Chapter 638: Dragon's Request
Thinking about Punk Hazard, Ian suddenly remembered something.
The original laboratory poison gas incident was also from two years ago, and at this point in time, the battle between Aokiji and Akainu for the position of Fleet Admiral had not yet occurred. That meant Punk Hazard Island hadn't been turned into an island of ice and fire by their duel. Since Doflamingo had already started manufacturing Artificial Devil Fruits, it meant that Caesar had secretly returned to Punk Hazard, dispersed the poison gas, and taken over the island for his research.
In other words, Caesar was on Punk Hazard right now. Should he go take a look?
But on second thought, Ian felt it was meaningless. Even if Caesar was on the island, he probably couldn't continue his Artificial Devil Fruit research anymore. With Dressrosa liberated and the Tontatta Tribe's unique horticultural talents gone, even if Doflamingo could still obtain SAD from Caesar, he wouldn't be able to cultivate Artificial Devil Fruits.
Hmm, Ian wondered how Vegapunk had originally synthesized Artificial Devil Fruits. He figured Vegapunk probably didn't have the Tontatta Tribe's help. If that was the case, Vegapunk's skills were far superior to Caesar's. The Artificial Devil Fruit technology Caesar had stolen came with many limitations.
Going from here to Punk Hazard meant backtracking toward the Red Line. Not only was the journey long, but Ian also felt Caesar wasn't worth a special trip. So he dropped the idea.
Perhaps because the topic Aokiji had brought up earlier was somewhat heavy, the entire ship fell into silence as Ian pondered things.
After a long while, Baccarat cautiously asked Ian, "After hearing all this, it seems I have no choice but to join your pirate crew, right?"
Ian was startled by her words. He looked at Baccarat, then at Carina. When he had been talking with Aokiji earlier, he had indeed forgotten about the two of them.
But Baccarat was clearly overthinking things. Ian didn't think it mattered that they had heard about him and Robin, or about Dragon. The fact that Dragon had once been a Marine wasn't a secret to the World Government. Even if Baccarat and Carina knew, it wasn't a big deal. They couldn't exactly use it to snitch on him.
"It's fine!" Ian shook his head. "I'll say it again: whether you and Carina want to stay or leave, there won't be any problems."
Hearing this, Carina visibly relaxed. Baccarat, however, sighed and looked back at Gran Tesoro, now submerged by the tsunami. "I have nowhere else to go now. Please allow me to join your pirate crew. You might find my ability useful. If there's any way I can help, please don't hesitate to ask. Consider it repayment for saving me. Otherwise, I would have drowned in that tsunami..."
"Heh, welcome aboard!" Ian said with a smile after hearing Baccarat's words.
Konenai and Reiju exchanged glances and laughed. "Great! Now we have another shopping buddy..."
Fujitora chuckled. "Our captain is young, after all... He sure does like pretty girls..."
Crocodile blew out a puff of cigar smoke and grinned. "If he didn't like pretty girls, would he like old men like us?"
This remark made Sardine and the others burst into laughter.
Ian was a bit embarrassed by Fujitora's comment, and to make matters worse, Kuina decided to join in. She tugged at him and whispered, "Brother Ian, which of these beauties is going to be my future sister-in-law?"
Ian's face darkened. He reached out and ruffled her hair into a messy bird's nest. "Kid! Don't worry about things like that!"
As they were laughing and chatting, a ship appeared on the sea surface, emerging from the Tesoro. Reiju, with her sharp eyesight, immediately spotted someone on the deck. She quickly spoke up. "That person... looks like Dragon!"
Everyone held their breath and quietly watched the ship approach. When it drew closer, Ian could see that besides Dragon, there were many others on the deck.
Since these people appeared with Dragon, they were probably the Revolutionary Army members who had been hiding in Gran Tesoro.
As the ship got close, Dragon, standing on the deck, lightly leaped into the air and landed on the Marine warship where Ian and the others were.
Many were seeing this legendary figure for the first time, so when he boarded the ship, they instinctively lowered their voices.
Dragon had changed back into his usual attire: a dark green cloak. The red square tattoo on his left cheek was faintly visible beneath his hood.
"Dragon..." Aokiji spoke with a complicated tone when he saw him. "I guessed you might come to this ship..."
"Kuzan, long time no see!" Dragon grinned, greeting Aokiji as he pulled back his hood, revealing his wild, long hair. A gentle breeze blew, making his hair flutter slightly.
To Ian, Dragon's voice was just as he remembered it—deep and powerful, unchanged.
His words and his gaze made people feel that this man had an incredibly strong will...
"I'm curious why you were in Gran Tesoro," Aokiji said. "You weren't there just to cause trouble for Tesoro, were you?"
