Chapter 450: Screwed Over
This time, Ian’s conversation with Robin lasted a long time, only ending after Dorry and the others had been sailing the ship for a while. When the talk concluded, Robin couldn’t help but reveal a rare, long-missed smile.
It was the first time she had truly discussed the Poneglyphs with another person for so long. Before this, all the ancient texts she had studied had to be silently locked away in her heart, unable to be shared with anyone. People always need someone to confide in, and Robin was no exception. She needed a listener. It was through this conversation that Robin realized Ian’s understanding of the Poneglyphs was far deeper than she had imagined. Only when talking with him could she freely bring up many taboo topics without fear of provoking fear or greed.
So, later on, they even chatted about many things related to ancient texts, including fun anecdotes from Robin’s childhood when she learned ancient languages. Ian listened with a smile as she narrated.
When the conversation ended, Robin felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. She couldn’t help but lazily clasp her hands together, lean back, and stretch, revealing the proud curves of her chest. This inadvertently drew Ian’s gaze.
Robin chuckled softly, resting one hand on the table and propping her chin on it as she said to Ian, “Like what you see?”
At that moment, Robin was incredibly charming. The sea breeze tousled the tips of her black hair, making her long locks sway in the wind, exuding the mature allure of a confident woman.
Ian truly felt that bringing Robin aboard was the right call. If nothing else, being able to admire such a beauty every day was a delight. So he nodded and said bluntly, “Of course!”
Hearing this, Robin’s eyes narrowed into crescents with a smile. She wasn’t annoyed; instead, she felt that Ian was someone she could truly open up to.
At that moment, Robin finally felt that being on Ian’s ship was quite pleasant…
Just then, Matthew came over with two glasses of drinks, placing them in front of Ian and Robin. “Th…is…is…the…ice…tea…I…just…made…”
Before he could finish, Ian quickly picked up his glass and took a sip, giving him a thumbs-up. “Mm, tastes great, Matthew!”
Robin did the same, smiling at Matthew and saying, “Thank you!”
Hearing the praise, Matthew was finally satisfied. He turned and headed back into the cabin, needing to bring a glass to Dorry at the helm.
Once Matthew left, Ian let out a long sigh. Matthew was a good chef, but his way of speaking was truly agonizing.
After Matthew left, Reiju came over. She also sat down at the round table and handed Ian a thick stack of paper documents.
“What’s this?” Ian asked, holding the documents.
“The data on the shape-memory armor,” Reiju replied, also propping her chin on her hand like Robin. “This is what I promised to give you. I just organized it. It should be enough for you to deal with the Marines and the World Government.”
“Oh?” Ian’s interest was piqued. “Is this the combat suit you all wear?”
“Yes,” Reiju answered. “Germa’s technology takes a different path from the Marines’. The Marines, with their massive army, focus on overall military technology. But Germa emphasizes elite combat power, so we invest more in personal equipment. That’s why the Marines have always wanted to get their hands on Germa’s tech—they see it as a potential supplement to their strength.”
Ian nodded, understanding. He asked Reiju, “Could this shape-memory armor be equipped on my crew?”
“Maybe,” Reiju said. “I heard that the scientist on your crew, Waldo, once worked with my father? If he can fully grasp this data, replicating the shape-memory armor shouldn’t be a problem, as long as the right raw materials are available. But I should warn you, the raw materials aren’t easy to obtain.”
“That’s good,” Ian said with satisfaction. “I’ll make a copy of this data before handing it over to the Marines. As for the raw materials, we’ll get as much as we can.”
Although most of the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ members were ordinary people with few elite fighters, Reiju’s data came at just the right time. It was time for the Dragon Hunter Pirates to grow stronger.
Putting away the documents, Ian asked Reiju, “What are your plans now? You’ve seen Sanji, and we’ve fulfilled our agreement. Are you going back home?”
“Going home?” Reiju’s gaze grew distant. “Even though I grew up in the family, honestly, I don’t like the cold relationships between my father and brothers… So I’m not sure if I should go back.”
“Then stay on my ship for now,” Ian said. “Of course, I’d welcome it even more if you’d join the Dragon Hunter Pirates.”
“Hehe!” Reiju couldn’t help but laugh at that. She leaned close to Ian’s ear and suddenly blew a puff of air, saying, “Young Warlord captain, you’re not falling for me just because I helped you with the poison, are you? Is that why you want me to stay?”
“Is this flirting!?” Ian hadn’t expected this older sister to be so bold. Her breath against his ear made it tingle, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.
This comment even made Robin laugh beside him. The two mature women giggled, covering their mouths.
Flirting with a Warlord—it was quite thrilling to think about…
“Alright,” Reiju said after a moment of laughter. “Since I have nowhere else to go, I’ll stay on your ship for now.”
With that, she stood up and extended a hand to Robin. “Robin, let’s go sunbathe!”
Robin nodded, smiling as she got up to follow Reiju back into the cabin to prepare.
“Damn it! Reiju did that on purpose!” Ian thought, covering his face as he realized what they were about to do. They were going to sunbathe, but he, a young man full of vigor, would be left struggling to handle the sight.
Fine, he might as well jump into the sea and swim a few dozen kilometers to cool off…
Over the next few days, Ian’s ship sailed steadily across the sea, following the direction of the Log Pose along the route.
Although Ian could fly, he couldn’t carry so many people that far. So, heading to Marine Headquarters meant taking the slow and steady path.
About three days later, when Ian and his crew reached a certain sea area, they suddenly realized something was wrong.
The Log Pose on their wrists wasn’t pointing forward—it was pointing… upward!
“Wh…what’s going on?” Dorry muttered, shaking the Log Pose on his wrist, thinking it was broken.
When Ian heard Dorry’s puzzled description of the direction, his heart sank.
But before he could say anything, the sky suddenly darkened. Looking up, he saw a ring of black clouds gathering and rolling toward them from behind.
“Da…damn it!” Ian exclaimed. “How… how could this be so coincidental!?”
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Robin and Reiju asked, alarmed by Ian’s sudden tension.
“No time to explain!” Ian took a deep breath and quickly ordered, “Dorry, hoist the sails! Reiju! Fly up and scan the sea—see if you can spot the Straw Hat Pirates’ ship!”
“Sanji and the others?” Reiju’s eyes lit up. She immediately activated her jet boots and soared into the sky.
A moment later, she shouted down, “They’re here! Their ship is to the northwest!”
“Dorry! Full speed ahead! Head straight for the Straw Hat Pirates’ ship!” Ian yelled.
“Got it, Captain!” Dorry replied, spinning the helm vigorously.
“What’s going on?” Reiju asked as she landed on the deck. “Why are you so panicked?”
“There’s no choice. If I’m not mistaken, staying here any longer means we’re doomed!” Ian said grimly.
When he saw the Log Pose pointing skyward and the sky rapidly darkening, Ian realized their ship had entered the waters near Jaya Island. And, unluckily, they had arrived just as Luffy and his crew were planning to ride the Knock-Up Stream up to Skypiea!
Damn, how could he have forgotten this? After leaving Alabasta, their route was the same as the Straw Hat Pirates’! The dark clouds in the sky were the White-White Clouds, and above them was a Skypiea!
If the Knock-Up Stream erupted, a massive whirlpool would form in this area—one strong enough to swallow even giant Sea Kings!
If Ian’s ship stayed here, they would be shattered and swallowed by the sea!
The only safe place was wherever the Straw Hat Pirates were… Damn it, it felt like Zoro and the others had screwed them over…