Chapter 419: Hawk-Eye Mihawk
Just as Kuina awakened her Observation Haki, Ian and Ace were also sailing across the sea aboard their ship.
Today, this sea area was blessed with rare good weather—warm sunlight, a gentle sea breeze, and the vast expanse of the ocean, all of which lifted the spirits.
On the deck of the ship, a lounge chair was set up. Robin and Reiju, both wearing bikinis and sunglasses, were sunbathing on the chairs.
The two mature and alluring beauties each held a fashion magazine, reading and discussing its contents.
When Matthew brought them drinks, they responded with sweet smiles and thanks. Meanwhile, Dorry was devouring the ice cream Matthew had made for him, having already eaten over thirty sticks but still feeling hot. The Mink Tribe hated summer the most...
As for Ace, he was lying on the ship's railing, staring enviously at Ian, who was swimming in the sea.
He couldn't help but feel jealous. After all, Ace used to be able to swim, but ever since he ate the Flame-Flame Fruit, he had basically said goodbye to swimming...
Under the direct sunlight, taking a refreshing dip in the sea was a rare pleasure. Ian, being the jerk he was, deliberately wore an expression of pure bliss while swimming, knowing full well how much it annoyed Ace.
Robin found Ace's jealous and resentful expression amusing, so she said to him, "You could actually go into the water too. With a lifebuoy, even if you run out of strength, Captain Ian could push you along!"
"No!" Ace shook his head. "I'm a Flame-Flame Fruit user. I hate contact with water even more than ordinary Devil Fruit users!"
Just then, Ian finally had his fill of swimming. He grabbed the rope ladder and climbed back onto the ship, whistling at Reiju and Robin. "Ladies, could you toss me a towel?"
Without a word, Reiju threw a towel to Ian. He thanked her and began drying his wet hair.
Ace sat on the deck, one hand on his knee and the other propping up his chin, and said to Ian, "I really don't get it. All Devil Fruit users fear seawater, so why are you the only exception?"
Ian chuckled but didn't explain. After drying off, he walked over to the table between Reiju and Robin and picked up a drink. "Speaking of which, where are we now?"
Reiju replied, "We've been sailing for over a month. We should be at the beginning of the Grand Line by now."
Ian nodded and said to Ace, "I wonder when we'll run into that guy Teach."
Out on this vast sea, finding someone was no easy task. Even though they occasionally received news from the Whitebeard Pirates, they couldn't pinpoint Teach's exact location.
Sometimes Ian wished this world had a GPS system.
Ace was equally frustrated. After briefly discussing Teach, he suddenly spoke up. "Ian, remember when I told you I had a younger brother?"
"You mean Luffy?" Ian said with a smile.
"Yeah, he set sail not long ago!" Ace said nostalgically. "We're at the front of the Grand Line now. To the right, past the Calm Belt, is the East Blue. I was thinking, maybe we'll run into Luffy. If we do, I'd like to introduce him to you!"
When Ace mentioned Luffy, Ian thought of Zoro, then glanced at Reiju on the lounge chair. He suddenly realized that this ship had gathered two older brothers and one older sister.
Thinking about it, Ian couldn't help but laugh out loud. He imagined that if they happened to run into Luffy's ship right now, the expressions on Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji's faces would be absolutely priceless.
Of course, that was assuming the Straw Hat Pirates' crew composition hadn't deviated too much...
Ian's sudden laugh caught Reiju off guard. She gave him a strange look, wondering why he was staring at her and laughing.
But just as she turned her head to look at Ian, she noticed a small black dot far off on the horizon in the direction Ian was facing.
"Hmm? What's that?" Curious, Reiju got up from her lounge chair and walked over to Ian.
Reiju was quite well-endowed, and in her bikini, her perfect curves were on full display in Ian's line of sight. Her shapely figure made Ian's head spin, and he felt like it was time for some "bonus content."
However, Reiju walked past Ian and leaned over the railing, peering into the distance.
"What are you looking at?" Ian turned around and asked her curiously.
"That looks like a small boat," Reiju said, pointing at the distant black dot.
"You can see that far!?" Ian raised his hand to shield his eyes but couldn't make it out clearly, so he asked in surprise.
"My eyesight is excellent!" Reiju smiled slightly. As a genetically modified human from Germa technology, she was theoretically the perfect genetic combination, giving her vision beyond that of ordinary people.
When he heard it was just a small boat, Ian lost interest. Over the past few days, they had encountered many ships on the sea, most of them pirate ships. After all, this was the Grand Line, where pirates were the most common.
Moreover, this area was still close to the starting point of the Grand Line. A small boat like that was probably just a rookie pirate sailing alone—nothing unusual.
Just as Ian was about to head back to the cabin, Reiju suddenly said, "That small boat has changed course. It's heading toward us!"
"Could it be another clueless fool trying to rob us?" Ian frowned.
Over the past few days, they had encountered quite a few pirates trying to rob them. It couldn't be helped—their ship, sponsored by Boa Hancock, looked like a merchant vessel. Although Ian had hoisted the flag of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, when the wind was weak, the flag wouldn't unfurl properly, making it hard to see. Sometimes, the would-be robbers only realized what kind of ship they were dealing with when they got close.
"Don't worry about it," Ian said. "Once they get closer, they'll leave."
The flag of the Dragon Hunter Pirates represented Ian's identity as a Warlord of the Sea. Many pirates who had tried to rob them before had fled in terror after seeing the flag. Ian and his crew rarely had to actually fight.
Just as Ian thought this would be like the previous encounters, the small boat showed no sign of changing course and kept heading straight for them.
Ian and the others had been minding their own business, but Dorry noticed the situation and pointed over the railing. "Captain, that small boat is still getting closer!"
Ian frowned again, got up, and walked to the railing to take a look.
When he saw it, he froze.
The small boat had now come close enough for Ian to see it clearly with the naked eye.
It was less a boat and more a raft—just a few logs lashed together.
However, on this raft was a large chair, surrounded by several burning candles.
Sitting on the chair was a man with one leg crossed over the other, his hands folded on his knee. He wore a wine-red patterned shirt, his bare chest adorned with a cross hanging from his neck.
On his head was a hat with white fluffy trim, its wide brim curving upward on both sides.
But none of that was as striking as what was behind him: a massive cross stood upright.
When Ian saw this man, he couldn't help rubbing his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.
Wasn't that Hawk-Eye Mihawk!?
Perhaps sensing Ian's gaze, the man on the boat slowly lifted his head, revealing a pair of incredibly sharp eyes. A gaze as piercing as a hawk's locked onto Ian.
It was truly an eagle-like, penetrating stare—it really was Hawk-Eye Mihawk!
Why was he here!? Ian felt bewildered.
As the two locked eyes, Mihawk's boat pulled up alongside Ian's ship. Mihawk stood up, looked up at Ian, and with a light leap, he jumped onto Ian's deck, carrying his massive cross-shaped black sword on his back.