Tanaka once again bowed respectfully to the man outside the wall.
Tesoro, who had just finished reporting to Ian, looked over Tiger and Jinbei, then turned to Law with a hint of uncertainty.
He was already aware of what Kuma and Law had gone out to do.
Law gave a subtle nod.
Tesoro's eyes flashed with barely contained emotion.
Was it really Fisher Tiger?
The very man who had rescued him from Mary Geoise, his savior!
Tesoro instinctively wanted to express his gratitude to Tiger.
But he forcefully held himself back.
The fact that he had once been a slave to the Celestial Dragons—he had no intention of ever revealing that to anyone.
It was the most humiliating period of his life.
So, maintaining a composed facade, Tesoro allowed Tanaka to escort him downstairs.
Meanwhile, Law brought Jinbei and Tiger to Ian's office.
After more than two years, Ian was finally face-to-face once again with the two heroes of Fishman Island.
"This time, I really have to thank you, Ian. Without your help, I don't even want to imagine what could've happened."
Tiger began by offering a sincere and heartfelt thanks.
That said, Ian had to admit—Law's surgical skills were truly exceptional.
The Tiger standing before him looked nothing like he did before.
If Ian hadn't already known, and if the aura hadn't stayed the same, he wouldn't have recognized him at all.
Ian smiled as he looked at the two of them. "We're family now, aren't we?"
The Sun Pirates were now a subordinate crew of the Beasts Pirates. That made them part of the Beasts Pirates by extension, no longer outsiders.
Tiger and Jinbei both smiled knowingly.
"From now on, go ahead and chase your adventures freely," Ian said with a grin. "With our flag flying above you, there won't be many people in these seas who dare stand in your way. Even the World Government probably won't trouble you anymore."
Unless the World Government wanted to go to full-scale war with the Beasts Pirates.
Jinbei replied seriously, "Since we've received your protection, Lord Ian, please don't hesitate to call on us in the future. The Sun Pirates will give it our all!"
Even his form of address had changed—Jinbei truly was a man who took things seriously.
"Then I won't be polite about it."
Ian let out a hearty laugh.
"Of course! Actually, that's how it should be!"
Tiger responded with equal seriousness.
To put it bluntly, Fish-Man Island was now deeply tied to the Beasts Pirates—and to the young man before them.
Helping him was the same as helping Fish-Man Island itself.
"Stay on Hive Island for now," Ian said.
"I plan to clean out the pirates on the island. Once that's done, we'll have a lot of open space and will need many new residents. I'm thinking we can relocate some people from nearby islands—and bring in a large wave of immigrants from Fish-Man Island."
With such a vast marine territory around Hive Island, wouldn't it be a waste not to develop its underwater resources?
Jinbei and Tiger exchanged glances, then nodded in unison. "Understood!"
Thus, the Sun Pirates quietly stayed on Hachinosu Island.
It wasn't until more than a month later that they finally appeared openly on the island, raising the flag of the Beasts Pirates on their ship and officially claiming themselves as an allied crew under the Beasts Pirates.
Naturally, this caused quite a stir.
After all, this was the Sun Pirates—the very same crew once led by Fisher Tiger.
Stussy informed Ian that the World Government was furious about the matter. They had originally hoped that Jinbe would take over Hanafuda's position as one of the new Seven Warlords.
Ian couldn't help but find that laughable. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novelFirｅ.net
Without any hostages to use as leverage this time, what made the World Government think Jinbe would accept their offer?
Now that the Sun Pirates had joined forces with the Beasts Pirates, the World Government had no choice but to abandon that idea and begin searching for a new candidate for the Seven Warlords.
They couldn't possibly go to war with the Sun Pirates and the Beasts Pirates over this, could they?
Even though there were tensions between Kaido and Ian, the Sun Pirates had joined the Beasts Pirates in name, after all.
If a battle really broke out, it would mean fighting both Ian and Kaido at the same time.
And with confirmation that Fisher Tiger was truly dead, the World Government wouldn't dare take such a risky loss.
Besides, Stussy also mentioned that the World Government wasn't entirely surprised by the Sun Pirates' decision to join the Beasts Pirates.
After all, everyone across the seas knew about the current alliance between Fish-Man Island and the Beasts Pirates.
Over the past month, the seas around Hachinosu had undergone rapid changes.
Thanks to the pirates Ian brought back from Wano's mainland, the foundational development of the region was nearly complete.
Most importantly, all the key factories and airfields had already been built across the various islands.
As a result, Ian decided that it was time to move forward with the pirate-cleansing operation in the Hachinosu sea territory.
These pirates were becoming a serious nuisance.
Even though they dared not attack the islands under Ian's control, it was common for them to secretly raid passing merchant ships in order to acquire wealth.
Could Lord Ian tolerate those who hindered his profits?
However, although it was called the Pirate Eradication Plan, Ian didn't really intend to wipe out all the pirates in the sea.
Even a group of weak pirates could have some elites among them.
Roger was right—no matter how foul a lump of dog poop is, it still has its moment to shine.
On the Wano Country side, Kaido had also been constantly recruiting recently, hoping to fill the gaps left by Ian's departure with so many pirates.
He managed to recruit quite a few elites and, along with the Devil Fruits Ian had given him, such as the Mammoth Fruit, the Great Mastiff Fruit, and the Ancient Centipede Bug Fruit, he had already formed a group called the "Tobiroppo."
This helped him address the shortage of mid-level combat power.
Ian also felt that it was time to expand his own forces.
After all, if the ultimate goal is to conquer this world, it wouldn't work without enough power under his command.
Even if he didn't expect them to fight, at the very least, he needed enough strength to maintain his rule, right?
So, Ian published a recruitment ad in the World Economic News.
"To all those with ambition, who want to make a big splash in the world, if you consider yourselves elites, come follow me! I will lead you to turn this world upside down! But remember, the Beast Pirates do not accept trash, we only want elites."
It could be said that it was the first time in history a pirate had published a recruitment ad in a newspaper.
The sea immediately became boiling with excitement.
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