Chapter 772: Uninvited Guest
Just as Ian and his group were busy rescuing slaves at Mary Geoise, Vice Admiral Momousagi Gion, who had been pursuing from behind, arrived at Marineford.
From a distance, she saw the chaotic mess on Marineford Island. After disembarking in a panic, the only person she could find was Chaton, still buried in the sand.
Gion was furious. She kicked Chaton twice hard, finally waking him up.
Without seeing Akainu or Kizaru, Momousagi and Chaton realized something major had happened. Only after finding some terrified surviving soldiers hiding in corners did they learn the full story.
Then, the two were struck as if by lightning...
Fleet Admiral Sakazuki had been killed in battle!?
Momousagi never imagined that arriving a step too late would lead to an event that would shake the entire world. In her panic, she set aside blaming the idiot Chaton and led her Marine soldiers, intending to rush to Mary Geoise.
However, the ringing of a Den Den Mushi interrupted her plan.
"Gion, come back! Don't go to Mary Geoise anymore!" The voice on the other end was Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"But..." Momousagi hesitated.
"Even Akainu is dead; going there won't make you a match for him!" Vice Admiral Tsuru said over the phone. "Come back. This is an order from the Five Elders. This battle shouldn't have happened in the first place. Ian just wanted to take his people and leave. At this point, the Five Elders only ask that he leave quietly..."
"Let him leave quietly? Is that even possible!?" Even Momousagi didn't believe it. "What if he sets another fire at Mary Geoise? This time, there's no Admiral Aokiji to help put it out..."
This thought wasn't unique to Momousagi; many Marines shared it. In the memories of most Marines, the great fire at Mary Geoise was still fresh. Whenever Ian entered Mary Geoise, they became tense. Fire prevention, theft prevention, and Ian prevention—Ian covered all three.
Especially since Ian's unique flames were hard to extinguish with ordinary methods. Now that Admiral Aokiji had left the Marines, if Ian really set another fire at Mary Geoise, they would be completely helpless this time.
Without a way to put out the fire, all of Mary Geoise would be burned to the ground.
However, Vice Admiral Tsuru didn't seem concerned at all. "Don't worry. The Five Elders aren't fools. They've already found a suitable person to step in..."
"A suitable person?" Momousagi was puzzled, but Tsuru had already hung up. She had to keep her questions to herself for now. Looking at the large number of dead Marine soldiers in the square, she could only grit her teeth and obey the orders from the Five Elders, abandoning the pursuit of Ian. Instead, she waved her hand and ordered her soldiers to collect the bodies here...
Since Ian first set fire to Mary Geoise and rescued hundreds of slaves, news about Ian had been secretly circulating among the slave population there.
The slaves who hadn't been rescued by Ian back then didn't resent him. Instead, they had ignited a blazing hope. No matter how much the Marines and the World Government tried to smear and vilify Ian, in their hearts, they had long decided that only Ian was their hope.
Live! Keep living! As long as they could survive, this bitter life of slavery would one day come to an end!
Ian didn't know that among the slaves at Mary Geoise, almost everyone saw him as a lighthouse in the darkness, a beacon of hope in despair. They firmly believed that one day, Ian, their savior, would descend upon Mary Geoise again like a legendary hero and rescue them!
Even though Ian had never said he would return when he left, the slaves never stopped believing it.
People fear losing hope the most, but once hope exists, they can unleash unimaginable vitality!
Because of this hope, many gritted their teeth and survived endless torture. Even covered in wounds, they stubbornly lived on. Not only did they survive, but they also told the new slaves in their cells, encouraging them to keep living!
So now, when these rescued slaves learned that their liberator was truly Ian, the Black Dragon who had become one of the Four Emperors, it felt like a god from their faith had descended.
One by one, they silently walked toward Ian, then slowly knelt before him. No words were spoken, only actions to express their gratitude to their savior...
This scene left Ian stunned. Looking at the dense crowd of heads before him—conservatively estimated at several thousand—he had no idea why they were kneeling before him so devoutly.
But... Ian could probably understand their feelings, so he sighed and told them to rise.
Although the rescued slaves were filled with excitement and fervor, Ian felt uneasy inside.
Because he vaguely remembered that the first time he rescued over five hundred slaves, the Celestial Dragons had quickly replenished their numbers, seemingly even more aggressively, causing more people to suffer.
Now that he was rescuing these people again, who knew how many more slaves the Celestial Dragons would bring in to replace them!?
Such rescues were merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause. As long as the Celestial Dragons weren't wiped out, the slave trade they influenced would never stop!
Damn it! Should he take this opportunity to kill all the Celestial Dragons!?
Ian thought this, his eyes filled with murderous intent...
