Sleepy Town.
Though called a town, it was actually no more than a small village.
The name stuck simply because this place had once been called that.
The village was very small, built by the sea, with a tiny dock.
From the dock stretched a single road, lined on both sides by about fifty houses.
The total population was only a few hundred.
This road ran straight through the village, extending towards the lush mountains not far beyond.
Today, this small village welcomed a visitor.
He was a tall and upright young man, looking about sixteen or seventeen.
Dressed simply in a T-shirt and shorts, wearing slippers, he looked like a tourist on vacation.
The villagers couldn't understand what was so fun about this place.
What drew attention, of course, was the young man's appearance—so handsome that it seemed almost unnatural.
He strolled slowly along the village path.
Both young girls and married women couldn't help but stare at him.
The young man paid no mind, but the women blushed deeply as they watched him pass.
After wandering around the village a bit, the young man headed to its only tavern—a narrow little place with just a bar and two tables.
After all, the village had only a few hundred people; there was no need for a larger shop.
"Welcome."
The bartender, wiping a glass behind the counter, studied the young man who had just entered.
He looked familiar.
Where had he seen him before?
"Do you have any food?"
The young man plopped down right in front of the bar counter, lazily asking,
The bar owner noticed a peculiar red creature perched on the young man's shoulder, its eyes wide open as it curiously looked around.
"We have freshly baked apple pie,"
The bar owner said quietly, pulling back his gaze.
"Then I'll have a few pieces, plus a bottle of rum."
The young man, Ian, who had come from afar, replied casually.
"Alright."
Without wasting any words, the owner grabbed a bottle of rum from the cabinet behind him and placed it in front of Ian, then went to the kitchen and brought out several steaming hot apple pies.
Ian first grabbed the rum bottle, gave it a powerful shake, and the cork flew off instantly.
The bar owner stared in shock, completely baffled by how Ian managed that.
Ian took a long gulp from the bottle, then bit into one of the apple pies in front of him.
Honestly, the taste was rather ordinary, but being freshly baked, it was still pretty good.
"Hey boss, can I ask you something?"
Ian asked casually while eating,
"Have a lot of outsiders come to the island recently?"
The owner thought for a moment,
"Not too many, but some people did head to the ruins deep in the mountains not long ago."
"Some of them are still staying in the village now."
"Is that so?"
Ian nodded slightly,
"That so-called ruins, where exactly is it?"
"Right in the center of the island, inside the highest mountain peak."
The owner said offhandedly,
"You're after the ruins too, huh? There's nothing there. If there really was something, you outsiders wouldn't even get a chance to find it."
"Really? I don't believe that."
Ian simply smiled lightly.
The reason it couldn't be found was simply because it lacked the key.
The bar owner's mouth twitched slightly.
"You're a bit rebellious, huh?"
But… he looked so familiar, really familiar.
Where had he seen him before?
"All right, thanks for the hospitality, boss."
Ian wiped his mouth. In just a few minutes, both the apple pie and rum had disappeared into his stomach.
He casually tossed a few gold coins onto the table, then stood up and turned to leave the bar.
"…"
Watching the coins still dancing on the table, the bar owner was stunned.
So generous?
Ian stepped outside and looked up toward the lush mountains in the distance.
Since there were still quite a few outsiders in the village, his identity must have been exposed long ago. It was time to get down to business.
Ian didn't bother to disguise himself at all—after all, he was the only one who had landed on this island.
Because he was alone, he feared nothing.
With a sudden burst, he shot into the air and flew nonstop toward the distant mountains.
"He's… flying!!"
The bar owner stood there, dumbfounded.
Wait!
Suddenly, a spark of realization flashed through his mind. He hurriedly searched beneath the counter and pulled out a stack of wanted posters.
Flustered, he rifled through them and finally found one.
The bar owner was stunned again.
The handsome face on the wanted poster matched perfectly with the young man from before.
"Th-the… Yonko??"
He muttered in disbelief.
How could such a top-tier figure appear in this remote countryside?
The Pirate Emperor came here to eat?
And he even left him some coins?
"Could it be…"
He suddenly shouted, "There really is something hidden in the ruins?"
Damn, missed out on a fortune!
Just as Ian flew toward the ruins, not far away over a nearby sea area, warships were rapidly closing in, surrounding the place.
"Ian!!"
Hero Garp no longer showed the laziness he once had. Standing at the bow of the ship, his gaze was serious. The sea wind whipped his coat fiercely.
"How could that guy appear here? Could it be that he's also after the island's legend?"
"But how would he even know about this?"
"Our people found nothing at all on the island," Zephyr said.
"There's nothing inside that ruin. Maybe we've been looking in the wrong place."
"No matter if we're right or wrong," Hero Garp clenched his fists tightly, "now is not the time to hesitate!"
"But if we act now, the Cross Guild will surely realize this is a trap aimed at them. Then they won't show up anymore!"
Zephyr spoke seriously.
"Ian came alone this time,"
Hero Garp said firmly, "he didn't bring any partners. There's no better opportunity than now!"
Zephyr pursed his lips.
That was true. Although the Cross Guild was troublesome, they were no match for Ian.
That man was the greatest threat to the World Government!
Once he grew stronger, defeated Kaido, and united the entire Beasts Pirates, the whole world would be thrown into chaos!
"Alright!"
Zephyr nodded heavily. "Then let's take down Ian first!"
"Get Kuzan here quickly!"
Sleepy Town.
Not long after Ian left this small village, the sea outside the village dock suddenly became turbulent.
A ship burst up from beneath the sea!
The bubble that had originally wrapped around the ship vanished the moment it surfaced.
Almost simultaneously as the bubble disappeared, a dark figure shot out from the ship, launching into the sky, then treading the air as it sped toward the distant mountains.
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