Chapter 308: Chance Encounter at Sea
After leaving the Baratie restaurant, Ian also thought about his own meal money problem.
Having caused such huge losses to the Baratie, Ian felt that if he actually went to get food there, Patty might secretly spit on his food or something...
However, even so, Ian was still quite happy. Kuina's awakening could be said to have fulfilled one of his wishes. Based on what Kuina told him about the process, Ian knew that it was probably the news of him becoming a Warlord of the Sea reaching the East Blue, and during discussions between Zoro and Master Koushirou, it gave Kuina enough stimulation to wake her up. In other words, this could be seen as him indirectly saving her.
That girl Kuina, her stubborn nature really is...
Lying on the small boat, Ian thought about his itinerary. Since he had encountered Kuina here, did he still need to go back to Shimotsuki Village?
According to Kuina, Zoro had also left. That guy was probably lost somewhere right now. Even if Ian went back to Shimotsuki Village now, he wouldn't be able to see him. The only one he could meet was Master Koushirou. Although Ian also missed Master Koushirou, he felt that going back now might not be a good idea?
For a moment, even Ian felt a kind of apprehension similar to being nervous about returning home. He didn't know how to answer if Master Koushirou asked about his experiences. Should he directly tell him that under Uncle Kuma's guidance, he had already joined the Revolutionary Army? Would Master Koushirou worry about that?
Ian let his thoughts wander like this, letting the sea breeze push the sail and carry the small boat forward. Lying on the boat, he unknowingly fell asleep.
When he woke up, he found it was already close to evening. After checking the direction, he realized that he had been blown off course from the direction of Shimotsuki Village. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly and said, "Forget it, maybe I should just go straight to Alabasta. As for going back to Shimotsuki Village, I'll return when I truly have no lingering attachments..."
Although Ian had become a Warlord of the Sea, he still had two hidden dangers. One was the Celestial Dragon he had killed. Ian still couldn't be sure whether the Celestial Dragons would retaliate against him. Although they agreed to let him join the Warlords to retrieve the chip and canceled his bounty, who knows what these arrogant and self-important guys were thinking? So Ian had to be on guard.
As for the other hidden danger, it was undoubtedly Doflamingo. Ian had killed Vergo, and Doflamingo's attitude had never been clear. Although he had cooperated with Ian once—Ian bought his weapons and gave him a fake chip—this cooperation led Doflamingo to temporarily hold back. But Ian knew Doflamingo well; this man was a completely true pirate. The current peace didn't mean eternal peace.
Besides that, Ian also believed that his brief appearance in the East Blue would definitely be discovered by the World Government's intelligence agencies...
At this moment, Ian thought back to Hawkins' fortune-telling for him.
The so-called surprise had already come true. So where would the hidden danger manifest? It was precisely because of these various worries that Ian decided not to return to Shimotsuki Village for now. If his return brought danger to Master Koushirou, Ian would regret it forever.
Having made his decision, Ian breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, his stomach let out a growl, and he realized he was hungry.
Hungry meant he needed to eat, but at this moment, Ian slapped his forehead, remembering that he had left in a hurry after the act with Kuina and had forgotten to bring some food from the Baratie.
With no other choice, Ian picked up a fishing rod, sat by the gunwale, and started fishing.
Morning and evening were both good times for fishing, but unexpectedly, his luck seemed to have turned bad. After more than an hour, as it got dark, he hadn't caught a single fish.
"Damn, am I going to go hungry today?" Ian thought gloomily.
It was already dark, and it would be even harder to find food at night. But just when things seemed hopeless, Ian caught a faint aroma in the air.
He sniffed vigorously and confirmed it was indeed the smell of real food. He immediately stood up and looked around the sea surface, trying to figure out where the aroma was coming from.
The sea was pitch black. It was dark, and the moon hadn't fully risen yet. This was the darkest time at sea, making it hard to see clearly.
After looking around for a while, Ian finally spotted a faint light in the direction behind him to the right.
He immediately turned the boat around and rowed toward the light.
As the small boat got closer, Ian confirmed that it was the light from a ship. Not only did the food aroma become clearer, but he could also faintly hear sounds of laughter and chatter coming from afar.
This was great! Not only had he encountered a ship on the vast sea, but it seemed they were having a party. He could get some food now.
Ian put all his strength into maneuvering the boat quickly toward the ship. In the dim night, he couldn't see clearly, but he could confirm it was a fairly large ship.
On the deck, he could see burning braziers and people laughing, clinking glasses, and drinking. Ian reached the side of the ship and, not wanting to wait for the rope ladder, jumped directly from the small boat to the side of the large ship.
After jumping up, he saw that the people at the party were all dressed like pirates. Ian immediately realized this was probably a pirate ship.
But a pirate ship was even better. Pirates having a party meant plenty of food and drinks.
Although the pirates had let their guard down around the ship due to their revelry, Ian was noticed when he jumped aboard. The party had just started, so the pirates weren't completely drunk yet. Upon seeing Ian, they sobered up and drew their cutlasses, pointing at him and shouting, "Who are you?! How did you sneak onto our ship!?"
"Ah! I was attracted by the smell of food!" Ian raised his hand and greeted the pirates. "Looks like you're having a party. Mind if I join?"
"Bastard!" The pirates were amused and angered. "We don't welcome you here! Get off the ship now!"
Ian couldn't be bothered with these guys. His greeting was just an opening line. He had already decided to mooch a meal off this pirate ship, so why would he care about their opinions? Ignoring them, he walked over to the dining table and started eating.
The pirates roared in anger and charged at Ian with their weapons. Ian, while stuffing food into his mouth, kicked back each pirate who rushed at him without even looking.
He was really hungry now, so even while fighting, he didn't stop eating. This led to the pirates being knocked over one by one as Ian ate and kicked.
Seeing that the ordinary grunts couldn't handle Ian, the ship's officers finally appeared.
"Roar!" A lion's roar rang out, and a large shadow slowly emerged, approaching Ian. A voice said, "Who dares to cause trouble here?"
Ian was startled. The voice sounded very familiar, especially the lion's roar. It seemed like he had heard it somewhere before.
Just as he was wondering, a huge lion walked into the light. The majestic lion had a funny braid on its head, and on its back sat a figure with arms crossed.
The moment Ian saw the lion and the figure, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn! It's you guys!?"
Ian wasn't the only one surprised. The figure on the lion's back was even more shocked. The moment he saw Ian's face, he froze in place, petrified!
"Owww!" The lion beneath him also recognized Ian's scent, as if remembering something terrifying. It let out a mournful howl and turned to run!
Seeing this, the pirate grunts were also stunned.
Only Ian scratched his head, put down the food, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Buggy! Come out and see an old friend!"