On an island in the New World.
Crocodile puffed on his cigar and casually folded the newspaper in his hands.
"Hmph."
He snorted.
Pirate Emperor?
Just wait, Ian. The humiliation of Alabasta will be repaid someday!
And the secret of the Pluton will be forced out of you too!
The door creaked open.
"Boss, there's a new commission!"
The whole world was shocked by the outcome of the battle for the Goa Kingdom.
No one had expected that the one who saved the East Blue would be a pirate, and one of the most terrifying pirates at that.
What was the World Government doing?
They collect so many taxes from us every year.
Such thoughts inevitably arose.
But more than that, there was fear of the Beast Pirates.
"Two of the Four Emperors in one pirate crew—who could possibly stop them?"
People were terrified.
"Is the new Rocks Pirates about to appear?"
Those who knew about the existence of the Rocks Pirates were even more fearful.
Thus, many kings of the allied nations had made up their minds to seriously discuss the issue of the Beast Pirates' existence at the upcoming Levely.
And the man who sparked this wave of fear, Ian, was now on his way back to the New World.
He was, however, more concerned about the message Morgans had just sent him.
"Ian-dono!"
Question: When will Morgans, that bastard, address him as Lord Ian?
Just hearing that title already made Ian feel uncomfortable.
"The kid named Luffy can't be monitored for now. Hero Garp is taking him back to Marine Headquarters!"
"Tch."
Ian clicked his tongue.
Bad news just kept coming, one after another.
Morgans explained to him that the entire Goa Kingdom had been completely destroyed, with most of its areas becoming uninhabitable.
Who knows when the island would sink completely due to the collapse of the underlying rock layers?
So, the surviving inhabitants of the island were being organized by the Marines to migrate to other islands.
As the grandson of Marine hero Garp, Luffy was naturally being taken by Garp.
"This shouldn't be my fault, right?"
Morgans asked cautiously.
Ian rubbed his brow.
Luffy, who would likely become part of the Marines after being taken to Marine Headquarters—how could I be dreaming of something like this?
The problem is, will Nika still find Marine Luffy?
For now, monitoring Luffy could only be put on hold.
Ian hadn't completely given up, though. After all, Marine Headquarters had a military personnel gathering area, and Luffy would probably be active there. He was too young to directly join the Marines.
So, Morgans' paparazzi still had a chance to gather information.
When Ian ended the communication with Morgans, Reverse Mountain appeared right ahead.
The towering red mountain that reached the clouds made Ace, Zoro, and Kuina—who had never seen it before—stare in shock, their eyes nearly popping out.
Kuina, who had a relatively colder personality, was a bit better. She just tightened her grip on the sword, Wado Ichimonji, and stared at it intensely.
Zoro and Ace were practically itching to climb onto the Red Line and take a look at what was going on.
Not just them, even Enel, who was just as naive, couldn't help but frequently turn his head to glance.
"Hold on tight."
After a brief reminder, the figure immediately transformed into a massive golden dragon, grabbing the ship and soaring into the sky.
"Hahahaha!!"
Ace laughed loudly, "We're taking off!"
"Ohh!!"
Zoro's eyes lit up.
However, their excitement didn't last long.
As they flew over the Red Line, the endless red landscape below soon made them feel aesthetically tired, and they returned to their usual activities.
It wasn't until they completely passed over Reverse Mountain and reentered the New World that they felt the thrill again.
"This is…the Grand Line!"
The three inexperienced kids were excited once more.
The sea currents, the weather, the islands of the New World—everything amazed them.
This sense of awe reached its peak when they arrived at the Kingdom of Giants.
"Gah bah bah bah! Ian! Welcome back! We saw it all in the newspaper!"
"Kekekekekeke! Amazing, my friend! Although I don't know how powerful that 'Golden Lion Shiki' is, the Pirate Emperor! That's a title you just know is impressive!"
Two good friends warmly welcomed Ian back.
Besides them, other giants from the village also gathered around, giving their warm greetings.
Ace and the others were left dumbfounded.
"Wow, so big!!"
Zoro's jaw nearly dropped.
Jack's size was already enormous, but compared to these giants, it seemed insignificant.
It felt like they were trapped in a primeval forest, surrounded by towering giants in every direction.
"This is the Giant Kingdom!"
Ace was excitedly looking around.
He could hardly wait to start an amazing adventure in the Giant Kingdom.
"Could it be that Ian has a good relationship with the giants?"
Kuina asked softly.
She had noticed that the giants here seemed to have a great deal of respect for Ian.
"Very good," Black Maria replied with a light laugh. "Before we went to the East Blue, we stayed in the Giant Kingdom for a few months."
"During that time, we traveled all over the Giant Kingdom and communicated with all the warrior villages. Everyone really likes Ian."
Kuina nodded gently.
That was really impressive.
"Ga ba ba ba ba!"
Brogy laughed loudly. "Ian, the task you asked us to do has been completed! You didn't come back just for this, right?"
Ian smiled and said, "Of course, I also want to drink and have a good time with my friends."
"Hehehehe! That can happen later! But before that!"
He turned around and shouted, "Come over here!"
Then, a group of giants came out of the village.
Each one carrying swords and knives. While they weren't exactly armed to the teeth, they did look very imposing.
The key point was, the number seemed to be a bit too much. A dark mass of giants that looked like a forest.
Ian almost thought that Eren had activated the "Rumbling" right in front of him.
"A total of three hundred people! All elite Giant Warriors!"
Brogy made a subtle gesture, as if to say, "Brother, do I have enough worth?"
And that was more than enough.
Ian's lips curled up in a smile.
A three-hundred-strong Giant army—it sounds insane, right? Who, aside from Joy Boy, could ever achieve such a feat in history?
You know, when a single Giant warrior joins the Navy, they're already a Vice Admiral.
Three hundred Giant Vice Admirals—now tell me, are you scared?
Whether it's Charlotte Linlin or the World Government, won't they be green with envy upon hearing this?
"However, Ian," His good friend Dorry reminded him, "Although we all approve of this, the cost of hiring them is no small matter."
"You think I'm someone who worries about that, Dorry?"
Ian laughed arrogantly.
Do you think the current world's richest person is anyone else, my friend?
For Ian, anything that can be solved with money—what problem could that be?
There's more than enough money!
**********
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