Only after she had run some distance did Vergo finally turn his gaze back to Ian, an intrigued look flashing across his eyes. "You don't seem scared at all."
"Scared of who? You?"
"So it seems you're ready to sacrifice yourself?"
Seeing Ian's calm expression, Vergo, believing he had already guessed Ian's inner resolve, pushed his glasses up and said expressionlessly: "But do you think your sacrifice will stop me, or will they escape?"
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Ian, who had been staring calmly at him, didn't immediately respond. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and glanced at the sky.
Or rather... in the sun?
What on earth was he doing?
Estimating time?
Just as Vergo frowned in confusion, Ian lowered his head again. Then he raised the single-handed axe from his back and looked at Vergo with no emotion at all, his face utterly calm as he slowly opened his mouth.
"You're mistaken about one thing. I didn't intend to sacrifice myself, and you..."
At this, Ian's expression sharpened, and he looked directly at Vergo: "Won't be taking much of my time."
The moment Ian finished speaking, before Vergo could even sneer at his arrogance, a blazing beam of sunlight shone down upon Ian.
At that moment, in Vergo's eyes, Ian seemed to be clad in a mighty golden armor. Even his eyes glowed with golden light. His muscles bulged in the sunlight, and his tight bartender suit was stretched to its limit.
In his hand, he gripped the axe that now gleamed like molten gold.
"If it were a year ago, I might have had a headache, but now..."
He twisted his body slightly, raised his axe high, and pointed it directly at Vergo.
"...?!"
At this moment, Vergo seemed to sense something was amiss. His pupils shrank as he stared at Ian, whose aura suddenly changed to a fiery one. "A Devil Fruit user?"
Even though he doubted a mere unknown Devil Fruit user could defeat him, Vergo wasn't reckless.
Without hesitation, he moved.
Shave!
But it was too late, in that instant.
"Just a mere marine Rear-Admiral..."
Ian's indifferent voice reached his ears. And before Vergo could close the distance, Ian swung his glowing axe down.
That casual movement, in that moment, seemed to have left a lasting mark, making it impossible for him to get close.
Only a cold voice, like the voice of the god who controlled his life, reached him.
"Scorching Sun: Guillotine!"
...
"Cough... Ain?"
Binz woke up from his coma, and then he looked around in confusion.
When he realized they were sitting in a small boat, his mind cleared instantly, and he excitedly exclaimed: "We're saved? Where's Ian? Huh? Why haven't we set sail yet?"
"Ian hasn't come back yet."
Ain let out a quiet breath of relief upon seeing Binz wake up, but her eyes were full of worry as she gazed toward the island.
After a pause, she said softly: "We will set sail once Ian arrives."
"Where is that guy? Why isn't he here yet?"
Binz frowned in confusion. "Wait, what about Vergo?"
"Ian's holding him off."
"That guy?!"
Binz's face froze, his tone rising in disbelief and alarm: "He's fighting Vergo? There's no way he can win against him! Is he buying time for us to escape? Damn it! He's not even a marine anymore! Doesn't he know how strong Vergo is?"
Then he suddenly stood up: "Come on, we have to go back and help Ian! Maybe if the three of us fight Vergo together, we can beat that bastard!"
However, unlike the anxious Binz, Ain remained seated on the boat.
Though worried, she shook her head and said firmly: "He can definitely beat Vergo!"
Compared to Vergo, what she feared more... was the arrival of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo.
"You're saying Vergo isn't his match? How is that possible? That guy's a monster even we couldn't beat!"
Hearing Ain's words, Binz froze in his tracks, but he quickly recovered and turned around. "No, we'd better find a way to..."
But before he could leave the boat and jump onto the shore, suddenly...
As if sensing something, Binz anxiously lifted his head and gazed towards the sky above the G-5 branch base.
As if witnessing something, his pupils shrank, then widened. "W-what is that?! Could that be Vergo's secret weapon?!"
At this moment, Ain, clutching her wound, noticed it too. She also raised her head and gazed at the unique, sacred, yet familiar light.
Her pale face softened with a faint smile as she murmured: "No... That's Ian's attack."
As Ain's voice fell, the enormous light transformed into a colossal axe descending from the heavens, cleaving straight down toward the island below.
Before the still-stunned Binz could react to Ain's words, in the blink of an eye, the entire island trembled violently.
Gale winds roared, birds scattered, fish fled, the sea surged, and even their small boat was tossed around by the waves.
Leaning against the side of the boat, Binz stared in the direction where the blast had torn through stone and forest alike, as if the entire island had been split clean in two.
He spoke in disbelief; even his voice trembled without him noticing.
"When did that guy become this strong?!"
However, just as the words left his mouth and the two of them stared intently in that direction, a questioning voice reached their ears.
"Huh? You two still haven't left? Didn't I tell you to sail off first?"
Both of them snapped their heads toward the shore, and there he was.
Ian, resting the axe on his shoulder, his tight bartender's suit from before now ripped at the seams. His expression was calm as he walked toward them.
While Binz was still frozen in shock, Ain recovered first. The worry in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a soft smile on her normally calm face. "You came?"
"I finished the fight and came straight over."
Ian said, looking a bit surprised at Ain's pale but smiling face. He leaped onto the boat and added: "Let's go. The G-5 base is already in chaos."
As soon as he finished speaking, before Ain could reply, Binz came to his senses and nodded hurriedly.
"Y-yeah! We need to get out of here fast! Damn it, who would've thought Vergo was a spy?! How are two newly promoted captains like us supposed to handle something like this?"
With that, he quickly steered the boat, slowly swerving away from the shore on the still-churning waves.