Chapter 481: Route Change
Running into Enel, who was itching for a fight, this pirate crew had truly terrible luck.
Having managed to develop a fleet of five ships and even make it this far, this pirate crew actually had the potential to become a well-known pirate group. If their captain could have raised his own bounty a bit higher, they might have even earned a title like Supernova by the time they reached Sabaody Archipelago.
But greed in people's hearts doomed them. They didn't run into easy prey—they ran into a harbinger of doom!
"God's Judgment! God's Judgment!"
Enel laughed maniacally, continuously blasting out powerful thunderbolts. One by one, the pirate ships were smashed to pieces by his attacks. The pirates on board screamed in agony as the lightning struck them, paralyzing their bodies before they fell into the sea along with the shattered wreckage.
Reiju and Robin watched this scene and finally understood why Ian had risked the disdain of the Skypieans to bring Enel back. Such a powerful Logia Devil Fruit user instantly elevated the Dragon Hunter Pirates' combat strength to a new level.
Ian, Fujitora, and now Enel—the three pillars of the Dragon Hunter Pirates had formed.
When Reiju realized this, she couldn't help but feel a hint of shock inwardly. The Dragon Hunter Pirates, aside from their territory in the New World not being too large and their numbers not being too many, already faintly possessed the makings of a Four Emperors crew!
If things continued to develop this way, perhaps one day, when Ian abandoned his Warlord status, he could become a new Emperor!
"Father, your choice back then was a mistake!" Reiju thought of her father, Gaji, and silently prayed, "I hope that after cooperating with the Big Mom Pirates, you won't think about retaliating against Ian... Otherwise..."
One of the reasons Reiju chose to stay on Ian's pirate crew was to escape the cold, emotionless Vinsmoke Family. Seeing Sanji again and how happy he was on the Straw Hat Pirates had deeply moved Reiju. She had no fondness for the Vinsmoke Family, but whenever she thought of her late mother's gentle smile, she felt reluctant to let go completely. So, she found a reason for herself, labeling Ian as a partner, making her psychological departure from the family to join the Dragon Hunter Pirates seem logical.
This feeling was subtle and contradictory. Ian was well aware of it but didn't call her out on it. Reiju being willing to stay on the crew was a good thing for him.
Just as Reiju was lost in thought, she suddenly saw Ian kick Enel, who was still laughing wildly, sending him flying!
Enel's laughter came to an abrupt halt as he tumbled like a rolling gourd across the deck several times.
"Damn it! Didn't you hear what I just said?" Ian said angrily to Enel. "I told you to leave some survivors! Did you take my words as wind in your ears!?"
Reiju looked up and saw that all five pirate ships on the sea had been completely destroyed by Enel alone. No wonder Ian was furious.
Enel looked annoyed. He had gotten too carried away and forgotten Ian's orders. But he never expected Ian to just kick him. He wanted to get angry, but the moment he saw Ian's eyes, his anger fizzled out.
To be precise, he didn't dare to get angry.
"So what if those pirates are gone?" Enel grumbled as he got up. "As long as the Ark sails on the sea, there will be more pirates!"
"Still talking back, huh!?" Ian clenched his fist, ready to go over and teach him a lesson.
But fortunately, Reiju stepped in to mediate. "Alright, alright. Enel didn't mean to do it. Like he said, there will be other chances!"
Ian glared at Enel but didn't press further. The real reason he wanted Enel to leave survivors was to ask if these pirates knew the name of the next island.
Since they had come down from Skypiea on the Ark, Ian and his crew weren't following the same route as the Straw Hat Pirates. Ian had been worried that this might cause a change in their course.
The islands in the Grand Line were connected by specific routes, but near Sabaody Archipelago, some routes converged. There was no guarantee that these islands wouldn't require a year or two to store up magnetic energy, which would be a huge problem.
That's why Ian was so furious that Enel hadn't followed his instructions.
Fortunately, as the Ark continued sailing, they encountered another pirate crew the next day. This time, Enel didn't dare act recklessly and left one ship intact.
Reiju flew over, and after asking around, brought back the terrified navigator from that ship. When Ian questioned him, he found out that they had indeed deviated from their course.
If they had followed the Straw Hat Pirates' route, the next island would have been Long Ring Long Land, followed by Water 7. But according to Ian's inquiries, the next island ahead of them was Saint Poplar Island.
Saint Poplar Island, in technical terms, was a supply island for Water 7. Water 7 was a world-famous shipbuilding island, but shipbuilding required raw materials like lumber and steel. Saint Poplar was the best source of lumber.
Since the Sea Train had been established, travel between Saint Poplar and Water 7 had become convenient. Now, almost all the lumber produced on Saint Poplar was shipped to Water 7.
After letting the navigator go back, Ian furrowed his brow and began to think.
Clearly, from Saint Poplar, Ian could easily reach Water 7, but he didn't plan to go there.
Ian didn't want to interfere with Zoro and the others' adventures. More importantly, he knew that CP9 agents, including Rob Lucci, were in Water 7. Although Robin was now on his crew instead of the Straw Hat Pirates, and with his current strength, dealing with Rob Lucci would be like child's play, Ian still didn't want to get involved.
This was a critical period. Ian was trying to exchange the Germa technology data with the Marines and the World Government for Pacifistas. This had originally been completely impossible, as Pacifistas were the Marines' most important artificial weapons and would never fall into an outsider's hands. When Ian first proposed the deal, he had little confidence and was just testing the waters.
But somehow, something had changed in the middle, and the Marines and World Government had actually agreed. At the time, Ian felt like he had been hit by a stroke of luck.
Ian guessed that this might be related to his Warlord status and the fact that his territory, Travira Island, could supply Thunder Stones to the Marine Science Unit. With these two conditions, perhaps the Marines' wariness of him had lessened, leading to their reluctant agreement.
Under these circumstances, Ian naturally wanted to seize the opportunity. While his relationship with the Marines and World Government was in a honeymoon phase, he wanted to complete this deal as quickly as possible. That's why he didn't want any unexpected complications during this critical period.
This was also one of the reasons he hadn't set out with Luffy and the others. He was afraid that in Water 7, Robin might cause unforeseen issues, leading to a rift between him and the Marines and World Government.
Thinking it over, Ian felt that the route change was actually a good thing. If the next island was Saint Poplar, then there was no need to worry about storing magnetic energy in the Log Pose. Using the Sea Train, Ian and his crew could reach Enies Lobby, the judicial island. Enies Lobby, Impel Down, and Marineford were connected by the World Government's dedicated sea current, allowing for faster travel.
This way, Ian might be able to reach Marine Headquarters in Marineford even sooner.
The only thing to worry about was Robin. Whether at Enies Lobby or Marineford, Robin's identity couldn't be exposed, or it would cause a lot of trouble.
Ian didn't know if his Warlord status could protect her. If the World Government was determined to capture Robin, they might not care about his Warlord status.
And currently, Admiral Aokiji had seen Robin and knew she was on Ian's crew. But Ian didn't know if Aokiji had reported this to the Marines or the World Government's intelligence agency.
So, to be safe, perhaps they could split up. Let Reiju and Robin return to the New World first, and have Fujitora come to meet them?