Chapter 346: Full Disclosure
Crocodile's speed was indeed fast enough. After racing through the desert for two days, Ian, Robin, and Crocodile had already returned to the port city of Rainbase in Alabasta.
Here, Ian met Sabo once again.
When Ian had first arrived in Alabasta, he had come alone on a small boat, but now with Robin and Crocodile in tow, it was naturally impossible to use his little vessel again. Fortunately, Ian had already contacted Sabo on the way to Rainbase, so by the time the group reached the port, Sabo had prepared a ship for them.
Sabo stood on the deck, and this time there were two more people behind him. One was a cute-looking girl with big eyes, wearing a hat with goggles on it. The other was a fish-man dressed in a karate uniform, standing behind with his arms crossed.
Sabo's attire was also different from when Ian had met him in the desert. He had removed his headscarf and now wore his tall top hat, dressed in noble attire with a bow tie at his collar, gloves on his hands, and a steel pipe tucked behind his waist. This finally matched the Sabo in Ian's memory.
Seeing Ian arrive with Nico Robin and Crocodile, Sabo lowered the brim of his hat, covering the terrifying burn scars on his face.
"Ian, I've been waiting for you!" Sabo said with a smile as soon as he saw Ian.
"Sorry!" Ian smiled back at him.
"Let me introduce you. This is Koala! And this is Hack!" Sabo pointed to the cute girl in the hat and the fish-man behind him. "They're my partners!"
"Hello!" Ian greeted them, looking curiously at Koala and Hack.
Ian had some impression of these two. Koala seemed to be a slave girl rescued by Fisher Tiger long ago. Somehow, through a twist of fate, she had ended up joining the Revolutionary Army and, along with Hack, formed a team with Sabo.
While Ian was sizing up Koala, she was also observing him. Since she was often with Sabo, she naturally knew Ian's name and deeds. Although she seemed a bit intimidated by Ian's status as a Warlord, she still bravely looked at him, as this was her first time seeing this famous figure up close—someone who had also rescued slaves from the Celestial Dragons in Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Perhaps because of her tragic childhood experiences, Koala felt a fondness for Ian the moment she saw him. So she boldly extended her hand and shook his. "Big Brother Ian, hello!"
Hack was no exception. Since many of the slaves Ian had rescued were from Hack's tribe, he stepped forward to shake Ian's hand and said seriously, "Thank you for everything you've done!"
Ian naturally understood what Hack was referring to, so he just smiled faintly without saying much.
While the four of them were exchanging greetings and getting to know each other, Crocodile stood behind Ian, draped in his coat and chewing on a cigar, watching them with some confusion.
At first, he thought Sabo and the other two were members of Ian's Dragon Hunter Pirates, waiting here on orders. But now, seeing that Ian seemed to be meeting them for the first time, he was a bit puzzled.
Robin, however, had some insight. She recalled the extraordinary intelligence-gathering ability Ian had shown when they met in the tavern and thought to herself, "These three might be the ones providing the intelligence? Which organization are they from?"
Ian also felt the gazes of Robin and Crocodile behind him. He put his arm around Sabo's shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Is it okay for you to show yourself so openly? Don't you need to disguise yourself?"
Sabo smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry. For now, only the World Government's intelligence agencies know my true identity."
In fact, at this point in time, Sabo had only recently become the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff. So even though he held the second-highest position in the Revolutionary Army, very few people could recognize him. His name became widely known to the world only in the following two years. For now, Sabo was just beginning to become active.
Hearing this, Ian felt much more at ease. It was a good thing that Crocodile hadn't recognized Sabo's identity.
Even if he had, it probably wouldn't have mattered, since Crocodile was never truly aligned with the World Government anyway.
"Let's set sail!" Ian said to Sabo.
Sabo nodded and signaled the sailors on board to cast off. There were quite a few sailors on the ship, but Ian didn't know if they were all members of the Revolutionary Army. Of course, he didn't plan to ask.
The ship quickly left the port of Alabasta.
"Where are we heading first?" Sabo came to the deck and asked Ian.
Ian thought for a moment but didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked first, "How did the investigation I asked you to do go?"
"Unfortunately, there's no news yet!" Sabo shook his head. "It seems the waters around Travira Island have been sealed off..."
Hearing this, Ian couldn't help but frown.
In fact, during the two days of travel, Ian hadn't been idle. He had contacted Sabo via Den Den Mushi, asking him to use the Revolutionary Army's intelligence network to find out what was happening on Travira Island.
However, the feedback was disappointing. According to Sabo, because of the obstruction of the Red Line, communication between the first half of the Grand Line and the New World was indeed disrupted. Moreover, the Revolutionary Army's intelligence capabilities in the New World weren't that strong, so what had happened on Travira Island was still unknown.
The only good news was that the Vivre Card Ace had left with Ian hadn't changed much compared to before, meaning Ace should still be safe for now.
If Ace was indeed with Fujitora and the others, then the Dragon Hunter Pirates probably weren't in too much trouble either.
That was also why Ian still had time to travel.
With this thought, Ian sighed and said to Sabo, "Let's head to Amazon Lily first. Do you know that place?"
"Amazon Lily?" Sabo was a bit surprised. "Isn't that an island in the Calm Belt? Our ship doesn't have the ability to sail through the Calm Belt."
"It's fine. Just get close. I'll swim through the Calm Belt myself!" Ian said.
Just as Sabo was about to nod in agreement, Crocodile, who had been sitting silently in a corner of the deck since boarding, suddenly spoke up. "Hey, Amazon Lily! So you really do have a connection with that woman Boa Hancock!"
Ian turned around and shot him a glare. "Sand Crocodile, if you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."
However, although Crocodile's soul was under Ian's control and he had to obey temporarily, that didn't mean he was willing. Now that he had a chance to get in a verbal jab, how could he just shut up?
He laughed loudly and said, "I knew something was off when I heard you and Boa Hancock appeared together on Stripe Island. What exactly is your relationship with her? Are you telling me that having one Warlord isn't enough, and you want to drag that woman into this too?"
"That's right!" Ian nodded. "Not just Boa Hancock. I also want to call on Jinbe! He's a good friend of Ace and should be willing to help."
With a clatter, the cigar fell from Crocodile's mouth and landed on the deck with a sound.
He stared at Ian in shock. "You want to bring in Sea Knight Jinbe too!? What exactly are you thinking!? Four Warlords! Have you lost your mind!?"
It wasn't surprising that Crocodile was shocked. Four Warlords represented more than half of the entire Warlord system's strength. Damn it, were you trying to stir up trouble!? Did you really intend to go to war with a Yonko!?
"Maybe even a fifth one!" Ian found Crocodile's expression amusing and couldn't help adding another remark.
At this, Crocodile wasn't just shocked—he was terrified!
He had originally thought that Ian, as a newly appointed Warlord, wouldn't have much influence. But who would have guessed that Ian had secret connections with several other Warlords? Besides himself, who was being coerced, there were also Empress Boa Hancock and Sea Knight Jinbe... A fifth? Who was the fifth Warlord?
Suddenly, Crocodile noticed the bear ear hat on Ian's head and immediately understood.