Chapter 635: The Wind Is Somewhat Turbulent
After Perospero and Katakuri had left, Ian called Kuina over and began stuffing money into her arms without restraint.
Kuina was stunned, holding large bundles of cash in both hands, and asked in panic, "Senior Brother Ian, why are you giving me so much money? I don't want it!"
"Hey, this is for you and Aokiji!" Ian said. "That guy is a Marine Admiral. If I give him money directly, he might think it's too vulgar. You're my little sister, so giving it to you is no problem..."
Ian said this quite loudly, so there was no way Aokiji couldn't hear it. For a moment, he was utterly speechless.
You haven't even given it to me, so how do you know whether I'd accept it or not?
Beating around the bush like this—can't you have a little less scheming and a little more sincerity!?
So Aokiji stepped forward, snatched a bundle of cash from Ian's hand, and said lazily, "Don't worry, I don't have that kind of morally superior squeamishness. Although my original intention in joining your move was just to divert Tesoro's attention, since you've managed to get all his money out, I won't refuse it just because it's stolen money!"
Ian smiled and looked at him, asking, "Have you figured things out?"
Aokiji didn't speak, just nodded. At this moment, he truly had figured things out.
Back then, when he wanted to compete with Akainu for the position of Fleet Admiral, it wasn't because he coveted the power of the position. It was because he saw very clearly that with Akainu's personality, if he became Fleet Admiral, he would likely lead the Marines down the wrong path!
Indeed, the Marines' duty is to fight pirates and uphold justice—that's correct. But if they remain cold-blooded and indiscriminate, blindly following the World Government's orders without their own thoughts, they would eventually degenerate into a pure violent institution, used by the World Government to suppress disobedient opponents.
Aokiji glanced at Robin, who was standing gracefully behind Ian. The Ohara incident years ago had already made Aokiji doubt the nature of the World Government.
Shouldn't rulers act for the welfare of the people? Why would they turn around and harm their own people? The unarmed scholars of Ohara weren't heinous pirates. They were wiped out entirely just for the crime of studying history!
That was a complete massacre of an entire city...
After leaving the Marines, setting aside his own position and completely observing as a bystander, Aokiji saw things even more clearly.
Ian was right. If he had left the Marines alone, he could do whatever he wanted. But now, following him were Kuina, Smoker, and these subordinates. Aokiji had to take responsibility for their futures. So Ian's proposal wasn't a bad suggestion.
Seeing Aokiji accept the money, Smoker also stepped forward, cigar in mouth, and unceremoniously took a bundle of cash from Ian's hand.
If we're talking about familiarity, Smoker and Ian were quite well-acquainted. Back when Ian was a swordsmanship instructor in Loguetown, strictly speaking, Smoker was even his superior.
So after taking the money, Smoker looked at Ian with frustration and said, "You bastard, you fooled me so badly back then. You were doing fine as a bounty hunter, but in the blink of an eye, you became a Warlord of the Sea, and in the end, you screwed the Marines over. Tashigi still gets pissed off whenever she mentions you!"
Ian wasn't angry. He patted Smoker on the shoulder and said, "Honestly, Smoker, I still want to thank you. During Kuina's time in Loguetown, I'm grateful for your care!"
"Hmph, she was my subordinate back then, so it was my duty! I don't need your thanks!" Smoker snorted.
Ian picked up a pile of cash and placed it into Tashigi's arms, saying, "Tashigi, you haven't forgotten me, have you? Why haven't you said a word to me?"
But Tashigi puffed out her cheeks angrily, turned her head away, and said, "You're a big shot now. What could a small fry like me possibly have to say to you?"
Ian laughed heartily, reached out, and ruffled Tashigi's hair, saying, "I hope you don't mind. In the future, you can still get along well with Kuina. You two look so alike; you should be able to become good sisters!"
"Shut up!" Tashigi's hair was messed up into a bird's nest by Ian, and her glasses nearly fell off. But with her hands full of cash, she couldn't fix them, so she shouted in exasperation.
After a bit of joking around, Ian finished distributing the dividends to Aokiji and the others. He didn't give too much—if it were too much, Aokiji and the others probably wouldn't accept it. So Ian gave them the same amount as Katakuri and the others: half a share, which was twenty-five billion Berries.
When Aokiji handed this money to the remaining Marine officers to store in the cabin, those officers' faces were blank with shock.
They never imagined that by following Admiral Aokiji to Golden Tesoro for a spin, they would end up with so much money...
Meanwhile, watching Ian continuously hand out money, Carina, who had come out with them, couldn't help but feel envious. She hopped on her feet and said to Ian, "What about mine? Where's my share?"
"How much do you want?" Ian asked her.
Carina rolled her eyes and said, "We're partners, so shouldn't I get the same as them?"
Ian smiled at her, shook his finger, and said, "No way. I'll give you at most one billion Berries!"
"Ah!? Why!" Carina's eyes widened. "I was the one who led the way! Without me, would you have found Tesoro's vault?"
