Chapter 317: You Better Just Die!
As a result, Ian's actions created an impact similar to when Blackbeard landed on Drum Island.
Now, Ian didn't know whether his own appearance would lead to Blackbeard obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit and then betraying the Whitebeard Pirates. Thinking it over carefully, it was highly likely. And if Blackbeard were to betray the Whitebeard Pirates, he would escape, and there was a good chance he would land on this same island.
So, let's logically deduce what kind of chain reaction this might cause.
In the normal timeline, Blackbeard Teach landed on the Drum Island Kingdom. Wapol, unable to defeat Teach, fled in fear. Teach would have ransacked Wapol's palace, taken his spoils, and then continued running, because Ace would be chasing after him, forcing him to keep moving.
But what if Ian got there first and drove Wapol out of Drum Island? First, with Wapol gone, the people of this country would likely elect a new king—probably someone like Dalton. Then, when Blackbeard landed on Drum Island, the new king would surely choose to fight Blackbeard to protect the people.
No matter what, they wouldn't stand a chance against Blackbeard Teach, but they would keep fighting.
This would lead to many people in this country dying in the battle against Teach!
Of course, this was Ian's most likely conclusion. There could be exceptions—for example, if Blackbeard, by some whim, decided not to land on Drum Island, then none of this would happen.
Ian could no longer predict the future. As he continued to move through this world, the butterfly effect's range would expand. He couldn't figure out what would happen to this island later, so he had to consider the subsequent consequences of his actions.
If Wapol didn't flee to sea and become a pirate, things might not change much. But letting a tyrant like him remain king didn't sit right with Ian either. If he just left, Wapol would likely take revenge on the villagers who had taken him in. Given Wapol's brutal nature, the entire village might be slaughtered.
And if Ian drove Wapol away like Blackbeard did, letting him become a pirate, there was still a problem: Wapol might find a way to come back...
Just as Ian was thinking this, a hand—or rather, a hoof—reached out from beside him, offering him an apple!
Ian turned his head and saw it was the little guy, Chopper.
To Chopper, Ian was a stranger, which made him a bit scared. He stood beside Ian in a stance ready to flee at any moment, but still, he held out the apple to Ian, his eyes filled with both fear and hope.
Was this Chopper's way of showing goodwill? Ian smiled slightly, slowly took the apple, didn't eat it, and held it in his hand, saying to Chopper, "Thank you!"
"You... you're not afraid of me?" Chopper asked Ian curiously.
"Why should I be afraid of you?" Ian countered.
"I... people like me are called monsters!" Chopper lowered his head, sounding both wronged and dejected.
Ian felt a fondness for the little guy, so he comforted him, "In my eyes, you're just a reindeer who ate a Devil Fruit, not a monster. On the Grand Line, there are many Devil Fruit users, so you're not strange at all!"
"Re... really?" Chopper's eyes widened at this, and then he asked Ian excitedly, "Doctorine said you're a pirate? A really strong big pirate!"
Ian glanced at Kureha and smiled at Chopper, "Yeah, I guess so. I'm one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
"What's a Seven Warlord?" Chopper asked innocently.
Ian chuckled and didn't explain. Instead, he reached out, touched Chopper's antlers, patted his hat, and said, "Nice hat. It suits you well!"
Maybe because Ian had been the senior disciple in Shimotsuki Village for so long, he carried a kind of big-brotherly aura. When dealing with people younger than him, he unconsciously treated them like younger siblings. And clearly, Ian's compliment now was very effective on Chopper!
So...
"You... you jerk! Even if you say that, I... I won't be happy!"
There it was, Chopper's tsundere side. At Ian's praise, his body twisted like a noodle, trembling. His big, cute eyes squinted into slits with a smile, and his rear end wiggled back and forth...
Seeing him like this, Ian couldn't help but laugh out loud. He stood up, put the apple Chopper had given him in his pocket, patted the snow off his hat, and, holding the sword at his waist, walked forward step by step.
"You... where are you going?" Chopper called after him.
Without looking back, Ian waved his hand and said, "To take out Wapol. His existence isn't good for you all!"
Hearing this, Chopper and Kureha were stunned. Kureha shouted, "Hey, kid! Have you thought this through? He's the king of a country!"
But Ian replied without turning around, "Don't worry. You'll get a new king!"
With the sound of jingling bells, Ian's figure gradually disappeared into the wind and snow.
Chopper looked up at Kureha and asked, "Doctorine, what did he mean?"
