Ian stood on the dock, gazing into the distance.
Out on the sea beyond the island, several pirate ships were rapidly approaching.
With something as serious as an attack from the Whitebeard Pirates, Snake had no time to fight with Ian. He rushed back to find Ochoku to ask for his opinion.
Meanwhile, Ian and his companions had arrived at the port without much trouble.
However, judging by the current situation, leaving wouldn't be easy. The Winged Dragon was trapped in the harbor.
"A·O Pirates, Thunder Lord Pirates, Takotopus Pirates! Three of Whitebeard's subordinate pirate crews came all at once!"
Babanuki stood behind him, frowning with worry. "There might even be some of Whitebeard's division captains aboard those ships."
They were clearly targeting Ian and his crew.
Ian was well aware of that.
Otherwise, there was no way they were here to pick a fight with Ochoku, right?
It was probably because back on Banana Island, he hadn't managed to completely wipe out Squard's underlings. Some of those who escaped must have informed the Whitebeard Pirates of his whereabouts.
This was going to be a real hassle.
Flashback to earlier…
The pristine waters of the Blue Sea stretched endlessly. Numerous pirate ships sailed through the waves, and on the far-off horizon, the outline of Beehive Island appeared.
Standing at the bow of one of the ships was Marco. "Is it confirmed?"
"Yes, it's confirmed."
The man behind him was tall and slim, with a thin sword strapped to his waist. He had two long, lightning-shaped mustaches that curled back and forth. His name was McGuy, the Thunder Lord McGuy, one of the most renowned captains under the Whitebeard Pirates.
"I had someone land on Beehive Island ahead of time to gather information. About half an hour ago, those brats landed on the island. They're looking for someone."
"We've finally found them!"
An eager voice rang out from behind.
Dressed in a traditional geisha outfit, Izou couldn't hold back any longer. He'd already drawn his guns and looked at Marco with burning determination. "Marco!"
Marco nodded lightly. "Let's go find those brats."
They had gone through a lot of trouble to locate them.
Because they only knew the general direction the brats were heading, several pirate crews had sent people to every island in this sea region to prevent them from slipping away.
Fortunately, it seemed all the efforts had paid off.
"I want to speak to Ochoku."
Marco's voice was low and firm. "This time, there's no way he can interfere."
"The Den Den Mushi is ready."
McGuy took out a Den Den Mushi and quickly dialed a number.
Meanwhile, inside the Skull Building on Beehive Island...
In a dimly lit room, a man was seething with rage. "Marco! Those damn brats! How dare they run their mouths in front of me! When I was sailing the seas with that bastard old man of his, he was still just a fertilized egg!"
"But Boss Ochoku," another man standing before him spoke, "we have no reason and shouldn't get involved in the war between the Beasts Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Even if those few brats were captured by Marco, Kaido's retaliation would be directed at the Whitebeard Pirates. It has nothing to do with us."
"And I believe, if we have to offend one of them, Whitebeard is clearly a more terrifying opponent than Kaido."
Ochoku remained silent in the darkness.
Few on the seas knew Whitebeard and Kaido better than he did. After all, they had spent many years together on the same ship, right here on this Beehive Island.
"This might be an opportunity."
Ochoku spoke softly, breaking the silence.
The anger from earlier had completely vanished. "Newgate and Kaido going to war is definitely an opportunity for us."
The New World, after all, was still too small, and there were too many monsters.
Time returns to the present.
"Lord Ian, what should we do now?"
The experienced Babanuki was now in a bind, sweating profusely and at a loss.
Experience and wisdom were completely useless when faced with an enemy entirely beyond their ability to handle.
"Since they're coming at us, let's meet them head-on!"
The battle-hungry Yamato stood boldly on the dock's railing, her spiked club pointing straight at the few ships approaching in the distance. "Crush them!"
Fighting—how thrilling!
Hearing this, Babanuki's forehead dripped with even more sweat.
Lady Yamato, now is not the time for you to act recklessly!
He looked pleadingly at Ian.
"Ian-nii, are they really strong opponents?"
Ulti, who had followed them to the port, cautiously tugged at Ian's pant leg.
"It depends on who's coming."
Ian replied softly, "But I think Yamato's suggestion isn't necessarily wrong."
"Hahaha! See?" Yamato grinned triumphantly at Ian.
Babanuki almost screamed in disbelief.
Wasn't Lord Ian always the most cautious? How did he end up being influenced by Lady Yamato today?
He had already gone through a round of careful consideration.
First of all, one thing was certain: Whitebeard himself definitely wasn't here.
If he was, the ship appearing on the sea right now would be the Moby Dick.
In other words, at most, it was led by high-ranking commanders like Marco, Jozu, or Vista. Besides, when facing relatively unknown people like us, it's unlikely that such big names would join forces to come here.
It might even be just a regular division captain leading the crew.
The situation wasn't that dire—yet.
Although Ian didn't want to fight, he now found himself in a situation where fighting was inevitable.
Without a battle, survival was impossible.
Babanuki continued to desperately try to dissuade Ian from pursuing this crazy idea. "Maybe we can seek Ochoku's assistance."
"Great idea, Babanuki."
Ian applauded Babanuki's suggestion. "Go get everyone on board the ship. At the very least, Ochoku might still be able to lend us a hand."
If Babanuki and the pirates stayed aboard the Winged Dragon, they would undoubtedly become easy targets.
The Winged Dragon was trapped in the port with no chance of escape. Just a few rounds of cannon fire from the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet would be enough to send it sky-high.
This ship didn't have the same kind of emergency propulsion or acceleration capabilities as the Thousand Sunny.
If they had to fight, then let the battlefield be on Hachinosu Island.
The key to victory would be to protect their own forces while simultaneously weakening the enemy's.
Once they reached Hachinosu Island, the presence of Ochoku might at least make the Whitebeard Pirates a bit more restrained.
Babanuki dashed back to the ship, quickly gathering all the crew members on board.
But just as the crew began to disembark onto the port, a group of pirates appeared.
Leading them was Snake.
The man stared at Ian, and Ian looked back at him, then glanced at the pirates behind Snake, all armed to the teeth and ready for battle at a moment's notice.
Ochoku really knows how to pick his sides.
"Apologies," Snake said expressionlessly, "Brats, the adults' playground is closed to you. Ochoku said it's time for you all to head home."
Ian slid his hands into his pockets. "Is that so?"
"Friendly reminder," Snake gestured with a nod towards the area behind Ian, "Your opponent's there."
Ian turned around. From the massive ship in the distance, a giant bird wreathed in blue flames spread its wings, soaring towards them.
The second most troublesome member of the Whitebeard Pirates has arrived.
Good news—Whitebeard himself didn't show up.
Bad news—the worst kind of good news.
"He should be able to give you a proper welcome."
Snake's lips twisted into a sinister smile. "Now, brat, get on your ship and get off this island!"
Ian turned back calmly and said, "And if I refuse?"
"Well then," Snake's grin widened into a mocking arc, "I guess you might need a little help."
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