Chapter 710: To Stay or to Leave (1/60)
After listening to Hawkins recount the full story, Ian immediately became attentive. Drake actually had Hawkins pass on intelligence for him?
Drake was currently within the Beast Pirates, so the intelligence he passed on should be related to them. And what recent intelligence could the Beast Pirates have? Wasn't it just the matter of Wano Country?
So Ian quickly asked, "Where's the intelligence? Let me see it!"
"Right here!" Hawkins reached into his pocket, pulled out his fortune-telling cards, and carefully separated two cards that had been stuck together, taking out a piece of paper from between them.
He handed it to Ian, saying, "I was worried the Beast Pirates might hunt me down, so I hid the intelligence. Rest assured, I absolutely haven't read it!"
Ian nodded and said, "You've been thoughtful!"
With that, Ian unfolded the paper and looked at the words Drake had written on it.
However, the moment he saw it, Ian's pupils contracted sharply. The paper read: "Fujitora and Ace have been captured by the daimyo of Wano Country! They are currently imprisoned!"
Upon seeing this news, Ian felt terrible.
No wonder Uncle Fujitora had been gone for so long without sending back any news. Even if he hadn't brought a Den Den Mushi, he should have been able to find one. Even if Wano Country was isolated, could it really be impossible to find a single Den Den Mushi?
Now Ian realized that Uncle Fujitora was imprisoned! And with him was that guy Ace.
"What exactly happened?" Ian frowned and asked Hawkins, "Do you know anything about Wano Country?"
Hawkins was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Lord Ian. We were locked up in Kaido's stronghold at the time, not in Wano Country, so I don't know about what you're referring to..."
Ian then realized he had asked the wrong person.
Although this intelligence made Ian want to fly to Wano Country immediately, on second thought, he found he couldn't rush.
First of all, he couldn't guarantee whether Drake's intelligence was true or false.
Ian had saved Drake once, but Drake had now joined the Beast Pirates. While Ian trusted Drake, it was hard to say whether this wasn't a deliberate leak by the Beast Pirates.
Everyone knew that Uncle Fujitora was the first mate of Ian's Dragon Hunter Pirates. The intelligence said the daimyo of Wano Country had captured him, but behind those daimyo might be Kaido's support, so it was hard to tell if this wasn't a trap set by the Beast Pirates.
A madman like Kaido probably wouldn't have such cunning, but anyone who becomes a Four Emperor must have a strategist by their side.
Moreover, the most important thing was that Uncle Fujitora was Ian's first mate, while Ace was the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Capturing both of them at once—weren't Wano Country or Kaido afraid that two Four Emperor crews would join forces to crush them?
There had to be something fishy about this. So Ian really couldn't rush now. Even if he wanted to rescue them, he first needed to investigate where Fujitora and Ace were being held.
"How are you feeling now?" Ian asked Hawkins.
"Much better!" Hawkins nodded and pleaded, "Lord Ian, please also treat my men..."
"I will," Ian said. "But what about that Kid? I have no connection with him."
Among the Supernovas, they were all individuals with strong personalities, and Kid was clearly a typical pirate—brutal, rude, and arrogant. In short, Ian had no good impression of him. And Ian knew that Kid wasn't the type to submit to anyone. Hawkins seemed inclined to seek refuge with Ian this time, but Kid was a different story.
Ian wasn't a saint, so he couldn't save just anyone.
"I know..." Hawkins struggled to stand up, then knelt on one knee and said to Ian, "But please, for my sake, save him this once. Whether he leaves afterward is none of my concern. I only owe him one favor from our escape—the scar on his face was taken for me..."
Well, since Hawkins had put it that way, Ian couldn't refuse. So he first used the Twin Heaven Return Shield to heal each member of the Hawkins Pirates, then went to the Kid Pirates' ship.
Kid looked at Ian weakly and said, "So you're the new Four Emperor, Black Dragon Ian?"
Ian didn't speak, just coldly nodded at him.
"You seem to have a problem with me?" Kid forced a bitter smile and said, "If you don't want to save us, then let us leave! I'm begging you..."
Kid couldn't endure being crushed by a third Four Emperor anymore...
Ian said nothing, bent down, and enveloped Kid's entire body in the light of the Twin Heaven Return Shield.
Instantly, Kid felt much more comfortable. And what amazed him most was that his left arm, which Snack had cut off earlier, was slowly "growing" back!
Kid could swear to the heavens that this light was no ordinary healing effect—it was something far more miraculous! Unfortunately, he had no idea what this power was...
"Thank me!" Ian said expressionlessly. "If you hadn't met me, your 'Left Imperial Concubine' would be gone forever!"
Kid didn't understand what "Left Imperial Concubine" meant, but he knew Ian was telling the truth. After losing his arm, he had never imagined it could one day be restored.
Ian ignored him and went to treat the rest of the Kid Pirates.
Yonji, standing behind Ian, watched the entire rescue process and felt a pang of unease. He hadn't seen Ian's astonishing healing ability before, and now that he had, he understood just how terrifying Ian was. With such healing power, unless an enemy could kill him instantly, he could always recover.
Damn, it was a good thing his father had become an ally with this guy... Being an enemy of someone like this was incredibly unwise.
Before long, everyone from the Hawkins Pirates and the Kid Pirates had fully recovered. The pirates who had lost limbs hugged their newly regrown arms and legs, crying tears of joy, looking at Ian as if he were a god.
After Ian finished, Hawkins led his entire crew to kneel on the deck.
Each of them held a cup of wine they had just fetched from the island. Hawkins raised his cup and said to Ian, who stood before him, "Lord Ian, thanks to you, the Hawkins Pirates have been reborn today. Now, our entire crew offers you the cup of sworn brotherhood. From today onward, the Hawkins Pirates will become a part of the Dragon Hunter Pirates! Please drink this cup!"
"Please drink this cup!" the pirates of the Hawkins Pirates said in unison.
Ian was no stranger to this ritual of the cup of sworn brotherhood. Urouge's Monk Pirates and Law's Heart Pirates had done the same thing once. So Ian took a cup of wine from a Germa clone soldier, clinked it with Hawkins, and said, "I accept this cup! From today on, you will become companions of the Dragon Hunter Pirates. We will be like brothers, advancing and retreating together!"
"Like brothers, advancing and retreating together!"
Hawkins and his men shouted in unison. Seeing Ian drink the wine, they all drank theirs together.
With the ritual complete, the Hawkins Pirates became a part of the Dragon Hunter Pirates. Like the Heart Pirates and the Monk Pirates, they would now have only one name: the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
At this moment, Ian was short on manpower, so Hawkins and his crew joined just in time, swelling the Dragon Hunter Pirates to over a hundred members.
The Kid Pirates watched the entire scene from the side, remaining silent.
Ian then turned to Kid and said, "Kid, what about you? If you want to leave, I can give you some food and water."
Ian wouldn't force them to join. Just like Capone Bege, who had left Whole Cake Island two days ago with his wife Chiffon and Pudding, taking the entire Fire Tank Pirates without joining Ian's Dragon Hunter Pirates. Everyone had their own ambitions, and Capone Bege was never one to be restrained—otherwise, why would he have teamed up with Ian to betray BIG MOM?
Kid didn't speak. He looked into Ian's eyes, sighed, and led his crew away.
To be honest, after being crushed by two Four Emperors in a row, Kid couldn't help but fear their power. He actually wanted to find a strong backer, but seeing Ian's expression, he realized Ian really didn't like him, so he had to give up.
And Ian had no intention of keeping him. Kid's temper would only cause trouble for the Dragon Hunter Pirates if he stayed...