Kureha didn't explain. She just smiled at Chopper and said, "Chopper, remember this: the pirates Dr. Hiriluk talked about are pirates like this man!"
"Re... really?" Chopper stared blankly in the direction Ian had gone, stars beginning to shine in his eyes...
Freedom, adventure, a rebellious spirit, and no fear of authority—that's what Kureha meant by pirates. That was the kind of pirate Hiriluk had in mind. But Chopper, at this point, couldn't understand that yet.
………………
After leaving, Ian followed the tracks of Wapol's pot-bellied hippo. But because of the heavy snow, the tracks were quickly covered.
That didn't matter, though. Ian knew Wapol's palace was on the highest Drum Mountain. As long as he headed there, he'd be fine.
On his way up the mountain, Ian encountered Drum Island's unique animal, the Walking Bear. This bear, walking upright with a cane, felt familiar to Ian. Seeing it bow to him, Ian tipped his hat in return.
As for the other fierce creature on the snowy mountain, the rabbit Rabban, Ian didn't run into any. But even if he had, whether those ferocious carnivorous rabbits would dare approach Ian was another matter.
By the time Ian climbed Drum Mountain and stood before Wapol's towering palace gates, Wapol had only just returned.
He was panting and cursing at Cromalimon and Jeth. Just then, Ian kicked down the palace gates, the noise catching Wapol's attention.
"Your Majesty, it's bad!" Jeth, hiding up high, spotted Ian and stammered to Wapol, "That pirate... he's here again!"
"Quick! Run!" Wapol panicked. He never expected Ian to chase him all the way to his palace. In his fear, his first thought was to flee.
On Drum Mountain, there was a cable car that could take them down. Wapol could have escaped via that. But Ian realized this too. Thinking it over, he drew his Thousand Cherry Blossoms blade and held it in his hand.
"Scatter, Thousand Cherry Blossoms!"
After its initial release, the blade of Thousand Cherry Blossoms turned into countless cherry blossom petals. Under Ian's control, they enveloped the entire peak of Drum Mountain, forming a huge circular encirclement.
Wapol and his men, who had just run out the back door of the palace, were immediately blocked by the sky full of cherry blossom petals!
Cromalimon and Jeth tried to break through, but as soon as they touched the petals, they were instantly covered in countless cuts.
The petals of Thousand Cherry Blossoms' initial release were countless blades. While they might not be effective against an Admiral like Kizaru, they were a different story for guys like Cromalimon and Jeth. Seeing them retreat, covered in wounds, Wapol didn't dare to force his way through either.
Under these circumstances, Ian easily cornered them outside.
At the same time, the countless cherry blossom petals reflected a pinkish glow in the moonlight. These glows layered together, making the entire peak of Drum Mountain shine.
It was like a blooming cherry blossom tree!
Far down the mountain, when Chopper saw this, he burst into tears like a waterfall!
"Waaaaaah!" Chopper cried heartbrokenly, thinking of Dr. Hiriluk, who had been like a father to him.
"That brat!" Kureha's eyes also moistened. She took a gulp of her plum wine and muttered, "I didn't expect he had that trick up his sleeve!"
The breathtaking cherry blossom scene had been unintentionally created by Ian, and it happened to be seen by Chopper. But compared to this beautiful cherry blossom display, the top of Drum Mountain was stained with blood.
Cromalimon and Jeth had been killed by Ian. For these two accomplices of Wapol, Doctor 20 could save them once, but not a second time.
"You... don't come any closer!" Wapol sat on the ground in terror, scrambling backward.
But Ian ignored him. His figure vanished from where he stood, and when he reappeared, he was crouching on Wapol's shoulder.
The cherry blossoms blooming on Drum Mountain disappeared, reforming into the blade of Thousand Cherry Blossoms in Ian's hand. As they condensed, the blade ignited with black, raging flames. Ian gently pressed his hand down, and the blade, along with the flames, pierced through the top of Wapol's head!
Wapol's iron-mouth jaw gaped open, his eyes bulging. But this time, he could never close his mouth again...
Wapol was dead. Ian had killed him. To Ian, since history had already changed, changing it a bit more didn't matter. People like Wapol were essentially no different from the Celestial Dragons. They might seem foolish, but the more foolish they were, the greater the harm they caused. Though Ian was a Warlord, his true identity was a Revolutionary. For a Revolutionary, overthrowing tyranny was only natural, wasn't it?
Why do cherry blossoms bloom so beautifully?
Because beneath the tree lie nothing but bones...
(37 Chinese)