Looking at Zephyr's puzzled expression, Ian said directly, "Those guys are natural-born warriors. Perhaps you could try recruiting them into your fleet!"
"Natural-born warriors? Hahaha, what an unexpected bonus!"
Hearing Ian's words, Zephyr's eyes lit up. "I'll have to take a good look at them later!"
"Whatever."
Ian shrugged, then he stroked his chin as he continued looking at the gold before him. "In that case, let's see which gold we can melt later!"
Although he had initially planned to melt down all the gold, it didn't really matter now.
After all, what truly sculpts history is stone, so the amount of gold that can actually be preserved is not much.
Moreover, the Skypiea's geographical location is more important; it can serve as a safe rear base.
If things really get too difficult, he can bring his wife and children here.
Besides, gold is practically worthless in the Sky Island.
You know, the White Sea doesn't only have this one island. While it's uncertain whether gold can be found on other islands, opening a trade route here should be profitable.
"A trade route in the sky?"
Faced with Ian's suggestion, Zephyr's eyes narrowed as if he had thought of something.
"Hahaha, what a bold and good idea! With Kuma's help, it might actually be feasible!"
Although Kuma is currently wanted by the World Government, after learning more... Zephyr understood what had happened in the Kingdom of Sorbet.
That guy... He was just unlucky!
"Don't forget me then! Never mind, we'll talk about these things later!"
Zephyr waved his hand, glanced around, and then continued to look at Ian with a cheerful smile.
"Where's that Logia Devil Fruit user that Kuma mentioned? The Rumble-Rumble Fruit, I know, it's a very powerful Logia Devil Fruit! I didn't expect it to be on Sky Island!"
"Heh…"
Ian gestured to the side in response to Zephyr's question: "Over there!"
As Ian finished speaking, Zephyr immediately looked in the direction he pointed.
When he saw two figures not far away, his brows furrowed, especially after he seemed to recognize Crocodile.
His expression hardened, and he spoke in a serious and gloomy tone: "Crocodile, a Warlord of the Sea, how come this sea scum is in a place like this?"
"Of course I'm here!"
Crocodile replied to Zephyr's gaze.
Without backing down, he scoffed, removed the cigar from his lips, flicked it, and said with a mixture of disdain and schadenfreude: "After all, it was that guy who invited me here. Also, don't look at me like that. I'm one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea now; the Marines can't just attack me like that."
As soon as he finished speaking...
Ian: "..."
Zephyr: "..."
"It was indeed me who invited him. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to get to this Sky Island."
Looking at Zephyr staring at him, Ian nodded helplessly, then patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, if you want to catch him, I guarantee I'll help you!"
This immediately pleased Zephyr, who was previously silent, but Crocodile remained silent while staring at the unyielding Ian with a dark expression.
"Hmph!"
Zephyr sneered at Crocodile: "Don't let me find any fault with you, or don't blame me for being impolite."
After saying this, he ignored Crocodile, whose eyebrows were bulging with anger.
Seemingly understanding who the user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was, he lowered his head.
However, when he saw the handcuffed Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, Zephyr gasped. "Hiss, this guy really is a Devil Fruit user? How did he get beaten up like this?"
He looked at Ian with displeasure. "You kid, you're not lying to me, are you?! Look at him, he got a black eye and a swollen face!"
"... This guy is indeed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit user."
Ian nodded helplessly, then hesitated: "As for why he has a black eye and a swollen face..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the look in Crocodile's eyes made Zephyr understand what was going on.
He snorted again: "Pirates are pirates, torturing an enemy who can't resist!"
"You old bastard!!!"
"Calm down, calm down, don't be impulsive."
Seeing Crocodile about to act impulsively, Ian quickly tried to calm him down: "If you act impulsively, I'll definitely help him beat you up!"
"You bastard!"
Crocodile's anger shifted, and he glared angrily at Ian.
As for Zephyr, ignoring Crocodile, he walked up while frowning as he looked at Enel, whose mouth was stuffed with something.
"Originally, I planned to let the Devil Fruit respawn directly nearby, but I caught him by accident, so I thought I shouldn't waste it."
Ian said while walking over as well. "But this guy is a bit stubborn, see if you can handle him."
"Letting the Devil Fruit respawn?"
Zephyr lowered his voice, chuckling: "Is this a gift for Ain?"
"What's the point of lowering your voice?"
Feeling Ain's gaze, Ian said irritably to Zephyr: "Can you handle it? If not, I'll let the Devil Fruit respawn."
"You think I can't handle this? You know I'm the Chief Instructor at the Marine Headquarters, not some stubborn kid!"
Hearing Ian's words, Zephyr, feeling his authority challenged, snorted coldly and said, "I've encountered all kinds of stubborn brats. Once they fall into my hands, they'll all obey. Hurry up and get that stuff out of this kid's mouth so he can talk. I'll show you what it means to be the Chief Instructor at the Marine Headquarters!"
Ian: "..."
I said stubborn in the head, not stubborn in the temper!
But since Zephyr said so, Ian let him have his way.
If all else failed, he would just kill Enel. He patted Crocodile, telling him to get the sand out of Enel's mouth.
Crocodile snorted coldly, didn't refuse, and simply waved his hand.
After Crocodile stopped exerting his Devil Fruit ability, Enel spat out the sand that sealed his mouth.
Seeing Enel able to speak, Zephyr smiled kindly and leaned closer to Enel.
"So your name is Enel..."
But before he could finish, Enel interrupted him with a cold snort: "You old mortal, you have no right to speak my name."
He said disdainfully: "Only the God of Sand who defeats me is worthy to speak with me!"
Upon hearing this, Zephyr, who had been smiling, froze on the spot and... fell silent.
"I told you, this guy's got a bit of a screw loose in his head."
Ian sighed helplessly, breaking the silence and moving closer to Zephyr.
"Maybe we should just forget about it!"
"..."
Hearing Ian's words, Zephyr, whose smile had been stiff, snapped out of it.
Under everyone's gaze, he put his hands on his hips and burst into laughter: "Hahaha, are you underestimating the Chief Instructor at the Marine Headquarters?"