Chapter 777: No Comparison, No Harm
It was clear that Luffy and his crew had spotted Ian among this fleet through their telescopes, which was why they were waving and approaching so excitedly.
Before long, the Thousand Sunny was alongside, and after dropping anchor and securing the ship, the entire Straw Hat crew came aboard.
"Ian big brother!" The first to pounce over was, of course, Chopper. The kid was thrilled to see Ian again, leaping over and tightly wrapping his arms around Ian's neck.
Ian stroked his soft fur and smiled, "Chopper, long time no see! You look like you've grown a bit!"
"Heh... heheheh..." Chopper took that as a compliment, his eyes squinting with joy, though he said, "You... even if you praise me, I won't be happy..."
Ian held Chopper like that and looked up. The first person he saw was Nami, and his eyes lit up immediately because he noticed her hair had grown much longer and she looked more mature. She wore tight jeans and a cute mini top—still the same style Ian remembered—but she was even more alluring and charming.
However, Nami didn't immediately come over to greet him after boarding. Instead, she studied Ian carefully.
"What's wrong, Nami?" Ian glanced at himself and asked curiously, "Don't you recognize me?"
"Tsk tsk!" Nami clicked her tongue in admiration, flicked her hair back, and said, "I'm super regretful now!"
"Regretful about what?" Ian asked.
"Regretful that I didn't set sail with you back then!" Nami sighed dejectedly. "I never thought you'd become a Yonko! If I had gone with you back then, I'd be part of a Yonko's crew, right?"
Then, Nami switched to a dreamy expression, clasping her hands by her face, and said, "In that case, just collecting tolls alone would net me tens of billions of Berries, right? So much money..."
When Sanji heard this, he wailed and grabbed Nami's leg, crying, "No way! Nami-san, you're not thinking of leaving with this bastard too, are you? The only reason I'm still on this ship is you..."
Before he could finish, Nami kicked him repeatedly.
Ian ignored the pervy cook and turned to Zoro, smiling, "Zoro! Long time no see. Not up for a hug?"
"No!" Zoro crossed his arms and lifted his chin. "I'd rather greet you with my sword!"
Ian laughed heartily. Zoro was the second one to jump aboard, after all... The guy still couldn't say what he meant.
"Franky, Brook, Bon-chan!" Ian greeted each of them in turn, then looked at Jinbe and nodded, "Jinbe!"
Sea Knight Jinbe chuckled and stepped forward to shake Ian's hand, saying, "I heard you killed Fleet Admiral Akainu at Marine Headquarters. We were all shocked at the time."
"This time at Mary Geoise, I also rescued quite a few of your Fish-Man brethren. You can meet them later if you want. Just say the word if you need to take them back," Ian said.
But Jinbe shook his head. "No need. I'm at ease knowing they're with you."
"Ian-rando! Ian-rando!"
Just as Ian was talking with Jinbe, he heard Leo's voice. The little guy had somehow climbed onto Ian's shoulder. Ian turned his head and saw him, so he amusingly extended his finger to shake hands with Leo, asking, "How did you end up becoming a pirate too?"
Leo happily replied, "Yeah! I heard Luffy and his crew are your friends, so I came along with them!"
Well, there was another unexpected member of the Straw Hat Pirates...
Speaking of the Straw Hat Pirates... Ian turned to look at Luffy. That guy was always the most impulsive. Before the ship had even stopped, he grabbed the railing and launched himself over. But as soon as he landed, before he could say a word, *bang*—he got a iron fist to the head.
The one who delivered it was, of course, Grandpa Garp. Luffy hadn't seen Garp before boarding, so he basically walked right into a trap. Now, with Garp twisting his rubber face, Luffy whined, "Why are you here, Gramps!?"
"Hmph, you little brat!" Garp's eyes held amusement, but his face was stern. "You don't even greet your grandfather? Where are your manners!?"
"S... sorry!" Luffy had to apologize.
Only then did Garp let him go.
The entire Straw Hat crew was now aboard, while Kin'emon and the others behind them came up cautiously and warily.
Seeing Ian laughing and chatting with the group, Kin'emon quietly asked Franky, "Who is this man? Is he also a pirate?"
Franky puffed out his chest. "Oh, he's Yonko Black Dragon Ian!"
