Chapter 785: The Beginning
Over the following period, the three Yonko crews all actively prepared for battle.
Ian was very grateful that old man Garp had come with him to Whole Cake Island. If not for the information from Garp, Ian estimated he would have remained in the dark about the Celestial Dragons and the World Government's potential next moves. Perhaps he would have focused more attention on the Beast Pirates, leading to a fatal oversight.
But now, having synthesized intelligence from various sources, Ian had gathered considerable information about the ancient weapon Uranus. At the very least, he could respond much more calmly.
On the second day after the banquet ended, Ian sent Kin'emon and his group to Zou. Traveling with them were Fujitora and the Straw Hat Pirates crew. Calculating the time, Jack the Drought, after failing to hunt down Kin'emon and the others, might have already turned back toward Zou. The Mink Tribe was a highly combat-capable race with deep ties to the Kozuki family, potentially a major asset. Ian also remembered that while Momonosuke was just a troublesome brat, he seemed to have the potential to be a guide. The elephant lord of Zou—Pirate King Roger in the past and now Straw Hat Luffy—could vaguely "hear" the elephant's voice but didn't understand what it was saying. Only Momonosuke could clearly comprehend and command the elephant.
So the brat still had some use. Ian sent him to Zou with the idea of seeing if the elephant lord could also become an ally. Perhaps that elephant, which had committed a great sin, might have a desire for atonement.
At the Sky Island base, realizing that an attack might come from the air, Waldo had adjusted the angle of his Sky Thunder Stones, no longer aiming at the ground.
Meanwhile, the Vinsmoke Family's Germa Group was accelerating the development of Pacifista units. However, since the modification surgery was still obscure to them—Vegapunk's technology was indeed far superior—they could only replicate it as-is, so progress remained slow.
Even so, two weeks later, Ian obtained five more Pacifista artificial weapons.
Though seeing so many Pacifistas identical to Kuma made Ian somewhat uncomfortable, he knew Kuma didn't mind. After all, when Kuma had sent his Pacifista clones to Ian, it was likely because he believed Ian had the ability to replicate these artificial humans. If Ian didn't produce Pacifistas, it would waste Kuma's goodwill.
At the same time, a large number of personnel were deployed to patrol and monitor the seas around Whole Cake Island. Meanwhile, many crews under the Red Hair Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates formed an intelligence network, keeping an eye on both the World Government's movements and the Beast Pirates' actions.
How much power did the combined forces of three Yonko crews represent? It could be said that nearly half of the New World was now under their control.
Simultaneously, the Beast Pirates were also massing their forces. Three days after Fujitora and Luffy's group arrived at Zou, news came back: Jack the Drought had already pursued them to Zou, but upon discovering Fujitora was there, he lingered near the elephant lord for a long time. Then, without any battle occurring, Jack retreated.
He seemed to have been summoned back by Kaido...
Since no battle occurred and Jack didn't attack the elephant, Momonosuke would need to put in extra effort to establish mental communication with it...
The strange movements of the four Yonko in the New World naturally frightened many pirates who didn't know the full story. During this time, almost every pirate crew adventuring in the New World acted cautiously, afraid of accidentally offending one of the Emperors.
During this waiting period, Ian didn't idle. He continuously used the card system to strengthen his combat power.
After sacrificing the Misaka Mikoto card and unlocking its "Inner" state, Ian gained a small clone. In the battle against Akainu, Ian found it extremely useful. So his current goal was to figure out how to sacrifice and unlock the Inner states of his remaining cards.
Amid this busy state, one day, the observers monitoring the Beast Pirates finally sent back news.
The Beast Pirates had mobilized in full force, including their headquarters' ability user corps of about two hundred people, roughly three thousand direct subordinates, and fifty-five affiliated pirate crews of various sizes. A total of one hundred twenty-four ships, with over forty-five thousand people, were advancing majestically toward the Red Line!
Their declared banner was, of course, to rescue Queen the Plague, boasting about overthrowing Marine Headquarters and leveling Impel Down. This terrified all the countries and islands along the way, who closely watched the impending battle between the Beast Pirates and the Marines.
Such slogans were, of course, meant for the uninformed. In the eyes of Ian and those in the know, the Beast Pirates' true target was undoubtedly Mary Geoise!
Among the Beast Pirates were also Doflamingo and Blackbeard Teach. Golden Lion Shiki was nowhere to be seen, but some monitors reported sighting a floating island in the high skies near the Red Line. It seemed the Golden Lion Pirates had already moved ahead...
Ian wasn't surprised that Golden Lion Shiki, a legendary pirate on par with Pirate King Roger, had allied with Kaido and the others. In Ian's memory, Shiki had always wanted revenge against the World Government for Roger's affairs and his own lost legs. The only difference now was that he had a group of powerful allies.
The original history had long been thrown into chaos, and Ian didn't want to dwell on it too much. He just wondered how much effort Shiki would put into this battle.
In Ian's view, these villains—whether Doflamingo or Blackbeard—were all deeply scheming. Before seizing the Celestial Dragons' national treasure, they might unite for a common goal. But if they actually obtained it, their fragile alliance would immediately collapse!
Because each of them harbored their own ulterior motives and plans...
Regardless, for now, they were the most eye-catching force on the New World seas. They were probably feeling quite confident.
Ian kept wondering whether Kaido, Doflamingo, and the others realized that their plan to seize the ancient weapon Uranus and use it against Ian's three-Yonko alliance had already been discovered.
Thinking about this for a long time, Ian concluded that they probably had no idea!
The reason was simple: they didn't know that Ian was not only a time traveler but had also gathered various intelligence since setting sail. Now, from this intelligence and the Poneglyphs, he had deduced the existence of Uranus.
Ian's understanding of events had far exceeded their imagination...
So Doflamingo and the others might still think Ian was in the dark. They planned to obtain Uranus and then catch Ian off guard?
Ha, that was interesting. Ian thought about it and suddenly proposed to Shanks and Whitebeard that he fly over to personally observe the battle between the Beast Pirates and the Celestial Dragons.
Shanks and the others knew that Ian was the only one who could fly, but they still objected, saying it was too dangerous. If Ian appeared and was discovered, Kaido and the others would definitely attack him. Plus, the Celestial Dragons might deploy Uranus. So Ian's idea was too risky.
Under their persuasion, Ian had to give up for now. But fortunately, there were people in this world even bolder than the Yonko—reporters!
Morgan's World Economy News Agency knew this would be the most eye-catching big news, so they had long dispatched a large number of reporters to cover it from a distance. Similarly, other small newspapers did the same. In the seas not far from the Red Line, a massive group of over a thousand reporters had already gathered, ready to report live on the war.
Thanks to them, Ian and the others could watch the live broadcast on Whole Cake Island. Soon, several large screens were set up on the island. The Red Hair Pirates, Whitebeard Pirates, and Ian's Dragon Hunter Pirates—almost all members—gathered there, ready to be spectators...