Chapter 7: I Can't Give Way At All
"Who dares to block this Commodore's path with a pirate ship on the very first day of my voyage?" Ian slowly removed the newspaper covering his face, muttering sleepily.
From the moment Nami started rummaging through the file box and muttering to herself, Ian had already activated his Fruit's abilities. He had heard every single one of her murmured words.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea. The Donquixote Pirates.
Doflamingo's ship!
Encountering a Warlord's ship in the Grand Line wouldn't be surprising, but this was the East Blue. What was a ship from the Donquixote family doing here? Ian's current course was set for the Calm Belt; the opposite direction led to Reverse Mountain. It seemed they were planning to return to the Grand Line via the normal route.
"Commodore Ian, should we... should we give way too?" Nami asked, anxiously awaiting Ian's reply so she could inform the helmsman in time. "They are Shichibukai, a major pirate organization granted special privileges by the World Government. Besides, Captain Hina has already moved aside."
Though she had never been to the Grand Line or Marine Headquarters, Nami had often heard about the title of "Seven Warlords of the Sea" since joining the Marines. Each Warlord possessed catastrophic destructive power, strength rivaling that of a nation. They were established to counterbalance the Four Emperors in the New World and were a massive force under the World Government's umbrella. While serving the World Government, they were naturally granted certain privileges. Freedom of movement, exempt from Naval interference, was the most basic right. Even a Marine Vice Admiral would choose to detour to avoid a direct confrontation with them, let alone two ships commanded merely by Captains.
"Wait for my order," Ian said. With that, he transformed into a black blur, his figure flashing to the highest point of the sail. He stood firm, crossed his arms, and looked ahead.
Visual and Auditory Enhancement, activated!
Sound and images instantly crossed over ten nautical miles, appearing as clearly as if they were right before him.
The pirate flag fluttered in the cold sea breeze. Alongside the Donquixote family's unique Jolly Roger, the flag also bore a black heart emblem. This was the symbol of the Donquixote Family's "Four Heart Officers." The black heart signified that this ship belonged to the Spade Army!
On the deck, about fifty pirates were gathered. Several groups huddled together, their unrestrained laughter ringing out.
"Hahaha, look! The Marine ship is making way for us!"
"The Marines are nothing but cowards! They piss themselves when they see our Donquixote flag!"
"What maritime law enforcement? I think they're just a bunch of spineless weaklings!"
"Ahahaha!"
"..."
Ian's attention wasn't on these small fries. His focus was on the man sitting under a parasol on the deck—the leader of this pirate ship. The man wore a black top hat, round sunglasses, and a mask covering the lower half of his face. He was dressed in a dark blue trench coat adorned with various metal decorations shaped like gear rings. At that moment, he was holding a Den Den Mushi, speaking to someone.
"Young Master, the voyage has been very smooth. I'm bringing fifty little brats back. I will follow your instructions and hand them over to those underworld contacts. I believe that for future missions to collect test subjects, the Spade Army won't need to go to such lengths in the New World. There are too many impoverished and ruined countries in the Four Blues; test subjects can be acquired easily."
The "Young Master" the man referred to was none other than the leader of the Donquixote Pirates, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—Donquixote Doflamingo!
"Fufufu, Gladius, you've done well. I look forward to your return. Remember to be careful."
"Yes, Young Master."
After the Den Den Mushi call ended, Ian shifted his attention to the storage room at the stern. Though he couldn't see inside, he could hear faint sounds in the darkness.
"Sister, where are they taking us? It's so dark and cold in here, and I'm so hungry!"
"Ariel, endure it a little longer. Your sister is here with you. Everything will be alright."
"Waa... are we being sold? Why are they capturing us?"
"Don't cry, everyone, keep your voices down, or they'll beat us again. They are vicious pirates."
"It won't get better. It's never going to get better..."
"..."
Ian withdrew his gaze, having roughly understood the situation ahead.
Fifty children... collected test subjects... I see!
During this period, Caesar Clown, secretly collaborating with Doflamingo and receiving financial support from the Emperor Charlotte Linlin, was conducting gigantification experiments. Doflamingo was secretly providing assistance by supplying Caesar Clown with test subjects—these very innocent children! The "Spade Army" mentioned in the call was one of the Donquixote Family's Four Heart Officers—Vergo, who was undercover in the Marines in the New World! Vergo currently held the rank of Vice Admiral and was also the base commander of G-5. Initially, he had probably been secretly abducting children from nearby villages. It now appeared the Donquixote family's evil reach had extended to impoverished children across the world.
Indeed, there were many poor countries around the world with large numbers of displaced children. The disappearance of these children was like a small stone dropped into the sea, creating no ripple. Some were born to be called "Young Master," while others could only become fodder for demons. Such was the reality of the pirate world.
The man leading this operation was named Gladius. He was one of the earliest cadres of the Donquixote family, a user of the Paramecia-type Pop-Pop Fruit (Baku Baku no Mi), with a former bounty of 31,000,000 Berries. His Fruit ability allowed him to make his body or any inorganic matter he touched expand continuously, eventually generating an explosive impact.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. A user of the Pop-Pop Fruit would make a good training opponent before I leave the East Blue. Might as well see how many points a pirate of this level is worth.
Ian cracked his knuckles, the sound popping sharply. He didn't possess a strong sense of saintly justice, nor did he enjoy meddling in others' business. If he had simply heard about this matter, he definitely wouldn't have taken the initiative to play the hero and uphold justice just because he hated pirates. Pursuing so-called fairness and justice? The world was full of injustices. Could one possibly manage them all?
But today, he had happened to hear and see it firsthand. Moreover, this was his territory, the East Blue. That made it a different matter entirely.
In the East Blue, any pirate who wanted to run amok had to ask for Ian's permission first!
Ian's figure flashed, swift as the wind, and he landed on the deck in an instant. Nami, who had been waiting anxiously, immediately approached.
"Commodore Ian, we're getting closer. At this rate, we'll be on a direct collision course with the Donquixote ship in less than five minutes. Should... should we move aside?" As the navigator, it was her duty to ensure the ship's safe passage.
"Give way? Give way to hell! Turn the ship's loudspeaker to its highest decibel!" Ian ordered, a sly smile playing on his lips, though his words carried an unquestionable authority. "Oh, and inform the helmsman. If he dares to deviate from the course even a little, he'll be the first one thrown overboard to feed the fish!"
"Yes, sir! Understood!" Having followed Ian for so long, Nami knew the drill well. At a time like this, no one could stop Commodore Ian's decision.