Chapter 495: Where Did Akainu Go?
Something was wrong!
Actually, the moment Sengoku mentioned that the Pacifista transaction would be delayed, Ian had already sensed this.
When Sengoku had urgently sent CP6 to notify him to come for the Pacifista transaction, Ian had felt something was off. Now that he had arrived at Marineford, Sengoku was suddenly saying the transaction would be delayed!
If there wasn’t some change in circumstances, that would be a miracle!
Ian realized this at the time but didn’t question it. Instead, he settled for the next best option—returning to Sabaody Archipelago to try and figure out what was really going on before making any plans. However, what he hadn’t expected was that Sengoku intended to confine him in Marineford!
He even went so far as to bring out two Admirals, Aokiji and Kizaru, as a veiled threat.
Where had the problem arisen? Ian stared at Sengoku, his mind racing.
It definitely couldn’t be about the three CP6 members he had killed. They were just three insignificant lackeys. Even if CP members weren’t under Marine jurisdiction, and even if they were Marine subordinates, Sengoku wouldn’t do something like this to Ian over three such nobodies.
So, was it about the Pacifista? That seemed unlikely too. If Sengoku didn’t want Ian to get the Pacifista, he could have just said so directly. There was no need to put on such a show.
Or was it because of Ian’s meeting with Red-Haired Shanks? Or perhaps the Straw Hat Pirates’ rampage at Enies Lobby?
Well, those two possibilities existed, but Ian wasn’t the only one who had contact with Red-Hair. Hawk-Eye Mihawk was still Shanks’s friend, yet Sengoku hadn’t been so tense with him. As for the Straw Hat Pirates… it couldn’t be that the Marines had discovered Ian’s connection to them, could it?
If it was about the Celestial Dragons, that was even more far-fetched. Sengoku couldn’t possibly be unaware that, until Ian got the Pacifista, he wouldn’t cause trouble for the Marines.
Due to the asymmetry of information, Ian couldn’t figure out why Sengoku was doing this. So, he shifted his thinking and began to weigh the pros and cons of confronting Sengoku head-on.
Ian had Enel with him. If it were just the two Admirals, Aokiji and Kizaru, the two of them were confident they could escape. But this was Marine Headquarters. Besides the two Admirals, there was also Sengoku. This Fleet Admiral possessed the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan Model: Daibutsu—a mythical fruit ability whose full extent Ian couldn’t even guess.
Thinking this over, Ian realized that going head-on with Sengoku wouldn’t benefit him.
So, Ian suddenly broke into a smile and said, “Alright, since Fleet Admiral Sengoku is so hospitable, I’ll gladly accept. But I’ll have to trouble you to arrange accommodations for us. Also, one of my companions has a huge appetite, so you might need to budget extra for food!”
“That’s not a problem!” Sengoku nodded, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, despite the tense atmosphere, Sengoku had been the most worried. He was afraid Ian might act impulsively, turn hostile, and fight his way out, which would be a real mess.
Although he had used Aokiji and Kizaru as a deterrent, Sengoku was the least willing to deploy them. No one knew what would happen if a fight actually broke out—whether that little brat Ian might set Marine Headquarters ablaze, just like he had done with Mary Geoise…
Fortunately, Ian was more cunning than Sengoku had imagined. He immediately put on a smiling face, acting as if nothing had happened, and even claimed Sengoku was being hospitable.
That little fox! Sengoku cursed inwardly, realizing Ian wasn’t so easy to fool.
“Let’s go! I’ll see you out!” Aokiji stood up and said.
Ian nodded, patted Enel on the shoulder, and signaled him with his eyes to stay calm. Then he followed Aokiji out.
Led by Aokiji, as they walked out of the Marine Headquarters’ Tenshukaku, Ian spotted Kizaru. It seemed he had received Sengoku’s orders and had also arrived.
“Yo, yo!” Kizaru was still his usual self, wearing sunglasses and pretending to be surprised as he looked at Ian. “I didn’t expect to see you again after our parting at Salamis Island, Ian!”
“Admiral Borsalino!” Ian replied with a grin, waving at him. “Is your wound healed?”
Hearing this, both Aokiji and Kizaru froze for a moment.
They shared the same thought: Ian was really rubbing salt in the wound!
Coincidentally, both Marine Admirals had suffered losses at Ian’s hands. Aokiji had been injured in the ankle by Ian, and Kizaru had also been wounded in their fight. So, Ian’s words now grated on their ears.
But if Ian was a little fox, Kizaru was an old fox. He kept his expression unchanged and said, “Just a minor injury. It’s nothing!”