But Dragon laughed and replied, "Why ask that? Are you still trying to capture me? Don't forget, you're no longer a Marine Admiral. Like me, you've defected from the Marines now!"
"No! I haven't betrayed the Marines!" Aokiji defended himself.
"In the eyes of the World Government, you have!" Dragon stated firmly.
"..." Aokiji fell silent, then shook his head with a bitter smile. "Maybe you're right..."
Listening to the exchange between Dragon and Aokiji, no one dared to speak. On one side was a former Marine Admiral, on the other the leader of the Revolutionary Army. People of that caliber were not to be interrupted.
Smog puffed on his cigar, arms crossed, watching Dragon. He remembered clearly that Dragon had appeared once in Loguetown and stopped him from capturing Straw Hat Luffy.
After silencing Aokiji, Dragon turned to Ian and said, "Sorry, Ian. I was planning to find you this time, but somehow I was discovered without knowing how..."
Ian was confused at first, then suddenly realized. Ah, right! The one who had discovered Dragon's whereabouts was probably Bakkin. But that old woman had turned into a bear, and everything about her had been erased. Even Dragon couldn't remember how he had been found...
"You... you..." Aokiji and Smog looked back and forth between Ian and Dragon in shock.
What the hell was this familiar way of talking!?
Dragon actually knew Ian!?
"This isn't the place to talk. Follow me!" Ian said, seeing the surprised expressions on Aokiji and the others. He called out to Fujitora and the rest, then spread his wings and soared into the air.
Fujitora applied weightlessness to the Dragon Hunter Pirates, making everyone float—including Baccarat and the remaining gold chests filled with money. Then he said to Dragon, "Need any help?"
"No need. I can fly!" Dragon replied, then kicked off with Moon Step, shooting into the air to follow Ian. The Revolutionary Army members on his ship, as if expecting this, silently remained on board.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates ascended toward the Sky Island above, leaving Aokiji and Smog with their mouths hanging open, staring up as they left.
"I feel like Ian has been keeping us in the dark all along..." Smog muttered.
"Indeed..." Aokiji rarely agreed.
Hearing Dragon and Ian speak to each other in such a familiar tone, Aokiji and the others knew they had stumbled upon something huge...
When they returned to the Sky Island, Ian turned to watch Dragon land on the clouds, a smile spreading across his face. "Uncle Dragon, I thought you would have waited to meet me in secret."
Dragon shook his head. "It's fine. I know Kuzan. Even if he suspects something, he won't spread it. Besides, with your current strength, you don't need to hide your identity too carefully anymore."
Ian smiled and invited Dragon into the Sky Island city. As they walked, Dragon observed Ian's Sky Island, nodding to himself in approval.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates hung back, watching the two from a distance.
"Dragon actually risked coming to find Ian. That's unexpected!" Crocodile muttered quietly.
"Maybe he has something important to discuss," Robin said.
Enel, however, had no idea who Dragon was and asked about him. Konenai and Yardley proudly explained to Enel, since they were also Revolutionary Army members, and Dragon was their true leader.
"Heh!" Fujitora chuckled. "Though I can't see, I can imagine the expressions on Admiral Kuzan and the others. It must be quite amusing!"
Up ahead, Ian and Dragon were also talking.
"Uncle Dragon, it's been over ten years since we last met, right... Oh, no!" Ian slapped his forehead. "Actually, you saw me not long ago, but I didn't see you. That was back in Salamis."
Dragon said, "Sabo told you, didn't he? That's right. Back then, Kuma told me you were being chased by two Marine Admirals, Kizaru and Zephyr. I was worried you might get into trouble, so I went to Salamis Island too. But later, I saw you could handle it, and Whitebeard showed up, so I didn't reveal myself."
Ian smiled at this. When Sabo had told him about it back then, Ian had indeed been touched. Honestly, he hadn't expected Dragon to silently watch his back like that.
"You came to Gran Tesoro this time to find me, right?" Ian asked. "When I heard you were in the city, I figured as much."
"That's right, Ian!" Dragon's expression turned serious. "Since joining the Revolutionary Army, you've always acted independently. I've never assigned you any missions, but I have to say, you've done well. Your existence has diverted a lot of the World Government and Marines' attention, easing the pressure on our pursuit."
"I came specifically to discuss a few things!" Dragon said, pulling a Vivre Card from his pocket and handing it to Ian. "I know you have Sabo's Vivre Card, but Sabo hasn't been at Baltigo recently. So I'm giving you a piece of mine. I need you to personally come to the Revolutionary Army headquarters in Baltigo in six months."
"Huh? Your Vivre Card?" Ian was surprised. "Are you sure it's okay to give this to me?"