Crocodile, Gecko Moria, and Byrnndi World… Even without Redfield and Shiryu, there was no doubt in Zéphyr's mind — these were the high-ranking officers of the Cross Guild.
He lowered his binoculars slowly, his face tightening with suspicion.
"But why are they here?" he muttered.
Something felt off.
The Cross Guild should have only just received word about the operation targeting the Sleeping Ancient Town.
The Marines had moved early — preemptively — to capture Ian. So how could they already be here?
"Unless…" Garp's deep voice rumbled beside him, full of grit and realization. "They knew about our operation from the start."
He clenched his fist.
"The sudden appearance of Thriller Bark back then — that was nothing more than a smokescreen. They used it to mislead us. In reality, they'd already slipped in long before we arrived."
Zéphyr's lips curled into a hard, knowing smirk.
"Well, what a twist of fate. Ian's unexpected interference might've turned out to be a blessing in disguise."
"Wahahahaha!" Garp's booming laughter cut through the tension. "That's assuming Ian's not a bigger threat to us than they are!"
Zéphyr turned to him, eyes steely. "He's yours."
The former Admiral didn't hesitate.
Among all the officers gathered, only this old war dog could face Ian head-on.
"Leave it to me!" Garp declared, slamming his pitch-black fists together with the eagerness of a warrior born for battle.
The fire in his eyes burned like it had decades ago.
Finally… another chance to clash with that bastard.
Farther back, Vice Admiral Gion gripped the hilt of her blade tightly. Her hand trembled — not from fear, but from the bitter sting of memory.
Ian.
Twice she'd fought him in the North Blue. Twice she'd been defeated.
Her heart still hadn't let go of that humiliation.
All around the island, Marine warships began closing in, one after another. The noose tightened.
"Damn it…" Crocodile wiped at the sweat gathering along his brow.
The enemy force arrayed before them was unlike anything he'd anticipated.
Leading the charge was none other than Garp the Iron Fist. At his side was former Admiral Zéphyr, and flanking the entire operation was Aokiji — a current Admiral of the highest caliber.
This wasn't a raid.
It was an execution.
"Hey, World," Crocodile turned his head and asked, "Can you enlarge the coating now to cover the whole ship?"
Byrnndi World didn't respond. He simply stared manically at the oncoming fleet of Marine warships.
"Good! Good! GOOD! Let me be the one to crush you all!!"
He shouted wildly, eyes full of madness.
Crocodile's brow twitched.
This guy had completely slipped into a stress-induced frenzy.
But even if the coating was completed, there was no way they could escape by diving into the deep sea.
That bastard Aokiji was nearby.
Even if he weren't, those damn geezers—Garp and Zephyr—could swim.
At that moment, Crocodile's mind was in utter chaos. What should they do now?
There was nowhere to run.
He needed to think differently.
Crocodile turned back to look toward the shore—or rather, toward the small village that sat there.
If the enemy was the Marines…
"Yo, what a coincidence. Fancy running into a familiar face here."
A familiar voice drifted down from the sky.
Crocodile froze, then suddenly looked up in shock. He saw a figure—someone standing atop the crossbar of a ship's mast.
His pupils shrank to the limit. Almost instinctively, he blurted out the man's name, filled with disbelief and confusion.
"Ian?!"
Why was this guy here?
Don't tell me… the one who was fighting Red just now—that was him?
Crocodile couldn't wrap his head around what was going on anymore.
But someone else figured it out very quickly.
"IAN!!"
Moria no longer cared about the Marines. He looked up and let out a sharp, furious roar.
"Go to hell, you bastard!!"
He would never forget that moment—eleven years ago, in the Kuri Region of Wano.
The firebird that descended from the sky. No matter how hard they fought, they couldn't stop him even a little.
They could only watch helplessly as he fell from the sky, and in an instant, his companions suffered terrible casualties.
Only this brat and Kaido—only those two—he would never forgive!
"Horn Blade: Shadow!"
A jet-black shadow surged upward, transforming into a long spear that struck viciously toward Ian from below.
"So nostalgic."
Ian sighed softly, a hint of emotion in his voice.
Back in the day, Moria had opened with the exact same move. Thinking about it, that was already eleven years ago. He had only been five at the time.
Time really flew.
Lost in memories, Ian released his Armament Haki from beneath his feet. The moment the shadow spear was about to strike, it shattered instantly under the invisible force.
"Damn it! Go to hell!!"
After his attack failed, Moria looked down at the shadow Ian had cast on the deck. Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed at it.
No matter how strong this damned brat was, as long as his shadow was cut, he would be as good as dead!
But suddenly, a black mass came crashing down from the sky with a thunderous boom, slamming Moria into the ground with a painful cry.
"Moria!!"
Crocodile couldn't help but shout in alarm.
Was the power gap really this wide?
That bastard Moria couldn't even block a single move in front of Ian.
"Honestly, could you at least pay attention to the situation, Moria?"
Ian stood casually atop Moria's back, speaking slowly. "Do you really think you have the luxury of fighting me right now?"
"You bastard!!"
Moria's pale face flushed bright red, the veins on his forehead bulging as his entire body trembled with rage. But no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't shake off the man standing on his back. Ian had him pinned completely, unable to move.
Even Byrnndi World, who had been laughing maniacally at the sight of the approaching navy, cast a bewildered glance at Ian.
How could he be this strong?
"Enough, Moria!"
Crocodile quickly shouted, "Now is not the time to fight this man!"
The approaching navy forces were already terrifying enough. If they started a fight with Ian on top of that, they'd be digging their own graves.
"Ian!"
Crocodile turned a wary eye toward him. "Why are you here?"
"Who knows."
Ian casually tossed the small box in his hand over and over, the one containing the Vampire Fruit, all while gazing at the approaching Marine warships on the horizon.
Crocodile's brows furrowed instantly.
What was inside that box?
Did he bring it with him?
No, that couldn't be right.
This guy didn't bring anything. There was no reason for him to carry a random little box.
He must've found it on this island!
Could it be…!!
He snatched the Devil Fruit that Red was looking for?
Was that battle in the center of the island just now because of this?
Was this bastard also here for that Devil Fruit?
Crocodile reached that conclusion in an instant.
But how did he know about the Vampire Fruit's existence? Even the World Government likely didn't know anything about it.
Yet Ian, this bastard, not only knew—it seemed he knew it was on this island from the start!
"You can beg me now, Crocodile."
Ian said with a faint smile.
"What?"
Crocodile, deep in thought, frowned when he heard Ian's words. "You're saying I should beg you?"
"Shouldn't you?"
Ian spoke calmly, "You're not seriously thinking that just Red alone is enough to stand against the Marine force gathered here, are you?"
"Gu hahahaha!"
Crocodile laughed, the corners of his mouth curling into a mocking sneer. "Don't be ridiculous. Do you think the Marines will let you off? Honestly, compared to us, you're probably their primary target."
Ian only smiled.
Maybe what he said was true—he was likely considered an even greater threat than the Cross Guild in the eyes of the Marines.
But the difference is—I can run.
Can you?
**********
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