Chapter 597: Meeting Drake Again
On the Barron Gray Terminal, the windmill serving as its power source was slowly turning. Though not operating at full capacity, it was still propelling the sky island gradually through the air.
Soaring above the clouds, the sunlight was naturally excellent. Many members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates had brought out lounge chairs, put on sunglasses, and were enjoying a sunbath.
However, beneath the clouds on the sea surface below, a violent storm was raging—a rather peculiar "diamond storm"!
This so-called diamond storm didn't mean diamonds were falling, but hailstones—diamond-shaped hailstones! Each one was about the size of a fist, falling from high altitude with tremendous force, howling as they crashed down. In such weather, any ship caught in it would face only one outcome: destruction and death for all aboard...
Urouge stood at the edge of the sky island, raising a telescope to peer far below. When he saw a pirate ship sailing on the sea get riddled with holes by the diamond-shaped hailstones, finally spinning as it sank into the ocean, he couldn't help but press his palms together and chant, "Amitabha!" before offering a prayer for the doomed vessel's souls.
No one went to rescue that ship. Such incidents were far too common in the New World to save them all.
Ian was currently training on an open patch of ground with Trafalgar Law, deliberately honing this Supernova's skills.
Swinging his Thousand Cherry Blossoms blade, Ian slashed seven times in an instant from different directions at Law. Law gritted his teeth, gripping his nodachi, Kikoku, desperately blocking.
"Stay focused!" Ian shouted while slashing. "Your weak Haki will dissipate instantly if you get distracted! How can you take down Doflamingo yourself with strength like this?!"
Though Law tried his best, his speed couldn't keep up with Ian. After blocking a dozen strikes, Ian suddenly kicked out, striking Law in the abdomen and sending him flying.
Law tumbled awkwardly across the ground several times before struggling to his feet, clutching his stomach and dry heaving. Seeing him drenched in sweat, Ian sheathed his blade and said, "Alright, take a break!"
"Yeah," Law nodded without another word, plopping down on the ground. He was exhausted.
Bepo and the others saw the training end and quickly came over, handing him towels and water, looking after him.
Ian walked over to Reiju, who was sunbathing in a bikini while reading a magazine, and asked, "Reiju, how much longer until we arrive?"
"Soon! Probably about a day!" Reiju pushed her sunglasses up to her forehead and explained, "Tesoro's ship is on the same course as us now. We're chasing it, so it's taking a bit longer."
Ian nodded, glancing at her voluptuous figure. Feeling a bit parched, he quickly grabbed a drink from the table.
Reiju smiled at him knowingly but said nothing, just gestured and asked, "Want to sit and chat for a bit?"
Ian wouldn't refuse a chat with a beautiful lady. Sitting down on the lounge chair next to Reiju, he asked, "I wonder where Sanji and the others are now."
Hearing Ian mention her younger brother, Reiju smiled even brighter. "They should be heading to Fish-Man Island first. Don't forget, Jinbe sent them back to Sabaody Archipelago."
Fish-Man Island... Ian sighed. He'd wanted to visit several times but had always missed the chance due to circumstances. Now that the Whitebeard Pirates were safe, the island was still under Old Man's protection. He could go anytime he wanted.
"Speaking of which, has your father Gaji contacted you?" Ian asked Reiju. "During the Battle of Edd War, he must have seen you in the live broadcast, right? And Sanji too!"
Reiju shook her head. "No. I've been with you all this time, so they should understand. The misunderstanding between you and Germa Group hasn't been fully resolved yet. Father probably feels too embarrassed to come asking you for me."
"He's still your father. If you want to go back, you can visit anytime," Ian told her.
"I don't want to go back for now," Reiju said, resting her chin on her hand and gazing at Ian with captivating eyes. "He's probably busy trying to curry favor with the Big Mom Pirates right now. He won't have time for me."
"Heh," Ian chuckled. "Well then, we'll have a good time at Gran Tesoro. It's the world's biggest casino, after all."
"Tesoro is incredibly wealthy and loves gold," Reiju said. "He'll probably like the gold we brought back from Skypiea. But that man isn't easy to deal with. Be careful around him."
Ian nodded, understanding. He knew Tesoro wasn't someone to trifle with.
Think about it: a man who controls vast amounts of gold and possesses 20% of the world's money, surviving unscathed for years in this pirate-infested world—that couldn't be normal.
Ian was well aware that besides his formidable strength, Tesoro's success came from his connections on both sides of the law.
Money makes the world go round, as the saying goes in any world. Tesoro's immense wealth made even the Marines and the World Government treat him with respect. Ian remembered that even Celestial Dragons were regulars at his casino—that was his lawful side. Meanwhile, Tesoro secretly partnered with many underworld big shots. Before Doflamingo fell, the two had been good business partners.
It was said that some of Doflamingo's Devil Fruit deals—the non-artificial ones—were even supplied by Tesoro...
Ian estimated that if you only counted raw strength, Tesoro might surpass the Seven Warlords of the Sea. On his home turf with home-field advantage, he might even rival a Marine Admiral. And if you factored in his connections on both sides, his hidden influence wasn't much less than the Four Emperors'.
The title "Golden Emperor" wasn't given lightly. Emperor and King—they stood side by side...
Of course, his power was mostly maintained through interests. But only with such formidable influence could he navigate both worlds and eliminate anyone who coveted what he had.
The gold Ian brought back from Skypiea was far too much for ordinary people to handle. Only Tesoro could digest it all at once. Ian had never dealt with Tesoro before, but from these signs, he could roughly guess what kind of man he was. Though Ian's strength meant he didn't fear any tricks, as Reiju said, it was better to be cautious.
Just as Ian and Reiju were chatting, a faint rumbling sound came from below, startling everyone.
Confirming the sound came from beneath the island, Ian walked to the edge and asked Urouge, "What's going on?"
"There seems to be a pirate ship being chased below! The sound was cannon fire, but it's very faint this high up," Urouge explained. "I'm trying to see what's happening."
Hearing it was just that, Ian decided not to pry further and turned to go back to Reiju. But then Urouge let out a surprised "Huh?"
"What is it?" Ian turned back to ask.
"Too far away to see clearly," Urouge said, still peering through his telescope. "But that pirate ship below feels familiar somehow."
Given the sky island's altitude, ships on the sea—even standard Marine warships—looked no bigger than sesame seeds from above. So Urouge couldn't see clearly. But his mention of familiarity piqued Ian's interest.
"I'll go check it out!" Ian spread his Flame Wings, leaped off the island's edge, and flew straight down toward the sea.
Once he descended enough, Ian realized what Urouge meant by familiar. The pirate ship being chased ahead was the Drake Pirates!
Red Flag X Drake, one of the eleven Supernovas—Ian recognized their ship's flag.
Seeing a Supernova on the New World's seas wasn't surprising, but what shocked him was the pirate crew chasing them: they flew a flag with a horned skull!
The Beast Pirates!?
Ian understood instantly. Red Flag X Drake had apparently run afoul of the Beast Pirates...