When the news spread that the Marines' Chief Instructor had been attacked, leaving only two elite new recruits alive, and the rest perished at sea, the already bustling sea erupted in turmoil.
Which pirate was so brave?
They even dared to attack the Marines' Chief Instructor and nearly destroyed all the new recruits the Marines had painstakingly trained?!
Did the top pirates at the New World sneak back to Paradise to do this?
Or did some monstrous newcomer emerge?
Of course, some thought it was a bold pirate who did it, while the others wondered which idiot had done it.
To do such a foolish thing at this time? Wasn't the sea chaotic enough?
At this moment, everyone was speculating about the perpetrator.
A newcomer, or a veteran in the New World?
After all, the newspapers didn't fully report the facts, only showing a photo of the Marines' Chief Instructor kneeling and wailing on the deck.
As for who did it?
The newspaper merely wrote: "A mysterious person attacks the Chief Instructor of the Marine."
It was as if they were deliberately trying to conceal the true nature of the incident, or perhaps... To minimize its impact.
Ian guessed the World Government must have paid the World Economy News to strangle the story again!
As for why they didn't just cover it up and not report it?
That president of the World Economy News, if you say he has principles, he does; if you say he's shameless, he's that too.
Sometimes he exaggerated events according to his own whims, just to catch attention and profit, but he had never deliberately hidden a major incident.
The newspaper also reported on the war situation in the New World and the selection of the Seven Warlords of the Sea: Dracule Mihawk and Gecko Moria had accepted the World Government's invitation to join it.
With this, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a pirate force recognized by the World Government, were complete: Dracule Mihawk, Boa Hancock, Crocodile, Jinbe, Gecko Moria, Donquixote Doflamingo, and Hanafuda, all of them were renowned pirates on the sea!
Everyone understood that the balance of the seas had grown even more complicated, forcing the World Government to rely on pirates to keep pirates in check.
...
Ian put down the newspaper, feeling a little relieved.
There was no mention of him in the newspaper, not even the news about the 315th Branch successfully completing its mission. He didn't know if it was because his strength wasn't enough to make it in the news, or if it was for some other reason, but it truly made him breathe a sigh of relief!
He knew his own situation best. At least this way, he could avoid plenty of unnecessary trouble.
He picked up the book Zephyr had given him. He had been reading it lately, and it was truly comprehensive!
Not only does it cover the training methods for the Six Styles and Armament Haki, but each training method also includes Zephyr's own reflections and insights.
The writing is incredibly detailed and engaging, making everything instantly clearer.
Ian even sighed after reading it; he was truly worthy of being the Chief Instructor at Marine Headquarters, who had trained countless powerful marine figures!
It also includes a section on Observation Haki, Life Return, and Conqueror Haki.
While not as comprehensive as the Six Styles and Armament Haki, it offers a new perspective and personal reflections, allowing Ian to gain a deeper understanding of Observation Haki, Conqueror Haki, and Life Return, and gain a clearer understanding of his own shortcomings.
And the rewards from this trip weren't limited to that. In addition to Zephyr's training manual, Captain Enchi also sent his own reward of 200 million Belly.
In addition to the Captain with a bounty of 120 million Belly and the deputy captain worth 50 million Belly, he also received an additional 30 million for his own personal reward, adding up to 200 million.
This was 50 million more than the 150 million originally promised by Captain Enchi. For this, Captain Enchi, who had called, even scolded him and told him to treat him next time.
It was clear that the reward for that last mission was quite generous!
Just then, Robin mentioned that if the original plan was followed, the 60 million Belly might not be enough, and some construction and plans might need to be postponed until the brewery was completed.
In response, Ian invested another 100 million Belly, saying there was no need to postpone and that they could just do it all at once.
Money wasn't a problem at all.
That made Village Chief Martin and the other villagers ecstatic once more.
After all, that was 160 million Belly!
They had only ever seen that much money on a bounty in their entire lives.
Of course, Ian had also made it clear upfront that the money couldn't be used for illicit purposes; it had to be used entirely within the project.
If anyone messed up, he would immediately withdraw his investment. In response, Village Chief Martin and the other village chiefs patted their chests and promised they would not act rashly.
Anyone who did so would be sunk into the ocean, as if they had never existed.
That ferocious expression made Ian wonder if he had gone too far in his warning!
Although 160 million Belly might seem like a lot, investing it into the development of the Sibia Village would only create a small ripple.
For the entire island, it wasn't a huge sum, but for the impoverished villagers, it was a colossal sum!
After handing the money to Robin, Ian spent the entire winter immersed in a routine of waking up late, training, and going to bed early.
According to the advice in the book, he constantly honed his Armament Haki and body during training. He wrapped his Armament Haki around his hands, spreading it out bit by bit, starting with his right hand, then his left, then his limbs, his torso, and finally his entire body.
Then, he concentrated it back to a single point, repeatedly honing and compressing his Armament Haki, making it ever more solid and strong. While training his Armament Haki, he also strengthened his body.
Of course, for now, he could only cover his hands; he still had some distance to go before he could reach his entire body.
Under the sun, he pushed himself with extreme training. After sunset, he focused on internal practice and comprehension. Every day, he felt himself making breakthroughs.
Time passed and winter ended, and the Sibia River Archipelago welcomed the spring of a new year.
After finishing his training in the back mountains, Ian descended, ready to return home.
The chill of the melting winter snow had dissipated, and the Sibia Village was gradually warming.
Coming down the mountain, Ian stopped by the construction site of the brewery.
Seeing Village Chief Martin still busy, he lifted his axe and called out: "Village Chief Martin."
"Hey, you finally finished your training?"
Seeing Ian approach, Village Chief Martin put down his work and ran over, saying seriously: "Robin's still busy. You can take your wife home later. Don't disturb Robin."
Ian: "..."
Ian looked at Village Chief Martin speechlessly, then at Robin, who was still diligently directing the work not far away, like a designer, pointing out what to arrange here and what to build there.
Following Village Chief Martin's instructions, Ian didn't bother her.
Every day after training, he would come over and go home with Robin.
"Got it."
Ian sat down on a random rock and said irritably: "I see you've been running around a lot lately. How's it going?"
"The winery needs to be built, and the dock needs to be built too. Of course, I have to run around. What if I'm not watching over them and they slack off?"
Village Chief Martin said proudly. "You know, I'm one of the five permanent village chiefs and the resident supervisor of the Sibia River Archipelago Committee. How can I not keep an eye on them?"
"..."
Who came up with this ridiculous title?
He remembered that the last time he was boasting nonsense to Robin, it definitely didn't include this!
Ian raised his eyelids and looked at the arrogant Village Chief Martin, speechless.
But before he could say anything…
"Ian."
Village Chief Martin said while looking out to sea with a worried look on his face: "We have built such a large dock and winery. Will we really be able to sell this wine?"