"Y... Yonko!?" Kin'emon was stunned. He immediately picked up Momonosuke, called to Kanjuro, and tried to flee back to the Thousand Sunny.
But Franky grabbed him and said, "What are you panicking for? He's Luffy and Zoro's big brother!"
Kin'emon wiped the cold sweat from his brow, still shaken, and said, "I... I see..."
Even though he knew Ian wasn't an enemy, Kin'emon and the others still felt a chill. The memory of Kaido, another Yonko, attacking Kuri in Wano was too vivid. Just hearing the word "Yonko" made them tremble. Even though Ian was smiling warmly, they couldn't let their guard down, their muscles tense.
As for Momonosuke, he was even worse. He instinctively tried to hide behind Nami.
But Sanji subtly kicked him away.
"What are you doing!?" Momonosuke shouted at Sanji after being kicked.
"Damn brat!" Sanji took a drag of his cigarette, glaring at him sideways with a fierce look, and muttered, "Trying to take advantage of Nami-san again, huh?"
"That's right!" Brook chimed in. "Don't think we don't know what you're up to!"
Momonosuke burst into tears and ran to Nami, grabbing her pant leg. "Nami-ko, they're bullying me..."
Without a word, Nami *bang-bang* knocked two lumps on Sanji's and Brook's heads, then smiled sweetly, picked up Momonosuke, and said, "There, there, Momo, don't cry..."
Watching Nami's swaying, ample chest, Momonosuke wore a lecherous expression and tried to lean in.
He even shot a smug, scheming grin at Sanji and Brook, making them furious and wanting to drag him over for a beating.
But just then, Nami suddenly let go. The Momonosuke she was holding dropped with a *splat*, landing face-first on the deck.
"Ah!!!" At the same time, Nami screamed and pointed behind Ian, asking, "W... who is that!?"
Ian was startled. He looked back and saw Little Ian hiding behind him, curiously peeking out with a finger in his mouth, staring at Nami and the others, his antenna hair bobbing.
Seeing Nami's question, Ian pulled Little Ian out from behind and introduced him, "This is my..."
But before he could finish, Nami looked heartbroken. She somehow produced a handkerchief, bit it in her mouth, and said mournfully, "Ian big brother, you... you already have a child? Am I too late?"
Not just her, but even Sanji stared blankly at Little Ian, the cigarette in his mouth dropping. Then he grabbed his own hair and screamed, "Ahhh!"
Had his sister already been taken by him!? Or was this Ian and Robin-san's...?
Ahhh! You beast! Sanji was practically on fire!
But then he thought again—if this was Ian and his sister's child, didn't that make this his little nephew?
Oh, no wonder he was so cute—he was his little nephew!
So Sanji did a complete 180, like a Sichuan opera face change. His expression softened, and he chuckled, reaching out to play with Little Ian.
As for Zoro, he was also stunned. When he realized, like Sanji, that this might be his little nephew, he looked conflicted and started fumbling through his pockets... Hmm, what should he give as a gift?
After searching for a while, he pulled out half a bottle of sake.
Little Ian's appearance predictably caused another commotion. But Ian knew these guys well—one look at their expressions told him they were thinking the wrong thing. He scowled and said, "What are you all thinking? This little guy is just my clone..."
And Little Ian giggled, waving his little hands at everyone, "Ian! Ian!"
Hearing that it wasn't Ian's son, Nami's sadness vanished instantly. Blushing, she reached out with starry eyes and took Little Ian, hugging him tightly, exclaiming, "Oh my, this kid is too adorable!"
As she spoke, she gave Little Ian a big kiss on the cheek, making him giggle.
"Oh my, oh my!" Nami was completely charmed by Little Ian. She found his antenna hair irresistibly cute, so she hugged him tightly to her chest and said to Ian, "Ian big brother, this kid is mine now!"
Ian watched Little Ian get pressed into Nami's chest and was speechless. Why did this scene feel so familiar?
So Ian turned his head and saw Momonosuke kneeling on the deck, nose bleeding, looking utterly crushed.
A breeze blew by, making his background look utterly desolate...
And Nami, completely unaware of the critical damage she had just dealt to Momonosuke, kept cuddling Little Ian, rubbing her cheek against his...