Loguetown fell silent.
Not long after, a yellow beam of light appeared from the distant horizon, finally condensing into the form of a man dressed in a gray suit in the sky.
"Have they already left?"
He looked down at Loguetown below, seeing only calmness. "It seems I came just in time."
After receiving the communication from the Loguetown Naval Base, Vice-Admiral Kizaru hurriedly descended from the sky.
Upon contacting the navy on the island and learning all the details, he leisurely took out a Den Den Mushi to report.
"The Golden Dragon has already left. We don't know where they went for now."
"Ian and Mihawk had a brief confrontation, but it seems Mihawk boarded the Golden Dragon and left with them. No one knows the exact details."
"But one thing is certain: they're probably all after Shiki the Golden Lion."
After finishing his call, Vice-Admiral Kizaru sighed, "Why does this feel more and more troublesome? I should have just let Sakazuki come instead."
Troublesome people keep showing up in the East Blue.
Shiki the Golden Lion was bad enough, but the Red-Haired Pirates have also been staying in the East Blue for the past few months, and now even Mihawk and the Golden Dragon have arrived.
If they tell him that Whitebeard has also arrived tomorrow, he wouldn't be surprised at all.
The East Blue, once known as the weakest sea, now seems to be gathering numerous monsters.
If they clash, the entire East Blue might be destroyed.
Oh, now the East Blue is about to be destroyed by Shiki the Golden Lion?
Well, that's no problem then.
The Golden Dragon sped across the sea in the East Blue.
Its destination was Shimotsuki Village.
Originally, Ian's first target was Cocoyasi Village.
Though Nami didn't have much talent for combat, she was undeniably a genius when it came to navigation.
Even with Viola on board, the role of a navigator had become unnecessary for Ian, but Nami's talent also extended to meteorology.
The meteorology in this world was quite extraordinary. The sky scientists from Skypiea could even summon fierce winds with a knot, and controlling the weather was far from impossible.
Ian had no doubt that if Nami spent more time focusing on meteorology, she could eventually invent weather-based weaponry.
However, Ian had decided against heading to Cocoyasi Village at this time.
It was better to let little Nami, along with her sister and mother, live a few more years of happiness.
She wasn't an orphan. Was he supposed to snatch a young girl from her mother's side?
Even Ian couldn't do something so ruthless.
That would be too cruel.
"Achoo."
On the deck, Viola suddenly sneezed.
She rubbed her nose, feeling a bit confused.
Could it be that her parents were thinking of her?
At that thought, Viola couldn't help but sigh.
Now, she was a pirate, and not just any pirate—she was part of the Beast Pirates, a pirate on the Golden Dragon.
She couldn't return casually. If the World Government found out, it would cause major trouble for Dressrosa.
Damn Ian!
It's all your fault!
You could do something so cruel as to take a blossoming young girl away from her loving parents!
On the other side of the deck.
"Are you done resting, Mihawk?"
Ian was excited, rubbing his hands together, watching Mihawk, who was sitting with his back against the ship's railing, slowly sipping from a bottle of wine.
With a thud, Mihawk slammed the bottle onto the deck, his expression one of clear annoyance. "Can't you let me rest for a bit?"
Ian twisted his neck and said naturally, "What are you talking about? We can't waste such a great opportunity! At your age, how can you afford to rest?"
Mihawk felt like punching him.
Although he had told Ian he owed him a favor, this guy was really crossing the line.
Ian noticed Mihawk's angry expression and immediately got excited. "Great, Mihawk! Just like that, keep up that feeling!"
Flames covered Ian's body, and in the blink of an eye, he entered his Human-Beast Form.
Then, Ian spread his arms and cheerfully said, "Come on, Mihawk! Let all your anger out!"
Mihawk was almost laughing from the anger.
This bastard was really clever.
But…
"Then I won't hold back!"
He scowled.
The world's greatest swordsman stood up. He didn't draw his sword but instead clenched his fists.
Jet-black lightning crackled from his fists.
Conqueror's Haki wrapped around his body!
"To think a swordsman would use his fists."
"Ian, you're really asking for it!"
Mihawk didn't hold back, landing a punch directly on Ian's face, sending him flying across the deck.
Ian flipped in the air and landed smoothly. He raised his hand and rubbed his face. "Did you forget to eat, Mihawk? I'm actually fine."
Mihawk, always cold and distant, had a vein popping on his forehead.
"Don't come crying to me later!"
Mihawk stepped forward, his fists turning into a storm, pounding Ian's body in all directions, causing Ian's body to shake with every hit.
It was clear that the world's greatest swordsman's punches were still extremely powerful, especially with Conqueror's Haki wrapped around them. Ian felt pain coursing through his body.
But even so, Ian was still shouting, "Not as good as Shanks, his punches."
Had this guy ever met Shanks? And now he was talking like that!
Mihawk stopped wasting words and just swung his fist with all his might, sending Ian flying through the air.
"Hahaha! Go for it, Ian!"
On the side, Yamato crouched on the ship's railing, cheerfully cheering Ian on. "Hurry up and learn, okay!"
On the opposite side, Hancock bit her handkerchief, her eyes filled with tears, but her tone strangely carried a sense of pride. "Ian! My Ian! To think you could push yourself this far to get stronger, you truly live up to being Ian! So cool!"
Then, her gaze turned to Mihawk with a murderous intent.
Although it was Ian's request, and although Mihawk was helping Ian train, how dare he treat Ian like this!
Hawkeye Mihawk?
More like a dog-eyed Mihawk!
You've signed your own death sentence!
Except for these two, the rest of the crew quietly watched the scene.
However, they all cast pitiful glances at Mihawk.
"Seems like Ian's about to drive him crazy, huh?"
Law said sympathetically.
Mihawk was helping Ian with his training, specifically in the use of Conqueror's Haki.
Logically, the usage of Conqueror's Haki in this manner was not much different from the use of Armament Haki.
But there was still a slight difference.
Ian still couldn't manage it yet.
His Conqueror's Haki was already strong enough to affect reality and even suppress the elemental transformation of Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
But he still couldn't manage to wrap it around anything.
So when he found a rare expert like Mihawk, who could use Conqueror's Haki in this way, Ian decided to have him help with his training.
If Luffy could learn to foresee the future using Observation Haki while being beaten by Katakuri, then it wasn't entirely impossible for Ian to gradually master the Conqueror's Haki Infusion by enduring Mihawk's beatings.
As for why Mihawk and not Kaido or someone else, Ian could only say that Mihawk was far gentler than the others.
Ian had a particular desire to master the technique, as mastering it essentially meant stepping into the realm of emperors.
That's why Ian had been particularly diligent in his training.
It was probably to the extent that he had Mihawk helping him from the moment he woke up until midnight.
Anyway, Ian possessed the regenerative ability in his sphere form. No matter what kind of injury he sustained, as long as he was still alive, he could recover quickly.
Mihawk was nearly going insane. This bastard was going too far!
He was the one doing the hitting, yet he was the one who felt exhausted to the point of barely being able to move every day.
But Ian, that bastard, could still energetically drag him into training the next day.
Is the Mythical Zoan really that great?
For the first time, Mihawk felt a bit envious of the Devil Fruit.
Only because this bastard was pushing him too much!
**********
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