"That's not the point," Ian shook his head. "Even if I gave you the same two hundred billion in dividends, you're a girl carrying that much money in this pirate-infested New World. Do you think you could keep it safe? Having too much money isn't a good thing for you!"
Hearing this, Carina immediately deflated, wilting in disappointment.
She knew Ian was telling the truth. A girl with little strength having too much money wasn't necessarily a good thing. Although Carina often said that girls rely on wisdom to survive, wisdom sometimes doesn't help much in the face of raw power.
Still, she fought hard for better terms, saying, "One billion Berries is too little. I could earn that much staying by Tesoro's side. At least don't let me take a loss!"
Ian didn't haggle with her and finally agreed to give her two point five billion Berries.
"Great! This job was totally worth it!" Carina jumped for joy.
Two point five billion Berries might seem small compared to the two hundred fifty billion that Aokiji and the others got, but it was enough for Carina to live comfortably for the rest of her life. Most importantly, with this money, she was free again. Compared to being controlled by Tesoro and forced to work as a singer, freedom was far more valuable.
"One more request!" Carina giggled and pleaded with Ian, "Since we've cooperated this once, could you let me borrow your pirate crew's flag in the future? Don't worry, I won't misuse it. I just want to use your crew's name for protection in critical moments!"
The name of the Dragon Hunter Pirates was now well-known throughout the New World. Even Dressrosa still flew the Dragon Hunter Pirates' flag as a symbol of protection. If Carina got Ian's permission, at the very least, everyone in Whitebeard's territory would show her some respect. Even if someone with ill intentions knew Carina was a little rich girl, they wouldn't dare to mess with her.
Ian thought about it and figured it was no big deal. As long as Carina didn't use his name to swindle people, if the Dragon Hunter Pirates couldn't even protect a single girl, then they'd be worthless.
So Ian finally nodded in agreement.
As a result, Carina immediately turned around, humming a tune, and found a pen to start drawing the Dragon Hunter Pirates' emblem on her chest. This behavior left everyone staring in bewilderment.
They felt like something was off...
After dealing with Carina, Ian walked over to another woman.
"What are your plans?" Ian said to Baccarat, who was lying on the deck. "Stop pretending. I know you've been awake for a while."
Hearing Ian's words, Baccarat opened her eyes, brushed her hair behind her ear, and said faintly, "What plans could I have? You brought me out because you've taken a liking to my ability, right? Whatever. A weakling like me can only be pushed around by big shots like you... For me, it's just changing bosses."
"Don't misunderstand. I'm different from Tesoro," Ian said. "I don't like forcing people. Forced fruit isn't sweet. Although I admit your ability might be very useful to me, I'll still respect your wishes and give you two choices. If you don't want to join my crew, I'll give you the same amount of money as Carina and let you leave."
"Really?" Baccarat asked in disbelief.
"Of course," Ian nodded. "If you don't believe me, you can ask my crew members if they joined voluntarily... Uh, except for one person!"
Ian glanced at Enel, that flashy guy...
"I..." Baccarat hesitated, about to say something, but at that moment, a violent gust of wind suddenly swept across the sea!
This wind was very strange. It came out of nowhere, and it was clear that its range was limited to the area around the giant ship, the Gran Tesoro.
The Marine warship Ian and the others were on was also within this range, so it was suddenly shaken violently. But the ships that had already left the Tesoro port and sailed farther away were unaffected.
Aokiji was initially puzzled, thinking it might be some special weather phenomenon. But suddenly, as if remembering something, his expression changed, and he shouted to everyone, "Not good! Get away from here quickly!"
Kuina and Tashigi didn't hesitate and immediately ran toward the sails and the helm. Ian and the others were confused and, seeing Aokiji's serious expression, asked him, "What's wrong?"
Aokiji glanced at Ian, then turned his gaze toward the location of the Gran Tesoro, and said, "It's Dragon! He's finally made his move. Tesoro's ship is probably doomed..."
As if to confirm Aokiji's words, just as the warship moved away from the Gran Tesoro's position, the hurricane grew even stronger!
From where Ian and the others were, they couldn't feel how powerful the wind was, but they could see that under the hurricane's force, the massive hull of the Gran Tesoro was beginning to sway!
That was a super-giant ship several kilometers long! And the wind could actually make it sway!?
Such a violent hurricane kicked up even larger waves. To Ian and the others' astonishment, two towering tsunami waves rose from the sea, one on the left and one on the right, and then slammed into the Gran Tesoro in the middle!
In that instant, Ian felt a sense of déjà vu, as if Whitebeard himself had struck!
A thunderous roar echoed as the Gran Tesoro was engulfed by the two giant waves! A massive amount of seawater poured into the Golden City...
Under such enormous waves, the Gran Tesoro might not necessarily sink to the bottom of the sea, but with the seawater washing over it, the entire city would be destroyed...
First, set a small goal for yourself: like collecting it. URL: m.