“Good, good!” Ian nodded with a smile.
After that, Aokiji and Kizaru perfunctorily led Ian and Enel on a tour around Marine Headquarters. Dorry and Matthew, who had been on the ship, also received word and came to join Ian and the others. So, Aokiji and Kizaru took the four of them to a Marine dormitory and settled them in.
“What do we do, Captain? It looks like we’re being watched!” Dorry, though usually simple-minded, wasn’t oblivious. He had already sensed something was wrong.
Ian didn’t answer immediately. After thinking for a while, he squinted and said, “Staying here isn’t bad. It’s a chance to find out what’s going on with the Marines.”
In fact, Ian had already keenly noticed something: of the three Marine Admirals, only Aokiji and Kizaru seemed to be at Marine Headquarters. As for Akainu Sakazuki, he was nowhere to be seen—he had disappeared!
Moreover, during the perfunctory tour earlier, Ian had noticed that Marine Headquarters was bustling with activity. He often saw officers and commanders warmly greeting their colleagues.
If these officers were originally stationed at Marine Headquarters, they would see each other every day and wouldn’t greet each other so enthusiastically. Combining this with the information he had gotten from the Marine Rear Admiral who had picked him up, Ian guessed that these officers might have been recalled to Marine Headquarters, just like Kuina and Smoker.
Akainu was missing, and Marine Headquarters had suddenly gained so many elite Marines. Ian immediately realized that the Marines might be planning a major operation!
If things were following the original historical timeline, Ian would have immediately thought of the Paramount War. But now, he wasn’t so sure. After all, Ace hadn’t been captured like in the original history, so where would the Paramount War come from?
Regardless, this phenomenon was enough to put Ian on alert. He had to find out what was happening.
And conveniently, Kuina was also at Marine Headquarters. If he could run into her, he might get some information.
Ian had a vague premonition that the Marines’ move might be aimed at Whitebeard, but he couldn’t confirm his guess. He felt that Akainu alone couldn’t possibly take on Whitebeard.
The Marines couldn’t be that stupid!
Could it be related to Blackbeard Teach!?
Thinking of this, Ian suddenly stood up in shock. No way, could Teach be working with Akainu from within and without to do something to Whitebeard!?
Even Ian was stunned by this idea. It was too bold—so bold that Ian had never dared to consider it before!
In the original history, the Marines had deployed all three Admirals plus the Seven Warlords of the Sea to deal with Whitebeard. They had specifically chosen Marine Headquarters as the battlefield and set up numerous ambushes before daring to face the Whitebeard Pirates. Could Teach and Akainu alone pull it off!?
This was why Ian hadn’t dared to think in that direction before. But the various signs he had seen at Marine Headquarters now forced him to consider it.
Ian immediately pulled out his Den Den Mushi and tried to contact Ace, but there was no signal. The Marine dormitory had probably been equipped with special measures to block the Den Den Mushi’s bio-signals.
Unable to reach Ace, Ian quickly took out the Vivre Card Ace had given him to check. Seeing the result, he breathed a sigh of relief—the Vivre Card was intact, with no changes.
The special property of a Vivre Card often indicated a person’s recent life state. Since Ace’s Vivre Card showed no abnormalities, it meant he was fine.
But Ace being fine didn’t mean Whitebeard was fine. Thinking of Whitebeard, Ian vaguely understood why Sengoku had confined him in Marine Headquarters.
He probably considered Ian’s relationship with Whitebeard…
Damn it! Ian needed to find out where Akainu had gone!
Ian knew that if the Marines were really planning to move against Whitebeard, this time it probably wouldn’t be at Marine Headquarters. Even if he stayed here, he wouldn’t witness the Paramount War. Due to his influence, the Paramount War was unlikely to happen. But there might be another war of equally massive scale, and knowing where Akainu was would tell him where the war would take place!
“I’m going out to take a look!” Ian said to Enel and the others. “Dorry, you go to the Marine cafeteria and eat as much as you can! Enel, Matthew, stay close to Dorry at all times. Once the opportunity arises, we’ll leave immediately!”
“Opportunity?” Enel was puzzled. “What kind of opportunity?”
Ian didn’t explain, but the opportunity he referred to might indeed come—when the Straw Hat Pirates arrived at Sabaody Archipelago!
At that time, one of the two Admirals monitoring them might leave for Sabaody Archipelago. That would be their chance to escape!
For now, Ian was going out to see if he could find Kuina and learn from her where Akainu might be…