Chapter 344: Black Mist
"What!?" When Ian heard Crocodile's final words, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Travira? His own stronghold? Someone actually dared to set their sights on it!?
In an instant, Ian's anger surged violently. He lifted his foot, and with Armament Haki hardening his toes, he kicked Crocodile square in the face.
Crocodile, caught off guard at such close range, took the blow to his real body. His mouth twisted, and he was sent flying.
But after getting up, Crocodile spat out a mouthful of bloody foam and sneered at Ian, "Even if you take your anger out on me, it won't change anything. This information is real!"
Ian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and asked Crocodile, "What exactly is going on?"
Crocodile didn't answer Ian directly. Instead, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and asked Ian, "Is this information worth getting back that one-tenth of my soul?"
"If you keep stalling, that one-tenth of your soul won't exist anymore!" Ian sneered, tightening his grip on the light sphere in his hand.
Seeing that Ian was barely holding back his rage, Crocodile didn't dare provoke him further and had to lay out the whole story.
The Baroque Works that Crocodile controlled was currently only active in the country of Alabasta, but there was no denying that the organization was part of the underworld. As such, Crocodile had always maintained contact with the forces of the underworld. For instance, the Dance Powder was something the World Government had strictly banned from production and use. Without relying on underworld channels, how could Crocodile have gotten his hands on it?
It was precisely because of this that Crocodile had learned of this news a few days ago...
The underworld was a general term for illegal organizations operating in the shadows. It didn't refer to any specific entity. Active in the underworld were not only pirates, thieves, and assassins but also arms dealers, powerful national figures, and even some Marines. It was a vast network of relationships and interests.
Among the most active figures in the underworld were the brokers. These people operated in the shadows, responsible for connecting those in need and facilitating transactions—hiring killers, selling weapons, arranging mercenary wars, and so on. Their presence could be seen behind all these illegal deals.
Crocodile had learned that someone was planning to attack Travira Island after receiving a message from a broker. The broker even asked if Crocodile's Baroque Works was interested in taking the job. After all, on the surface, Baroque Works was just a group of bounty hunters who would do anything for money.
But Crocodile had refused at the time. First, he was in the first half of the Grand Line and couldn't get involved in matters in the New World. Second, his plans in Alabasta were at a critical stage, and he couldn't afford to leave.
"What's the name of the broker who contacted you?" Ian asked Crocodile upon hearing this.
These brokers usually went by code names, and when contacting clients, they used Den Den Mushi. They rarely showed their faces in person.
"His code name is 'Bug,'" Crocodile said without hiding it. He knew Ian was furious and didn't want to provoke him further over a broker's name.
"Bug?" Ian pondered the name, confirming he had never heard of it. The only code name he remembered was Doflamingo's "Joker."
And thinking of Doflamingo, Ian's mind stirred. He wondered, "Could this whole thing be Doflamingo's doing?"
Ian had two enemies now. One was the Celestial Dragons, but since he had returned the identity chip, there was no reason for them to contact the underworld. So they could be ruled out. The other enemy was Doflamingo. Although Ian maintained a facade of cooperation with him, because Ian had killed Vergo, Doflamingo wouldn't let it slide. And since Doflamingo was himself a broker in the underworld, he was the most suspicious.
The broker code-named Bug was unfamiliar to Ian, but if Doflamingo had issued the mission in the underworld, he could easily stay out of sight...
Of course, there was also another possibility: Blackbeard Teach. Teach had already defected from the Whitebeard Pirates, and the timing was suspicious. He might also want revenge on Ian. However, Teach probably couldn't come up with a hundred billion Berries, so Ian ruled him out as well.
The more Ian thought about it, the more he felt it was almost certainly Doflamingo.
"Did anyone take the job?" Ian pressed Crocodile.
"Maybe yes, maybe no," Crocodile shook his head. "I don't know. No one in the underworld is stupid. They all know that place is your territory as a Warlord of the Sea. So generally, no one would take such a job. But the reward is so huge that it's possible a major organization might be willing to act..."
"Like who?" Ian asked.
"Like the Germa Group," Crocodile replied. "They're a group that only cares about money, calling themselves war experts. A hundred billion Berries would be enough to hire them. Not just them, but also the other Emperors, like the Beast Pirates or the Big Mom Pirates. A hundred billion Berries is a huge temptation for them. The Emperors might not act personally, but they have plenty of strong subordinates who could handle the job."
"Damn it!" Hearing these infamous organization names from Crocodile's mouth made Ian feel a surge of irritation. He never imagined that while he was away from the New World, someone would put out such a job in the underworld.
As Crocodile had said, a hundred billion Berries was enough to make some organizations overlook the title of Warlord of the Sea...
Ian suddenly remembered Hawkins' fortune-telling. He had to admit that the fortune-teller's predictions had all come true so far. Ian had come to find Robin to decipher the Poneglyph, but he hadn't gotten a real answer from her. And while he was in Alabasta, danger loomed over him.
At first, Ian thought the danger might refer to Crocodile. After all, as fellow Warlords, Crocodile was the only one who could threaten Ian. But after the twists and turns, Ian realized the danger wasn't Crocodile at all—it came from behind him.
Someone had attacked his territory, Travira! That had to be it. Crocodile wasn't sure if anyone had taken the job, but from the perspective of the fortune-telling, someone definitely had.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Ian not only thought of Hawkins' fortune-telling but also understood the anomaly with Ace's Vivre Card.
He was now one hundred percent certain that after Teach defected from the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace had still followed history and chased after Teach out to sea. But since Ian's territory was also in the New World, Ace might have gone to Travira, hoping to meet Ian. But unfortunately, Ian had left the New World at that exact time.
Leaving wasn't the problem—the timing was. Ace might have arrived at Travira Island just as someone took the job and attacked Ian's territory.
Ace was familiar with Fujitora, so in such a situation, he would definitely stay to help the Dragon Hunter Pirates fend off the attack. But the attackers might have been so powerful that even Ace got injured, which would explain the anomaly in his Vivre Card.
Thinking about this, Ian felt a pang of regret. He had previously thought the anomaly in Ace's Vivre Card foreshadowed that Ace's pursuit of Teach might repeat history. Now, he suddenly realized that wasn't the case.
The Vivre Card indicated the owner's recent condition. Since it was still months before Luffy set sail, the card couldn't have foreshadowed Ace's life-threatening danger at this point. The anomaly could only mean that Ace was already in trouble.
As Ian calculated in his mind, he realized the situation might be even more serious than he thought. On Travira Island, not only was Ace there, but Fujitora was as well. If even the two of them couldn't hold off the attackers, just how powerful were the people attacking Travira?
Of course, there might be factors Ian didn't know about. For example, Fujitora might have been unable to go all-out because he was protecting the island's residents.
But no matter what, Ian had to go back!