As if sensing Ian's thoughts through some unspoken connection, the slaves also turned their gazes toward the Celestial Dragons' mansions around them. From their gritted teeth and furious expressions, if Ian gave the order, these slaves, who had long hated the Celestial Dragons, would unleash a violent wave of revenge, destroying everything before them!
Even Hogkin and the other family members could feel this vengeful emotion. Although they knew it wasn't directed at them, they couldn't help but shiver...
However, just as Ian was about to make a decision, a voice suddenly rang out, shouting, "Ian! Ian! Where are you, you brat!?"
With a rustle, the dense crowd almost simultaneously turned their heads toward the source of the voice and instinctively made way, allowing Ian to see who was shouting.
Ian was stunned. "Old Man Garp!? What are you doing here?"
There stood Vice Admiral Garp, his gray-white hair and beard full of vigor, arms crossed and tiger-like eyes wide open. But this time, he wasn't wearing his Marine uniform; instead, he had on a... Hawaiian floral shirt!
The Marine Hero Garp was known to everyone, even the slaves recognized him. They instinctively stepped back a little. This old man, who had earned the respect of people worldwide, even as a Marine Vice Admiral, inspired no hostility from any slave...
Seeing Ian's surprised expression, Garp laughed heartily and walked toward him. As he walked, he picked his nose in annoyance and said, "Had to come, didn't I? You brat, causing such a big mess, even killing that bastard Akainu. If someone didn't stop you from causing more trouble, it would be a huge problem!"
"Ak... Akainu!?"
"Wasn't he a Marine Admiral... no, the Fleet Admiral?"
"The Fleet Admiral was killed by Lord Ian!?"
The slaves whispered in shock, while Hogkin and the other family members gasped in disbelief! They finally understood the scale of Ian's victory at Marineford!
Damn! Ian, boss, are you really that fierce!?
After the shock, the Ian family members looked at Ian with even more fervent eyes, just like the slaves...
As he spoke, Vice Admiral Garp reached Ian. Before Ian could say anything, Garp poked Ian's forehead and scolded, spittle flying, "You brat! If I hadn't come, were you planning to set another big fire at Mary Geoise!?"
Ian's head wobbled from the poking. Only Old Man Garp could treat him with such unchanged attitude. So Ian wasn't angry but asked curiously, "Did the World Government send you?"
"No choice!" Garp crossed his arms again and glared at Ian. "I was just back from a trip when the World Government got Sengoku to persuade me. I've already said I'm retired, so I didn't want to bother with them. But I couldn't refuse Sengoku's request, so here I am!"
No wonder the old man was wearing a floral shirt—he'd been vacationing on some tropical island!
"I killed Akainu. Aren't you angry?" Ian asked Garp curiously.
"How could I not be angry?" Garp snorted, his nostrils flaring, and puffed out two streams of air. "I'm a Marine after all. You show no respect to the Marines—how could I not be angry?"
"So, are you going to arrest me?" Ian asked with amusement.
Garp directly replied, "I'm old. I can't beat you anymore! Besides, I never really liked that bastard Akainu, so forget it!"
Oh, this straightforward old man...
"Stop here!" After chatting for a while, Garp said seriously, "That's enough. I know seeing these slaves bothers you, but don't provoke the Celestial Dragons and the World Government anymore. There are things you might not know..."
Before he could finish, Ian suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Are you worried about the Celestial Dragons' national treasure, Uranus?"
Garp was startled, then asked in surprise, "Where did you hear about that?"
"I know more than you think," Ian replied, then asked quietly, "Old man, so it's true that the Celestial Dragons control the ancient weapon Uranus. Since you know about it, why not tell me? We're at Mary Geoise now—let's take it away and be done with it!"
"It's useless!" Garp shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know much either, just bits and pieces from Sengoku. If the Celestial Dragons let others easily get their national treasure, that would be something. So I advise you not to even think about it."
"...Alright, I'll listen to you!" Ian looked into Garp's eyes and saw they were serious. Believing the old man wouldn't lead him astray, he nodded and called to Hogkin, "Get everyone on the ship. We're leaving here!"
Hogkin nodded and was about to act, but someone moved faster than him!
Old Man Garp enthusiastically waved at the crowd and said, "Come on, come on, get on the ship!" while striding toward the harbor.
Ian watched in disbelief and couldn't help asking, "Old man, what are you doing!?"
"Huh? What am I doing?" Garp turned back, scratching his head. "Going with you all, of course!"
"Huh!? Going with us!?" Ian's mouth dropped open wide enough to hold a duck egg. "Why are you coming with us!? You're a Marine Vice Admiral!"
"I've already retired!" Garp turned around, hands on his hips. "I'm a retired old man. What's wrong with going with you brat to see my other two grandsons!?"
"...Uh, nothing wrong..."
Ian said this, but inside he was thinking: Damn, just as we're about to leave, we end up dragging a legendary Marine onto the ship!?