Chapter 703: Expanding Territory
In truth, Reiju had spoken incorrectly as well. Even if Ian had tried to persuade her to stay, she couldn’t have remained. The two of them were never meant to be. After all, Ian had risen to power by stepping on the Big Mom Pirates. While other children of Big Mom might not care, Reiju, as one of the Sweet Commanders—the highest-ranking officers of the Big Mom Pirates—would face a dire situation if she turned to Ian’s embrace right after her biological mother’s death.
If she had been forced, it might be excusable. But if she stayed willingly, the first ones to kill her would likely be her own siblings.
Big Mom’s children could never decide their own marriages. Reiju had finally found a man she found pleasing, and coincidentally, her mother had assigned him to her. It was understandable that she developed genuine feelings. Now, knowing this relationship would never bear fruit, she still wanted to leave behind a small memory. That’s why Smoothie had deliberately stayed until the end—just to see Ian one last time.
Now that they had met and spoken, Smoothie departed with grace. Ian, in turn, avoided a potentially clichéd tale of love turning to hate.
The only ones left on the island now were the Vinsmoke Family. When Ian approached Gaji, the man first glanced at Reiju behind Ian and let out a cold snort.
Reiju, however, wore a charming smile and waved a greeting at her father.
Gaji rolled his eyes and said to Ian, “When Reiju first fell into your hands, I knew it would be trouble. And now, your battle with Big Mom has dragged our Vinsmoke Family into it. Once word gets out, everyone will think we’re allied with you, Ian!”
Ian smiled, unbothered, and spread his hands. “Since that’s the case, why not make it official?”
“What do you plan to do?” Gaji asked.
“Simple. You originally wanted to rely on a Yonko’s power. But now Big Mom is dead, and I’ve become the new Yonko!” Ian lifted his chin. “What she could give you, I can give you too.”
Gaji sneered, “I’m not trying to discourage you, but even though you killed Big Mom, your foundation as the new Yonko can’t compare to hers. The Big Mom Pirates had tens of thousands of combatants. Look at your Dragon Hunter Pirates—just a few hundred people. How much support can you offer me?”
“But there’s one thing Big Mom didn’t have,” Ian said, pointing behind him.
Gaji looked up and saw Ian pointing at three Pacifistas.
“You mean…” Gaji understood immediately.
“That’s right. Pacifistas!” Ian nodded. “Your Germa Group can produce clone soldiers, but their combat strength is hardly impressive, isn’t it? Otherwise, you’d have unified the North Blue by now.”
Gaji said nothing, acknowledging the truth. His clone soldiers were loyal, willing to sacrifice their lives without hesitation to shield their master, but their actual strength was lacking.
“But what if we replaced those clone soldiers with Pacifistas?” Ian smiled. “Your Germa Group handles the production of Pacifista bodies, and our Dragon Hunter Pirates handle the modifications. In time, even the Marines might not have as many Pacifistas as we do.”
This was something Ian had been considering for a while. Due to his principles, the Dragon Hunter Pirates had never blindly expanded their numbers. He didn’t want to recruit heinous pirates into his crew. But this left them constantly short-handed.
The obvious solution was to mass-produce Pacifistas. However, while Kuma had helped them acquire three Pacifistas, without the technology related to Lineage Factor, even Waldo couldn’t mass-produce them. He could only make limited modifications to the existing three.
But if they allied with the Germa Group, things would change. Germa’s specialty was cloning. They could provide a steady stream of bodies for Pacifista production.
Though it might seem disrespectful to Kuma, Ian believed Kuma wouldn’t mind. In Ian’s vision, the Pacifistas produced wouldn’t just be for the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ own use. He also planned to supply them to the Revolutionary Army, giving them the means to counter the Marines’ Pacifistas.
Ian had reached this point through his own efforts, but many influential figures had helped him along the way. Teacher Koushirou, Kuina, Whitebeard, even Hawk-Eye and Red-Haired Shanks had all secretly lent a hand. But the greatest help had come from Kuma, Dragon, and the Revolutionary Army. Without their covert support, Ian’s path would have been far more turbulent.
