Ian's lips curled into a triumphant smile.
"Who else but me?"
His wings suddenly flapped, sending violent winds scattering in all directions.
On the icy plains below, all of his companions lifted their heads to gaze up at him.
Hancock and Solem released their abilities, allowing part of the pirate crew to return to their original forms.
Yamato's ice, however, couldn't be undone so easily. It would take time for it to melt away.
But it didn't matter. Those who had regained their freedom still looked to the sky—looked to the man who had claimed victory.
"From this day forward," Ian declared, his voice carried far and wide by the wind across the frozen land.
It would spread through Wano, through the seas, and eventually resound across the entire world.
"I am the captain of the Beasts Pirates!"
Silence filled the air.
And then—
"Captain Ian!!"
Yamato leapt with joy, pumping her fists as she shouted with uncontainable excitement.
As if the giant, gutted man Ian was holding in his hands wasn't her father at all.
"Captain Ian!!"
Hancock's face was filled with infatuation.
Today, Ian was simply too handsome!
Ten times more handsome than usual—no, even eleven times more!
"Captain Ian!!!"
The cheers erupted like a roaring tsunami, sweeping across every direction.
It wasn't just the pirates Ian had brought from Hive Island who were shouting. Even those who had long followed behind Kaido in Wano were now cheering with wild excitement.
After all, they were family from the start. Lord Ian and Boss Kaido may have had some conflicts two years ago, but in the end, they were still master and disciple—and in the future, even in-laws.
The unification of Wano and Hive Island was bound to happen sooner or later. It just came earlier than anyone had expected.
And beyond that, Ian's overwhelming display of strength left the pirates of Wano completely convinced!
They hadn't seen the fight itself, but when victory was declared, Lord Ian didn't even have a speck of dust on him.
With power like that, who else but him could lead the Beasts Pirates?
Among the Beasts Pirates, strength was the iron law!
Ian looked down at the cheering pirates below, the corners of his lips curving ever so slightly.
This damned sense of security…
"Lord Ian! Give us a smile!!"
Down on the icy plain, Morgans was trembling as if possessed by madness, his entire body shaking uncontrollably.
But the right hand holding the Den Den Mushi remained perfectly steady, aimed squarely at Ian above.
Morgans had no doubt—in this moment, he was witnessing history!
The strongest pirate crew, one destined to surpass even the legendary Rocks Pirates, had just been born!
No! Not destined to surpass—
They had already surpassed them!
Because at this very moment, the strongest pirate in history had also been born!
Ian had displayed power unlike anything ever seen before.
Even Kaido, the man hailed as the "strongest creature in the world," was utterly helpless before him!
The current Kaido was a force comparable to Rocks himself in his prime…
Yet even such titles as "strongest creature" or "strongest man" meant nothing now.
Before Ian, they were nothing more than fragile paper tigers!
Could any other pirate in history do this?
Before Ian, who would dare call themselves invincible? Who would dare claim to be undefeated?
Ian alone was already enough to crush the Rocks Pirates!
He had become so overwhelmingly powerful, it was as if he belonged to another dimension!
Just thinking about releasing this news made Morgans almost delirious with excitement, nearly fainting from the thrill.
The battle for the One Piece seemed to be approaching its final round. But where was Ian's opponent now?
Later, on Onigashima.
Bullet used his powers to restore the island to its original state.
Of course, there were still some damages from the fight with Kaido, but they were trivial—just a few holes on the skull, easy enough to repair.
In the Wano Castle.
The officers of the Beasts Pirates gathered together.
King, Queen, and the Tobiroppo, who had originally followed Kaido, were all present.
Alongside them were many companions who had come with Ian from Hive Island.
With so many people, even this hall—wide enough for giants like Jack and Black Maria to move freely—felt somewhat crowded.
Especially with the two giants, Solem and Himir, in attendance.
"This is ridiculous."
Black Maria muttered in awe. "Is this really our Beasts Pirates?"
Kaido, Bullet, and Ian.
Just these three names alone were enough to inspire fear.
Then there were Yamato and Hancock. Not quite on the same level as the three, but terrifyingly strong in their own right.
Next came King, Queen, Jack, Jinbe, Enel, Solem, and Kuma—the core strength of the crew.
Beyond them, there were even more fighters.
At this point, the Beasts Pirates' strength had completely surpassed that of the Marine Headquarters, hadn't it?
"How is it?"
Ian, seated in the place originally belonging to Kaido, smiled and asked his right-hand mentor, who was drinking, "Kaido-sensei, how does the current Beasts Pirates compare to the Rocks Pirates of the past?"
Speaking of which, the Rocks Pirates back in the day were ridiculously strong.
The combination of Rocks, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion Shiki alone was enough to terrify anyone.
Then there were Linlin, Kaido, Silver Axe, and Ochoku—each name enough to make the world tremble.
"Ugh, kekekekeke!"
Kaido's injuries had fully healed thanks to the urgent aid of Princess Mansherry. He laughed heartily and said, "The Rocks Pirates weren't really a proper pirate crew! They were just a bunch of scum banding together for warmth!"
Ian chuckled and nodded.
Indeed.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been crushed directly in God Valley.
At that time, on paper, the Rocks Pirates' strength far exceeded that of the Roger Pirates plus the Navy led by Garp.
It was internal division that ultimately led to their downfall.
"Without a doubt," Ian looked around at all his companions and said with a smile, "We are already the strongest pirate crew in the world, and perhaps the strongest in history."
A gleam of excitement appeared on everyone's faces.
Even the ever-proud Bullet couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.
"So, the strongest should do what the strongest are meant to do."
Ian said.
"Ugh, kekekekeke! Are we ready to take action now, Ian?"
Kaido laughed heartily. "Just tell us what you want to do! Now you're the captain!"
Ian smiled. "Let's expand our territory a bit. Don't you think it's getting a little crowded here?"
Pirate Emperor.
This title was about to make history.
At the same time, Morgans, acting under Ian's authorization, had already begun to move.
Having witnessed the entire unification of the Beasts Pirates firsthand, Morgans immediately sent out a news release to headquarters.
Then, all major branches of the World Economic News, already prepared for this moment, sprang into action.
In just half a day, regardless of whether it was day or night locally, newspapers began raining down from the sky, free of charge.
The headline on that day's paper read:
"The Strongest Person in the World!"
**********
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