You could say the entire world was stunned by Ian's recruitment notice.
Does that guy Ian even realize he's a pirate?
He actually had the audacity to publish a recruitment ad in the newspaper—wasn't that basically treating the World Government and the Marines like a joke?
The World Government was indeed furious at Ian's bold move.
According to Stussy, many high-ranking officials in the World Government were swearing up a storm in their offices.
But at the moment, the World Government didn't have the capacity to deal with Ian's business.
Their campaign to suppress the Revolutionary Army was in full swing, and within just two months, several of the Army's strongholds had already been wiped out.
Compared to that truly critical operation, Ian's recruitment didn't really seem like a big deal.
After all, the Five Elders believed Ian's move was in response to the expansion of the pirates under Kaido's command.
From the World Government's perspective, in a way, that could even be considered a good thing.
While the World Government and the Marines stayed put, people all over the world grew increasingly anxious.
Ian was already terrifying enough. If he was allowed to keep growing like this, who knew what heights he could reach in the future?
It was a thought they didn't even dare entertain.
But what they thought didn't influence the World Government's actions, so all they could do was worry in silence.
Compared to them, the pirates of the New World erupted in celebration.
The four Yonko had already taken control of most of the New World's seas, and the living space for ordinary pirates had been squeezed into a tiny corner.
If they wanted to make a name for themselves in the New World, their first choice was to challenge one of those four emperors—muster the courage to take them down.
Whoever could pull it off would instantly become famous, their name echoing through heaven and hell.
Many pirates chose that path, but the end result was always the same—death without a trace.
Most of them didn't even get to see the face of an emperor before being wiped out by one of their top officers.
They were like stray dogs on the street, kicked to death without a second thought.
Since resistance was not an option, the second path was to join them.
As long as one pledged allegiance to the Emperors, they could follow behind them and climb to the very peak of this world!
The moment the news spread through the newspapers, a massive number of pirates began heading toward the seas near Hachinosu Island.
Everyone knew that Ian was the youngest and most promising among the Four Emperors. He might very well be the next Pirate King!
The pirates who had been staying on Hachinosu Island for a long time were even more ecstatic.
Although Lord Ian had occupied Hachinosu for quite a while, he had never managed or interfered with the pirates on the island, let alone tried to recruit them under his banner.
The pirates on the island had long been waiting impatiently for this moment!
Now, the opportunity had finally come!
And so, two weeks later…
On the deserted island of Gilio, near Hachinosu.
This island was truly uninhabited. It was nothing but bare rock, without a single plant or even any minerals. Ian had never had the slightest interest in it.
But today, dozens of pirate ships, large and small, were docked around its shores.
A huge number of pirates had gathered along the coastline, almost surrounding the entire island.
Looking down from the sky, one would see a dark circular ring — made up of tens of thousands of pirates.
It had to be said, the recruitment notice had an incredible effect.
So many pirates had gathered here, and yet, surprisingly, there were no large-scale conflicts.
After all, they believed that they would soon become comrades — and comrades shouldn't fight each other.
"When is Lord Ian going to arrive? Wasn't today the agreed time?"
"Who knows something like that? Do you dare go ask Lord Ian yourself?"
"Aren't you guys from Hachinosu Island? Don't you know what Lord Ian's movements are?"
"We rushed over as soon as we saw the announcement in the newspaper, but now Hive Island is completely empty!"
The pirates waited anxiously, growing more and more uneasy.
However, not everyone among them had lost their composure.
Sitting alone on a rock, a young man with long green hair, a pair of horns on his head, a captain's coat draped over his shoulders, and a bare, slightly chubby chest, calmly drank from his bottle. He glanced at the noisy crowd around him with thinly veiled disdain.
These trash think they deserve to serve under Lord Ian? They think they're worthy of standing beside me?
The young Fish-Man, Sasaki, sneered.
Still—
Among the many pirates who came, there were a few with actual strength.
But I am the strongest of them all!
He thought arrogantly.
Once I officially join Lord Ian's crew, I'll ask him to have a drink with me.
It was at that moment that the Golden Dragon slowly approached from the distant sea.
"What a genius idea, Brother Ian!"
His sworn brother Jack couldn't stop marveling. "You managed to lure not just Hive Island's pirates, but nearly every pirate crew in this entire sea!"
"This way, cleaning them all up will be so much easier."
Ian's lips curled into a faint smile.
That was exactly what he had planned.
While handpicking elite pirates to recruit under his banner, he'd also sweep the useless trash into the garbage heap.
Those lucky enough to survive would be tossed into the factories for hard labor. The ones who didn't? Let them feed the fish.
"Still, this really is over-the-top."
Jinbe, who had come along at Ian's invitation to watch the show, couldn't help but be amazed.
"Dozens of pirate crews… over sixty thousand pirates in total. Pretty much every pirate group in the surrounding seas must have shown up, right?"
What level of influence was this?
Just a single announcement in the newspaper was enough to make tens of thousands of pirates impatient to rush over and pledge their loyalty to him!
Is this what it means to be an Emperor?
"Who do you think Ian is?!"
Hancock glared at Jinbe in displeasure. "Isn't this only natural? Who wouldn't want to join Ian's banner?"
Jinbe didn't mind at all and just laughed heartily.
He had always been a broad-minded man.
"Hurry up and start, Ian!!"
Law couldn't wait. "Bring out what we came here to see already!"
The corner of Ian's mouth curved up. "Then let's begin!"
In the next instant, he soared into the sky. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a golden dragon amidst blazing flames.
The massive dragon flapped its wings, stirring fierce winds as it flew toward the distant island.
The pirates instantly noticed the enormous figure approaching from the sky.
There was simply no way not to notice it—it blazed in the sky as dazzling as the sun itself.
"He's here!!"
The pirates shot to their feet, and cheers began to erupt across the entire island.
"Lord Ian has arrived!"
"Ohhh!! Ian the Skyfire!"
Sasaki quickly stood up as well, looking up at the golden dragon with overwhelming excitement.
"What a dominating presence! This is the kind of man I should be following!!"
Ian hovered in the skies above the island, his wings beating as he clearly heard the cheers of the pirates below.
"Lord Ian! We revere you!"
"Please let me join your ranks! I'll fight to the death for you!!"
Ian's mouth twitched slightly.
Damn it.
Now I've really become a celebrity.
Even those airport fan mobs can't compare to this.
But I've always been the strong and capable type, not some flashy star.
While sighing to himself, Ian beat his wings forcefully.
Whoosh!!
A fierce gust of wind swept downward in an instant, kicking up a sandstorm across the rocky island.
The pirates immediately fell silent.
Sasaki looked up at Ian with overwhelming excitement.
Just a single flap of his wings, and it stirred up a powerful wind!
This is the power of an Emperor!
**********
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