Chapter 345: Ian Gets Ruthless (1/20)
Ian tried to take out a Den Den Mushi to contact Uncle Fujitora, but for some unknown reason, he simply couldn't get through.
Although the radio waves of a large Den Den Mushi could transmit over long distances, they weren't omnipotent. On the Grand Line, there were many situations that could interfere with radio wave communication. Ian was aware of this, so he felt somewhat helpless.
"Don't panic!" Ian reassured himself. "Judging from Ace's Vivre Card, he might just be injured, not in life-threatening danger. Besides, Uncle Fujitora is stationed on the island. With his strength, no matter how powerful the enemy is, they shouldn't be able to kill them. And even if Travira Island is attacked, the Dragon Hunter Pirates still have a backup base: the Sky Island Barron Gray Terminal. That guy Waldo should have finished remodeling the Sky Island by now. If things go wrong, Uncle Fujitora can use his gravity ability to move everyone up to the Sky Island!"
Thinking this, Ian breathed a slight sigh of relief. He couldn't help but marvel at his own luck—he had stumbled upon a Sky Island by chance, and now it was equipped with Thunder Roar Cannons. Any attacker who dared to target the Sky Island would get more than they bargained for.
So, in Ian's estimation, the Dragon Hunter Pirates' losses wouldn't be too severe. His only concern was for the residents of Travira Island—ordinary people who might suffer casualties in an attack.
Still, no matter what, having his home base attacked was a disgrace. Regardless of who the attacker was, Ian had to rush back and settle the score.
Just as Ian was lost in thought, a voice interrupted him.
"Hey, kid, I've told you everything I know!" Crocodile said to Ian. "Now can you give me back my soul?"
The ability to extract someone's soul from their body was something even Crocodile found unsettling. The soul's importance to a person was self-evident, and although Crocodile could be called a schemer, he had to back down in the face of Ian's ability.
He had traded information precisely to get his soul back.
However, when Ian looked at him, he suddenly changed his mind. "Not enough, Crocodile. If you want your soul back, you'll have to help me one more time."
"Help you with what?" Crocodile asked.
"Be my enforcer for once!" Ian said. "Whoever attacked my island, I won't let them off. But my pirate crew lacks high-end combat power, so I need your strength."
Crocodile immediately grew furious and roared, "Damn it! We're equals! You want another Warlord of the Sea to be your enforcer!?"
"Just this once!" Ian raised his index finger and shook it. "I don't know who the attacker is yet, but I have to prepare for the worst. If it really is one of the Four Emperors making a move, then I need to ensure I have enough combat power to deal with them. I don't need you to go all out—just hold off one of their high-level fighters for me. Agree to this condition, and I'll return your soul to you intact."
"You—!" Crocodile gritted his teeth and glared at Ian, but seeing the coldness in Ian's eyes, he finally relented. "Fine..."
"Good!" Ian was satisfied and casually stuffed Crocodile's soul orb into his pocket.
This action made Crocodile's heart skip a beat: Hey! That's my soul! You're putting it in your pocket like a piece of candy! Have you considered my feelings!?
But Crocodile didn't dare voice any objection... No choice. With a tenth of his soul in Ian's hands, he had to comply.
"Let's go!" Ian said mockingly to Crocodile, then waved at Robin, who was in the distance.
Ian was about to set off, but unexpectedly, he wasn't just taking Robin this time—he was also bringing Crocodile along.
Robin had overheard the conversation and understood the situation. Ian taking her along didn't bother her at all; she was used to this kind of life. Being under Crocodile's command or Ian's made little difference to her.
Robin took out a whistle and blew it. Soon, a massive crocodile appeared.
It was a Banana Crocodile, with a banana-shaped... lump? on the tip of its long snout. However, this one looked unusually slender. After Robin's introduction, Ian learned it was a unique species from the Alabasta Kingdom called an F-Crocodile. It could move at incredible speeds across the desert and, once tamed, was a rare and valuable mode of transport.
Ian didn't stand on ceremony. He mounted the crocodile and let Robin sit in front of him, but he refused to let Crocodile on. "You can turn into sand and follow, right?"
Crocodile snorted coldly. "Don't worry about my speed. Just make sure you keep your word!"
"Relax!" Ian said. "It won't take much of your time."
Crocodile fell silent. As the F-Crocodile started moving, its limbs rapidly crawling forward, he transformed into a sandstorm and chased after it. As for the time it would take, he wasn't concerned—his Baroque Works could operate fine without him.
And so, two Warlords of the Sea, after fighting in the city of Alubarna, left together. When King Cobra of Alabasta learned of this, he was stunned for a long time.
He didn't know what had happened, but when he arrived at the scene of their battle, he couldn't help but feel deeply worried.
A large section of the city had vanished, turned to sand by Crocodile's power. A massive quicksand pit remained—the result of his Desert Sunflower. On the sand, countless grains had been melted into crystals by Ian's black flames, along with a pitch-black, bottomless hole. Seeing all this, Cobra finally realized just how powerful the Warlords of the Sea truly were. He now wondered whether having Crocodile in the Alabasta Kingdom was a good thing or a bad thing.
But... he had no good way to drive Crocodile away, because the entire country now regarded Crocodile as a hero...
"Sigh, what will become of Alabasta's future?" Cobra stared blankly at the ground, lost in thought...
..........................
Riding on the F-Crocodile, Robin turned to Ian and asked, "Is your enemy very strong?"
"Yeah, maybe very strong," Ian nodded. As a Warlord of the Sea, with Fujitora and Ace—both with bounties as high as 500 million Berries—on the island, the attacker of Travira couldn't be some random, opportunistic pirate. If it were, Uncle Fujitora alone could easily handle them. The fact that Ace was injured meant someone big was behind this.
Hearing Ian's answer, Robin said, "Then what use am I to you?"
"To help me strategize!" Ian said with a smile.
He knew well that Robin had a talent for behind-the-scenes work. Most of Baroque Works' operations over the years had been orchestrated by her. She wasn't just the vice president of Baroque Works; she was also the operations commander, with a unique strategic mind. In the Dragon Hunter Pirates, neither he nor Fujitora had that kind of planning ability.
"... " Nico Robin was silent for a moment, then said, "If your enemy really is someone on the level of the Four Emperors, what trump cards do you have to fight them?"
Ian thought about it and realized Robin was right. If, as Crocodile said, it was the Beast Pirates or the Big Mom Pirates, Ian's current high-end combat power might not be enough—even with Crocodile added. So, after a moment's thought, he pulled out the small Den Den Mushi that Sabo had given him and contacted him.
The call connected quickly. Since Robin was present, Ian didn't want to reveal Sabo's identity, so he simply said, "Come meet your brother. Also, I need your strength."
On the other end, Sabo didn't ask any questions. After a moment's consideration, he replied with a single word: "Okay."
"Good. Meet me at the port," Ian said, hanging up.
Ian didn't know exactly how strong Sabo was, so to be safe, he thought it over and finally made a ruthless decision.
"Damn it! If we're going to play, let's play big this time! I'll make a trip to Amazon Lily and Fish-Man Island and bring Boa Hancock and Jinbe along. I'm sure I can convince them... Oh, and this kind of provocation against a Warlord might get the Marines' help. Should I go to Marine Headquarters and call Uncle Kuma too?..."
"Whoever the bastard is that attacked my territory, I'm going to smash their chest with a big hammer this time!"