Chapter 359: No Title
After passing through the clouds and truly arriving atop the Barron Sky Island, everyone was astonished.
Sabo, Hack, Koala, and Nico Robin, who had never seen a sky island before, needed no further explanation. Even Crocodile and Jinbe, who were well-traveled and had heard rumors of sky islands, never imagined that the island Ian had claimed would be so vast in area.
Sky islands are classified into small and large types based on size, and clearly, the Barron Sky Island before them belonged to the latter.
What made it even more remarkable was that the island still bore traces and structures left by the ancient Skypieans.
Crocodile grew increasingly envious of Ian, convinced that Ian had stumbled into incredible luck. Ian was certainly not the first person to set foot on this sky island, yet he was the only one to claim it. If that wasn't dumb luck, what was?
In truth, Crocodile was mistaken. Ian's ability to claim this sky island was the result of multiple factors working together. First, Travira Island was near Thunder Island, and the Barron Sky Island's movement range happened to be in that area. Without discovering it, how could he claim it? Second, Ian could fly, and combined with Fujitora's Gravity Fruit ability, they ensured free travel between the sky island and the ground—this was the most crucial factor.
Finally, there were the Thunder Stone and the scientist Waldo. Without the Thunder Stone as an energy source and Waldo's repairs to the sky island, it would have been impossible to take it for their own use.
Even if other pirates had discovered the Barron Sky Island before Ian, what use would it have been? In the end, it all came down to fate.
The group followed Ian deeper into the sky island. They saw the spinning windmills and the glass spheres crackling with electricity that supplied energy. Nico Robin curiously asked Ian, "These are ancient technologies, aren't they?"
"You could say that," Ian nodded, but he didn't elaborate. If he were to reveal that these structures were actually left by the first Moon People to land here, even Crocodile and the others might not believe him. After all, the Moon People's history was far older than the Poneglyphs.
Though Ian only mentioned it briefly, Nico Robin understood. She realized where Ian's Poneglyph rubbing had come from. If she wasn't mistaken, somewhere on this sky island, a Poneglyph was stored.
At the thought, Robin couldn't help but feel excited.
Since leaving Ohara, Robin had rarely had the chance to see a Poneglyph. If she had stayed with Crocodile in Alabasta, she would have seen the Poneglyph there and learned about the ancient weapon Pluton (in the original story, Robin lied, so it can be inferred that the Poneglyph indeed recorded information about Pluton). Now, Ian had brought her out early and might allow her to see a Poneglyph even sooner.
Excited as she was, Robin still managed to hide her feelings. In truth, she already knew the contents of Ian's Poneglyph. The information recorded on it was too significant, and she wasn't sure whether she should tell Ian.
Along the way, Robin had sensed that Ian, this Warlord of the Sea, was completely different from Crocodile.
As the group walked, they curiously observed the sky island. However, they didn't realize that below the island, on the sea surface, a man riding a bicycle was utterly bewildered.
Aokiji had seen through his telescope that Ian and his group had pulled balloons up into the clouds. He immediately realized that there might be a sky island above the clouds. But the height was too great, and he wasn't sure if he could use Moon Step to get up there. Even if he did, would he be spotted by the Dragon Hunter Pirates the moment he appeared?
Aokiji was torn, unsure whether to continue following and monitoring.
Meanwhile, Ian and the others had arrived at the center of the ancient city, stopping before a massive building. Walnut, along with a few Dragon Hunter Pirates members who hadn't fallen, was waiting there to greet them.
"Captain!?"
"Captain Ian, you're finally back!"
Several Dragon Hunter Pirates members, overjoyed to see Ian, rushed over and surrounded him, saying, "Captain, you have to avenge us! They were too despicable!"
The Dragon Hunter Pirates had briefly clashed with the Germa Group. Though brief, they had witnessed the Germa Group's combat tactics. Especially when they tried to attack the leading Vinsmoke family members like Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji, the enemy always used soldiers to block their attacks. Those soldiers, who unhesitatingly sacrificed their lives to shield their leaders, were both terrifying and pitiful.
Fighting such an enemy was demoralizing.
"Don't worry, I already know the gist of what happened," Ian comforted them. "Is everyone okay? Where's Fujitora?"
Walnut walked over, tugging at Ian's pant leg, and said, "Fujitora is also poisoned. But Captain, you need to talk to him. Even poisoned, he still won't stop gambling!"
Ian felt helpless. Walnut's request was too difficult for him. If Fujitora could quit gambling, the sun would rise in the north.
Sabo, Koala, and Hack stood behind Ian, looking at Walnut. They knew she was a member of the Revolutionary Army because this short, Silence Fruit user was well-known among the Revolutionary Army. But Sabo was meeting her for the first time.
Walnut noticed Sabo staring at her and blinked. She activated her Silence Fruit ability, creating a soundproof barrier around them, and asked Ian, "Captain, who are they?"
Ian smiled, realizing Walnut had used her ability. He didn't hide anything and introduced them, "Let me introduce you. This is the Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff, Sabo, and his companions: Fish-Man Karate master Hack, and acting Karate instructor Koala."
Walnut's eyes widened in shock at Ian's introduction. She never expected Ian to bring the Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff here.
"N-nice to meet you!" Walnut quickly bowed. "I'm Walnut, a Revolutionary Army member, now under Captain Ian's command."
Sabo and the others greeted Walnut warmly, and Koala even hugged her, rubbing her cheek.
"Ian, let's go inside quickly," Sabo said to Ian. "I... I want to see Ace."
"Alright," Ian nodded, had Walnut dismiss the soundproof barrier, and led everyone inside.
As they entered, Nico Robin gave Walnut a meaningful glance. She knew that the sudden silence earlier was caused by this little girl. Robin was curious about what Ian and the others had discussed during that time.
Once inside the building, Ian saw that the spacious hall was filled with beds. Most of the Dragon Hunter Pirates members were lying on these beds, unable to move. Beside their beds hung saline drips. Doctor Erlang and a few unpoisoned Dragon Hunter Pirates members were busily moving between the beds, tending to the injured, sweating profusely.
Fifty or sixty beds lined up together were a striking sight, especially Sardine, who alone occupied a large area of the hall. To make a bed for him, Erlang had dismantled countless door panels.
Seeing this, Ian understood how dire the Dragon Hunter Pirates' situation was. Though the poison wasn't life-threatening, the entire crew had lost combat effectiveness, showing how dangerous the situation had been.
If they had been wiped out, it would have been too late by the time Ian returned.
With a grim expression, Ian let out a long sigh and walked over to Fujitora's bed.
Fujitora's poisoning was milder, likely due to his strong resistance. Compared to the others who couldn't move, Fujitora was in better shape. At least he could sit up and entertain himself by rolling dice on the bed.
"Heh, Captain, you're back?" Fujitora, though blind, sensed Ian as soon as they entered. When he felt Ian approaching, he smiled and greeted him.
Ian checked Fujitora's condition and saw that his complexion was quite poor. Doctor Erlang's detoxification probably hadn't fully cleared the poison yet.
"Fujitora, you've worked hard. I'll treat you now," Ian said.