash rang out! Sanji's body smashed through the restaurant wall and came flying back. The immense force sent him tumbling dozens of meters across the restaurant floor before he finally came to a stop.
Ian's figure appeared in the hole in the wall. At that moment, he exuded a powerful killing intent as he said to Sanji: "If you disturb us again, I'll kill you!"
It was Ian who had sent Sanji flying back. That damn pervy cook had no sense of timing. Ian had just reunited with Kuina, and Sanji still dared to chase after them. So this time, Ian showed no mercy, using maximum force to slam the hilt of his sword into Sanji's stomach...
Sanji curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach, unable to recover for a long time. When Ian struck, he had released an astonishing killing intent. In the moment of impact, Sanji couldn't even move, finally realizing what Zeff had meant—that this freeloader was truly terrifying!
With Sanji as an example, even the Marine soldiers didn't dare approach, staying obediently inside the restaurant.
Outside the restaurant, Ian finally had the chance to talk with Kuina. He grabbed her shoulders excitedly and said: "Is it really you!? Kuina, when did you wake up?"
"Not long ago!" Kuina replied, equally excited. "It was when the news of you becoming a Warlord reached us."
"Great, great!" Ian said happily. "My dear little sister, I knew you would wake up one day!"
"Ian-nii!" Kuina's eyes reddened as she bowed to Ian. "Thank you and Zoro for taking care of me all these years."
"Haha! You're my little sister; it's only right that I take care of you!" Ian laughed, but then his expression dimmed slightly. "I'm sorry, though. I left later on, and when you woke up, I wasn't by your side..."
"No!" Kuina shook her head. "I know. You left to find a way to heal me. I've always known that, Ian-nii. Thank you for finding the Devil Fruit for me! With it, I can continue my dream."
In truth, Ian had always been thinking about Kuina. He had succeeded in finding a Devil Fruit for her, but he had never found a good way to wake her up. When he returned to the East Blue this time, he had a plan. Since he could now purchase five-star Red Card fragments from the Card Shop, he had not only been buying fragments of the Great Serpent but also fragments of another five-star card.
The Blade Queen Kerrigan's card fragments!
Ian had always remembered that the system had said Blade Queen Kerrigan's card possessed mental power skills. So Ian had planned to stay until he gathered enough fragments for this card before setting off for Alabasta.
But he had never expected that Kuina would wake up on her own!
In that instant, Ian suddenly recalled Hawkins' prophecy for him. Back when he was thinking about returning to the East Blue and drew that card, Hawkins had said there would be a surprise waiting for him.
Only now, seeing Kuina, did Ian finally understand—the so-called surprise was this!