A man shouldn’t forget his roots, so Ian immediately thought of the Revolutionary Army.
Hearing Ian’s proposal, Gaji was deeply tempted. Honestly, when he first considered allying with the Big Mom Pirates, he had been worried. The Big Mom Pirates were pure pirates, and he feared being exploited. But he had no choice. The Whitebeard Pirates and Red Hair Pirates looked down on him, and he didn’t want to deal with a madman like Kaido. So, after much deliberation, the Big Mom Pirates were his only option.
Now, however, he had a better choice: the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
Compared to Kaido, Ian at least had a normal moral compass. Though he was short-handed, that complemented Germa Group’s strengths perfectly. Their needs aligned. And since Reiju had been with Ian for so long, Gaji trusted his daughter wouldn’t betray him. After thinking it over, Gaji found no reason to refuse.
“Then, deal?” Gaji extended his hand to Ian.
“Deal!” Ian reached out and clapped Gaji’s hand three times.
Seeing this, Reiju breathed a sigh of relief. She felt this was the best outcome. She had feared that past grudges between Ian and her father would lead to harsh words and a broken deal.
With the cooperation agreement in place, Gaji quickly shifted into his new role, thinking for Ian. He said, “Even though Whole Cake Island is now under the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ control, don’t forget that the Big Mom Pirates ruled over the ‘Whole Cake Archipelago.’ There are dozens of islands around Whole Cake Island, all former territories of the Big Mom Pirates. Pirates from their crew are likely still entrenched there. They all need to be cleared out.”
“I understand,” Ian said, frowning. Honestly, with so many islands—at least thirty or forty—once they were taken, he’d need to station some personnel on each. Just like his Travira Island, which produced Thunder Stones, and Dressrosa. Even if they didn’t interfere with the local governments’ rule, if those islands flew the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ flag and sought their protection, a symbolic presence was necessary.
But the Dragon Hunter Pirates had only a few hundred people. Spreading them out, each island might get one or two at most.
Maybe he should ask Uncle Dragon for some Revolutionary Army personnel to help.
Oh, and there was Buggy. After escaping from Impel Down, he had taken the prisoners with him. His Pirate Dispatch Organization was now up and running. Maybe Buggy could help too.
Of course, Gaji’s Germa Group could also assist by providing clone soldiers for garrison duty. But the key was ensuring those stationed personnel didn’t misbehave and tarnish the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ reputation.
Ian had always considered the Dragon Hunter Pirates to be righteous pirates.
Gaji, being older and more experienced, warned Ian that this was a critical period. With the Big Mom Pirates suddenly collapsing, many distant territories might attract bold pirates looking to attack. This was the time for the Dragon Hunter Pirates to establish their authority as a Yonko. Any pirates trying to loot and seize territory must be ruthlessly suppressed.
Ian agreed wholeheartedly. Looking at history, after Whitebeard’s death, the islands he had protected were plunged into war. Pirates were a pragmatic bunch, especially during power transitions. There would always be those who gambled on luck.
Beyond territory issues, how to govern the acquired lands was another major problem. Under Big Mom’s rule, the residents of the “Whole Cake Archipelago” had to pay a soul tax, giving up a portion of their souls at fixed intervals to the Big Mom Pirates. Now that Ian had taken over, the residents were likely worried about what kind of tax he would impose.
Territories under a Yonko’s protection were expected to pay tribute. That was the rule. Ian couldn’t simply forgo it.
Also, while the Big Mom Pirates had fled, they had left many things behind on Whole Cake Island. For one, Robin was eager to examine the Poneglyphs left there.
Ian had promised to help her uncover the truth of history. This was a major step forward.
In short, there were countless matters to handle.
And while Ian was busy with the affairs of his newly acquired territories, the president of the World Economy News Paper had returned to his own domain.