Chapter 711: Prevention Before Trouble
When Ian brought the Hawkins Pirates back to Whole Cake Island and introduced them to everyone, the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates were left speechless.
They certainly knew who Hawkins was, but they never expected that Ian, after stepping out for just a short while, would suddenly return with a group of underlings! And another Supernova with a bounty of 249 million Berries, no less.
Just two days earlier, everyone had seen the latest batch of wanted posters in the newspapers. After Ian became one of the new Four Emperors, the Marines and the World Government had issued a round of bounty adjustments specifically targeting the entire Dragon Hunter Pirates.
As the captain and leader of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, Ian’s bounty of 1.2 billion Berries had not increased further. From the moment he ascended to the throne of the Four Emperors, the Marines and the World Government could no longer raise his bounty. It wasn’t that they couldn’t; it was simply unnecessary. No one would dare to scheme against the bounty of a Four Emperor...
However, the bounties of everyone else in the Dragon Hunter Pirates had been significantly raised.
- Dragon Hunter Pirates Vice Captain, Fujitora Issho: Bounty 1.037 billion Berries.
- Boatswain, God Enel: Bounty 640 million Berries.
- Former Warlord of the Sea, now Dragon Hunter Pirates Chief of Staff, Sand Crocodile Crocodile: Bounty 520 million Berries.
- Demon Child Nico Robin: Bounty 140 million Berries.
- Rose Knight Konenai: Bounty 98 million Berries.
Beyond the main executives, even combatants like Mr. 1, Baccarat, Baby 5, Yardi, Dorry, Sardine, and Zeke had received bounties, none lower than 50 million Berries. As for Trafalgar Law and Urouge, these former Supernovas saw their bounties jump by about 80 million Berries each.
A full newspaper page was filled with wanted posters of Dragon Hunter Pirates members—a special edition! This was the treatment reserved for a new Four Emperor crew...
Now, with Hawkins added, the total bounty sum of the Dragon Hunter Pirates had exceeded 5 billion Berries!
Such a massive total naturally reflected the Marines and World Government’s heightened vigilance toward the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
Logically, with Ian newly ascended as a Four Emperor and his territories and influence not yet consolidated, the Marines and World Government could have been clever. They could have dispatched fleets to seize some of the former Big Mom Pirates’ territories, gradually infiltrating the New World with their forces.
But they didn’t dare! The reason was simple: although Ian was newly in power, he was far from an ordinary Four Emperor.
The original Four Emperors each guarded their own territories and rarely allied with one another. Ian, however, was different. Given his friendship with the Whitebeard Pirates, these two Four Emperor crews were practically united in spirit!
Moreover, Ian also had ties with Red-Haired Shanks. While this bond wasn’t as strong as his connection with the Whitebeard Pirates, no one could guarantee that they wouldn’t support each other in times of crisis...
Thus, calling Ian a “troublemaker” wasn’t entirely wrong. His rise had shattered the old Four Emperor balance. Originally, the Four Emperors checked each other, maintaining a delicate equilibrium. But Ian’s ascension had effectively split the Four Emperor forces in half!
One half consisted of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, and the Red Hair Pirates. The other half was the Beast Pirates!
Three against one—Kaido might have three words he wouldn’t know whether to say or not...
This was the extent of Ian’s influence now. The reason the Marines and World Government were so wary of him was that he served as a link, showing signs of alliance among three Four Emperor crews. This was something the Marines and World Government absolutely did not want to see.
As a long-serving, veteran Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile was well-versed in the World Government’s modus operandi. After Hawkins and his crew joined, Crocodile specifically sought out Ian for a private conversation.
“Hawkins’ defection should be a sign,” Crocodile said to Ian. “It’s predictable that once word spreads that you’ve taken in his crew, a flood of pirate crews will come to pledge allegiance to you, the new Four Emperor. After all, the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ numbers are far too small compared to the original Big Mom Pirates. For many pirates with speculative minds, you, the new Four Emperor, are their stepping stone. They know you’re desperate for manpower to manage your newly acquired territories, so this is their opportunity.”
“But the World Government won’t miss this chance either!” Crocodile said gravely. “Soon, a large number of CP intelligence agents will likely disguise themselves as pirates and join you, becoming members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates. Without a way to identify them, every move we make will be monitored by the World Government!”
Ian nodded, acknowledging the truth in Crocodile’s words. Even the original Big Mom Pirates had someone like Stussy, a CP0 agent, who had become her close friend. The World Government’s spies were truly impossible to guard against.
“Do you have any good ideas?” Ian asked Crocodile.
“Unfortunately, unless we stop expanding our numbers and influence, I don’t have a great method to identify who’s from the World Government,” Crocodile shook his head. “The reason people find CP intelligence agents mysterious and terrifying is that no one knows what identity they’ll appear before you in...”
“So for now, there’s only one solution: separation!” Crocodile said. “The original Dragon Hunter Pirates members should be trustworthy. Keep them as the core force, station them at the Skypiea base as much as possible, and store the crew’s core secrets there. For new recruits, classify them separately and prevent them from accessing Skypiea. That way, even if World Government agents are among them, they’ll learn far less.”
“That’s a good approach, but regardless, our crew’s movements will inevitably be known to the World Government and Marines, right?” Ian said.
“Yes. Which territories we plan to take, which pirate crews we fight—these can’t be hidden,” Crocodile replied. “But do they need to be hidden? Unless, of course, you’re planning to attack Marine Headquarters Marineford or the Holy Land Mary Geoise...”
Ian smiled and said, “Alright, let’s do it your way. Separate the crew members. I’ll leave this task to you. Since the World Government already sees you as the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ Chief of Staff, it’s time you fulfilled that role.”
After Ian became a Four Emperor, it affected not only the world but also the internal dynamics of the Dragon Hunter Pirates. These adjustments were necessary.
Crocodile left, and Ian stood there for a moment, thinking, before summoning Hawkins.
“Captain, you called for me?”
After joining the Dragon Hunter Pirates, Hawkins had changed his address, calling Ian “Captain.” Though Ian didn’t yet have a ship that truly belonged to him, that didn’t stop everyone from using the title.
“Hawkins, I need you to perform a divination for me,” Ian said.
“Understood,” Hawkins nodded. He led Ian to a quiet room, where they sat facing each other. Hawkins laid out his tarot cards on the table.
“You don’t need to tell me what you’re asking about. Just think about it in your mind, and then draw three cards from this deck,” Hawkins instructed.
Ian nodded, looked at the tarot cards on the table, and randomly flipped over three of them, handing them to Hawkins.
“...” Hawkins stared at the patterns on the three cards Ian had given him, remaining silent for a long moment before speaking. “Captain, you want to ask about someone’s safety, right?”
“Yes,” Ian said. He was actually inquiring about Fujitora’s situation.
He had a piece of Ace’s Vivre Card. After receiving the intelligence from Drake, Ian had already checked it. Ace’s Vivre Card was intact, meaning he was in no immediate danger.
But Ian didn’t have a Vivre Card for Fujitora, so he needed to confirm his condition.