Chapter 332: Meeting Directly
On the streets of Alubarna in Alabasta, Ian looked around with a sense of novelty, taking in the city.
Compared to the drought-stricken cities he had seen along the way, Alubarna had a relatively normal amount of rainfall, so life here seemed fairly stable. However, upon closer observation, one could still detect a faint anxiety on people's faces.
Indeed, as the capital, Alubarna had not been affected by the drought, which was a good thing. At first, people saw this as a blessing from their guardian deity, but as it continued for two years, they gradually began to find it suspicious. Now, news of the rebellion in the city of Katorea had reached Alubarna, and everyone understood why the rebels had risen—it was simply because the relentless drought had made survival impossible.
Thus, although Alubarna still appeared prosperous, the shadow of war had begun to loom over the city.
As Ian walked through the streets of Alubarna, he noticed not only locals but also occasional figures who looked like pirates. At first, Ian thought these pirates were just resupplying or sightseeing in the city. However, not long after he started walking, he witnessed a pirate robbery.
It happened at a jewelry store in Alubarna. Dozens of pirates suddenly burst out, each carrying a bundle on their backs. They charged out recklessly, trying to escape.
The jewelry store owner ran out crying, shouting, "Help! Someone catch them!"
But his shout only made things worse. The passersby, who hadn't yet realized what was happening, gasped in shock and quickly moved out of the way.
These pirates were all armed, and no one wanted to get involved.
Seeing this, the pirates laughed arrogantly. The one at the back, annoyed by the store owner's interference, turned around and fired a shot at him.
The store owner was hit in the chest, blood spurting as he collapsed, terrifying the onlookers even more.
"Hurry! Report this to Sir Crocodile!" a passerby shouted.
This seemed to remind everyone, and more and more people began yelling to report it to Sir Crocodile.
Ian watched this scene and found it strange. Shouldn't the first step be to report to the city guard? Why didn't anyone think of that? What was this "report to Sir Crocodile" nonsense?
Still, it had to be said that the crowd's shouts put immense psychological pressure on the thieving pirates. Upon hearing Crocodile's name, they stopped laughing arrogantly and hurriedly fled with their bundles.
They knocked over pedestrians blocking their way and ran toward Ian's direction. A child who couldn't dodge in time was knocked down, and the pirate who hit him tripped and fell as well.
The pirate, angry from the fall, got up and snarled at the child, "Kid, you want to die?!"
He drew his gun and aimed it at the child, ready to shoot.
Ian realized what was about to happen as soon as the pirate drew his weapon. He shook his head inwardly. These lawless pirates were everywhere, it seemed.
So he moved.
Just as the pirate was about to pull the trigger, a massive sword slash suddenly struck, cutting his hand and the gun in half.
The pirate screamed, clutching his spurting hand, his cries drawing shocked looks from his companions and the surrounding crowd.
"Clink, clink!"
A clear sound of bells rang out as Ian stepped out of the crowd, standing before the pirates. He twirled the Thousand Cherry Blossoms in his hand, forming a blade flower, then swung it down sharply toward the pirates.
A huge crescent-shaped sword slash, about three times the height of a person, flew across the ground toward the pirates. It split the earth, leaving a deep trench, and then struck the group, exploding into a powerful gust of wind that spread in all directions. Dozens of pirates were knocked over by the blast, rolling like gourds.
Ian had already mastered precise control over his sword slashes. Without harming any innocent bystanders, he had taken down the entire group.
The residents of Alubarna stared blankly at the trench carved into the ground, momentarily stunned.
The pirates, however, had some experience. After getting up and seeing the slash mark, they looked at Ian with terror.
"Drop your bundles, put your hands on your heads, and kneel on the ground," Ian said calmly to the pirates.
The meaning was clear: surrender. Though the pirates had witnessed Ian's strength, they were reluctant to give up and await punishment.
But just then, a voice came from the crowd: "You'd better do as he says, unless you want to anger another Warlord..."
Ian was startled by the voice and scanned the crowd, trying to find who had spoken.
Before he could locate the speaker, the residents of Alubarna finally reacted.
"A... A Warlord?! Another Warlord?!"
"Ah, I remember now! That hat... He's the new Warlord, 'Black Dragon' Ian!"
"It's really him! Great! Alabasta has two Warlords here?!"
"Long live the Warlords!"
"Sir Ian!"
Somehow, Ian's name was suddenly shouted by the residents of Alubarna, who looked at him with respect and admiration.
As for the pirates, upon hearing the title "Warlord," all reluctance vanished. They immediately dropped their weapons and bundles, knelt on the ground, and placed their hands on their heads.
Seeing this, the crowd cheered even louder.
"Thank you! Thank you, Sir Ian!" A woman carrying the child who had been knocked down ran up and knelt before Ian, tears in her eyes. "Thank you for saving my child!"
This sudden hero's welcome caught Ian off guard. What was going on?
Then he remembered that Crocodile was actually very popular in this country on the surface. He had repeatedly stepped in to defeat pirates who robbed and killed, earning the admiration and praise of Alabasta's people, who saw him as a hero. Whenever pirates caused trouble, people's first thought was to seek Crocodile's help.
Crocodile was a Warlord, so the people of Alabasta held the title in high regard. By extension, when they recognized Ian as another Warlord, he immediately received a hero's welcome.
Ian had to admit, Crocodile was quite something—a hero on the surface while secretly plotting to overthrow the country. If he succeeded, he could then appear as a hero and smoothly become the king.
Thinking about it, Ian found this scenario oddly familiar. Wasn't this just a repeat of Doflamingo becoming the king of Dressrosa? The only difference was the method...
Surrounded by the people of Alubarna, Ian found himself blocked despite their reluctance to approach too closely due to his status as a Warlord. It wasn't until the city guard arrived that he was finally freed.
The thieving pirates were arrested, and the guards, upon learning that Ian was also a Warlord, treated him with great respect, sending men to disperse the crowd.
They also immediately sent someone to the palace to report the news.
Ian didn't mind. He was still searching the crowd for the person who had spoken earlier.
Then he spotted a graceful figure standing not far away among the dispersing crowd. When their eyes met, she smiled faintly and turned to leave.
It was Nico Robin! Ian recognized her instantly and was taken aback.
But seeing Robin slowly walking away, clearly waiting for him to follow, Ian didn't hesitate and went after her.
The guards wanted to accompany Ian, awaiting his orders, but he casually dismissed them.
Following Robin, Ian walked forward, puzzled. He had thought he might need to contact Crocodile first before meeting Robin, but here she was, appearing ahead of schedule.
What about Crocodile? Had he seen Ian's message and was up to some trick?
With this doubt, Ian followed Robin until she entered a tavern. He went in after her.
Inside, Ian found that aside from Robin, there were no other customers—only a bartender behind the counter pouring drinks.
Nico Robin sat elegantly at the bar, chin resting on her hand, waiting for the bartender to bring her drink.
Ian walked over and sat down beside her.
As he sat, Robin turned to look at him, a smile on her face. "Sir Ian, I am Miss All Sunday, Vice President of Baroque Works. It's a pleasure to meet you."