Chapter 612: Bad Luck
Ian almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him!
But when he saw the short, wrinkled old woman walking beside Edward Weevil, wearing a flamboyant leopard-print coat despite her age, he was instantly certain—this really was Edward Weevil!
Miss Bakkin, the one Edward Weevil called "Mama," was the same woman who, in the original timeline, suddenly emerged after Whitebeard's death, claiming to be the woman Whitebeard loved most and bringing along his "biological son" to inherit the Whitebeard Pirates' legacy...
And her son, Edward Weevil, was a monstrously powerful individual. Not only had he attacked the ship of former Marine Admiral Black Arm Zephyr years ago, killing Zephyr's trainee students, but he had also severed Zephyr's right wrist, causing Zephyr to harbor an eternal hatred for pirates, eventually forming the Pirate Hunter Squad to hunt them down worldwide.
Why were these two here!?
But after a brief moment of shock, Ian quickly realized—right! At this time, the Marines hadn't yet filled the vacant Warlord positions, so Edward Weevil hadn't received an invitation from the World Government to become a Warlord.
And it probably didn't stop there. Because of Ian, Whitebeard Old Man had survived the war, full of vitality, and hadn't died. So that meant Miss Bakkin might not have yet declared to the world that Edward Weevil was Whitebeard Old Man's biological son...
Ian didn't believe for a second that these two were really Whitebeard Old Man's son and woman. It was simple logic—even in the original timeline, when Old Man was alive, no one had ever heard of an Edward Weevil. He only popped up after Old Man's death. If Old Man really had family, why would he have spent so many years building the Whitebeard Pirates and adopting so many sons as family?
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. As Ian turned back, Miss Bakkin was furious at Edward Weevil's words. She raised the dark walking stick in her hand and swung it at Edward Weevil's leg. She was so short, and Weevil was so tall, that she could only reach his shin.
As she hit him, she scolded, "Eat, eat, eat! That's all you know! I finally scraped together some money, and you've eaten us broke!"
Despite Edward Weevil's fierce appearance, he was actually a simple-minded guy. Even though his mother's hits didn't hurt at all, he still dodged nervously, saying, "Mama, stop hitting me! I was wrong!"
Not only that, but Edward Weevil wore a pitiful expression as he dodged, even sniffing his nose. To Ian, it felt like watching a low-intelligence child...
After a few hits, Miss Bakkin stopped, panting heavily. At that moment, she also noticed Baccarat turning around and said cheerfully, "Ah! Isn't this Miss Baccarat? Fancy meeting you here!"
"You... hello!" Baccarat forced a smile onto her face and said, "Miss Bakkin, it's nice to see you!"
Hearing Baccarat call her "Miss," Bakkin was delighted. She placed a hand on her cheek and let out an "Ohohoho" laugh, saying, "Miss Baccarat, you're the one who knows how to talk!"
In other words, she shamelessly accepted the title "Miss" without any embarrassment...
Listening to Bakkin's old crone's flirtatious laugh, Ian felt goosebumps all over. He looked at Baccarat in surprise, suddenly feeling a deep admiration for her. To call an old hag "Miss" without flinching—that took some serious mental fortitude...
What he didn't know was that Baccarat was cursing internally at that very moment!
Why did I have to run into this old hag here!?
"Ah, Miss Bakkin, I have things to do. I'm guiding an honored guest, so I can't chat long!"
Forcing back the urge to let her facial muscles twitch, Baccarat instinctively grabbed Ian's arm and tried to lead him away. She was terrified that Bakkin would bring up that incident from last time...
But just as Baccarat tried to slip away, Bakkin spoke up: "Miss Baccarat, don't rush. What about that matter I mentioned last time? Have you thought it over?"
Ian looked at Baccarat curiously, wondering what Bakkin had discussed with her.
"Well... I haven't decided yet..." Baccarat forced another smile.
"What's there to think about?" Bakkin leaned on her walking stick and pointed at Edward Weevil beside her. "Look how handsome my son is! And so mighty! If you married him, it would be a perfect match!"
When Ian heard this, his eyes nearly popped out!
Damn, so that's what it was about!? This old hag wanted to set her son up with Baccarat!?
Even Ian felt a chill run down his spine. He looked up at Edward Weevil, who was cooperating with Bakkin by biting his finger and letting out a goofy laugh, and suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for Baccarat!
Indeed, the hardest job in the world was still the service industry...
Baccarat was on the verge of tears at this point. Yes, Tesoro had instructed her to find a chance to bring Ian and this old hag Bakkin together, hoping to spark a conflict and get Ian to deal with Bakkin. But... but Baccarat absolutely didn't want to face Bakkin herself!
This old hag was way too annoying. The last time Baccarat accidentally ran into her, Bakkin was so taken by Baccarat's beauty that she immediately thought of introducing her son as a marriage prospect...
If she could, Baccarat would have torn this old hag to pieces! How insulting was this!? Look at what kind of idiot son you have, and you want me to marry him!? Are you out of your mind!?
But Baccarat knew very well that the son who was always by Bakkin's side was a monster. Even Tesoro didn't want to deal with him!
One reason was that Edward Weevil was genuinely powerful. The other was that dealing with someone like him was beneath one's dignity...
Normally, this wouldn't be a problem—she could just avoid them. But Bakkin was a money-grubbing old hag who loved taking advantage of others. Ever since Tesoro first gave her some winnings to get rid of her, Bakkin had gotten a taste for it. She left but soon returned, repeatedly coming to the casino to try and milk Tesoro for money.
Finally, Tesoro had enough and had Baccarat drain Bakkin's luck. But after Bakkin lost everything in the casino that time, she sent her son to cause a huge scene, claiming the casino had cheated her!
Tesoro's top men swarmed in but were easily taken down by Edward Weevil. Tesoro considered the situation and realized that even if he could subdue Edward Weevil, it wouldn't be easy. So in the end, he paid Bakkin a sum of money to settle the matter.
It was during that incident that Bakkin first saw Baccarat and proposed the marriage...
But in reality, Bakkin wasn't after Baccarat's beauty—she was after the deep pockets of Tesoro behind her. She thought that if her son married Baccarat, she could squeeze a huge dowry out of Tesoro through Baccarat...
"Well... let's talk about it another time!" Baccarat suppressed her anger, tightening her grip on Ian's arm, and said, "I still need to guide our guest now. Let's catch up later..."
But Baccarat's repeated mentions of Ian as a guest finally caught Bakkin's attention. She lifted her wrinkled face, covered by sunglasses, and looked at Ian.
For some reason, Ian suddenly felt a cold breeze blowing around him...
Since Ian had changed his appearance, Bakkin didn't recognize him. She sniffed the air, then her gaze slowly moved downward, finally landing on the suitcase Ian was holding.
Bakkin suddenly stepped forward, leaned close to Ian's suitcase, sniffed a few more times, and then her face lit up!
"I smell money..." Bakkin looked up at Ian. "This handsome young man must be rich, right?"
"J... just average!" Ian felt his own facial muscles twitching.
"Oh my!" Bakkin suddenly covered her face with a hand in mock shyness, saying, "Such a handsome young man—I can't help but be charmed!"
As she spoke, Bakkin started leaning toward Ian, saying, "Young man, you wouldn't mind having a beautiful woman join you, would you?"
Drawing in a sharp breath, Ian felt every hair on his body stand on end. Watching Bakkin's wrinkled face getting closer, along with her lipstick-coated mouth puckering up, he couldn't take it anymore. He suddenly kicked out!
"Ah-da!" 8)
(Sanqi Chinese)