Chapter 349: All Old Acquaintances
It wasn’t just the soldiers; even the densely packed fortress cannons on the walls of Marine Headquarters tilted upward, aiming at the sky, making the entire headquarters look like a hedgehog at that moment.
“Even if you don’t welcome us, isn’t this a bit over the top?”
Despite saying that, Ian couldn’t help but be impressed by Marine Headquarters’ defensive capabilities.
“If you don’t want to get shot at, you’d better land,” Crocodile said coldly, glancing at the crowd below and addressing Ian.
So the two of them descended and landed on the plaza of Marineford.
After landing, Ian looked around. Behind them was a crescent-shaped inner lake, and it suddenly struck him: if the Summit War were to happen, this would be the site of the great battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines.
As soon as Ian and Crocodile landed, they were quickly surrounded by Marine soldiers. However, the soldiers parted to create a path, and a graceful figure appeared before them.
The person who emerged was Tina, dressed in a red suit with a white Marine coat over it. She crossed her arms, a cigarette dangling from her lips, and walked up to Ian.
The moment Ian saw Tina, he cheerfully raised his hand in greeting. “Yo, beautiful Tina, we meet again!”
“Shut up!” Tina snapped at him irritably. “Ian, what are you doing here?”
Ian had once attacked Holy Land Mary Geoise and turned pirate, but Tina wasn’t particularly angry—just surprised. Especially now that Ian had become a Warlord, he was technically on the Marines’ side, so she had no reason to be harsh with him. However, his uninvited arrival had set off alarm bells at Marine Headquarters, as such behavior was strictly frowned upon.
And the one leading the squad to surround them happened to be Tina, so she naturally wasn’t going to be friendly.
Ian smiled. “Don’t be so tense. I’ve been a Warlord for a while now, so I figured I should visit Marine Headquarters and meet the people I need to see. Don’t you think?”
“But the Marines never issued you any summons!” Tina said sternly. “Even if you wanted to report in, you should have at least notified us!”
Ian shrugged. Honestly, the Marines’ reaction showed just how little they trusted the Warlords. Otherwise, why would an uninvited visit cause such a commotion?
“Alright, my bad,” Ian said, not wanting to argue the point. “It was a sudden decision. I have something I want to discuss with Fleet Admiral Sengoku.”
“I can relay that for you, but what about him?” Tina pointed at Crocodile behind Ian. “Two Warlords showing up together—what are you planning?”
Crocodile replied coldly, “Don’t mind me. I didn’t come willingly.”
This guy was still holding a grudge… Ian glanced at him and rolled his eyes.
Tina, sharp as ever, picked up on something in Crocodile’s words. She gave Ian a thoughtful look and said, “Wait here.”
With that, she turned and left. Ian didn’t mind and began observing Marine Headquarters’ defenses with interest.
Up on the fortress wall, Sengoku and Garp had witnessed Ian and Crocodile landing. Seeing no conflict or unpleasantness, Sengoku relaxed slightly and asked Garp, “What do you think he and Crocodile are here for?”
“Who knows?” Garp snorted. “Come to think of it, this is Ian’s first time reporting to Marine Headquarters, isn’t it? You really should meet him.”
As he spoke, Garp was internally wrestling with whether to follow through on his earlier impulse—jumping down from the wall and giving Ian a good thrashing.
Just then, Tina entered to inform Sengoku that Ian wanted to see him.
Sengoku thought for a moment and nodded. “Have him come to the meeting room.”
Marine Headquarters had a dedicated meeting room for hosting summoned Warlords. When Tina led Ian and Crocodile inside, Ian saw Sengoku with his round glasses and, of course, the seagull perched on his head.
This was Ian’s first meeting with Sengoku. But to his surprise, besides Sengoku, Garp, and Vice Admiral Tsuru, there were several “old acquaintances” in the room.
One of them was Vice Admiral Momonga, his face covered in scars.
Momonga still looked fierce, but one of his sleeves hung empty at his side.
Needless to say, that was the arm Ian had cut off back on Windmill Island.
Old grudges ran deep. The moment Ian entered, Momonga couldn’t help but rise, but Vice Admiral Momonga beside him grabbed his arm.
Momonga understood Momonga’s feelings. After losing an arm to Ian in battle, Ian had been recruited as a Warlord by the World Government. The resentment was obvious. But Momonga was calmer, knowing that Ian’s status had changed. Letting Momonga attack could make things worse.
Momonga, held back, realized this too and stopped himself. But he couldn’t swallow his anger and snapped at Ian, “Kid, you dare show your face at Marine Headquarters?”
Ian glanced at him dismissively. “A beaten dog shouldn’t bark.”
Ian wasn’t being harsh for no reason. He had always disliked the ruthless faction among the Marines. Momonga had lost fair and square—did he think shouting would make Ian apologize?
Dream on. Even at Marine Headquarters, Ian wasn’t afraid of him.
“Bastard! You—” Momonga, enraged, tried to lunge at Ian again, but Momonga held him back.
Just then, a tall, lean figure sitting in the first seat to Sengoku’s left spoke up. “Alright, Vice Admiral Momonga, restrain yourself.”
Seeing who had spoken, Momonga backed down. It was none other than the Marine Admiral currently stationed at headquarters, Aokiji Kuzan.
To be fair, Aokiji had also suffered a loss at Ian’s hands. If anyone should be angry, it should be him first. But since Aokiji remained calm, Momonga, as a Vice Admiral, had no choice but to suppress his anger and sit down.
Ian looked at Aokiji, who was lounging with his legs crossed, and softened his expression, nodding. “Admiral Aokiji, long time no see.”
“Indeed, it’s been a while,” Aokiji replied.
Ian felt grateful to Aokiji. Though he had been forced to injure him with the Black Dragon Wave, Ian knew Aokiji had held back. If Aokiji hadn’t lagged behind, the slaves Ian rescued wouldn’t have had time to board the ship and escape.
Respect begets respect. Ian remembered that favor.
After greeting Aokiji, Ian smiled at Vice Admiral Garp, recalling how Ace had stubbornly refused to visit him.
But Garp, seeing Ian’s smile, couldn’t help but scold him angrily. “What are you grinning at? Do you know how much trouble you caused the Marines back then?”
Ian spread his hands. “My fault?”
He wasn’t taking the blame. If the Celestial Dragons hadn’t kept slaves, he wouldn’t have stirred up such chaos in Mary Geoise.
Garp ignored him, crossing his arms with a snort.
“Enough. Let’s get to business,” Sengoku said, tapping the table. “Ian, this is our first meeting. Honestly, I opposed your joining the Warlords, but since the World Government has recognized your status, I won’t dwell on it. You and Crocodile showed up in Marineford without any notice. Can you explain why?”
“Simple,” Ian said, nodding. “I came to ask a question.”
“Go ahead,” Sengoku said, leaning back with his arms crossed.
Ian sat down across from him and began, “According to the agreement, as a Warlord, I’m obligated to help the Marines when summoned. Conversely, if a Warlord has enemies, will the Marines step in to help?”
The question left Sengoku, Garp, and the other Marines stunned.