"If he agreed, isn't that good enough? Sengoku, don't always assume the worst about people. If Sakazuki were here, you two would definitely start arguing again because of what happened before."
Tsuru, who was there drinking tea, said helplessly: "Maybe he just wants to be like the strongest swordsman in the world and not be bothered."
"If he didn't want to be bothered, he wouldn't have done so many things. Don't forget that the Tyrant from the South Blue. Forget it, let's not talk about this."
Sengoku rubbed the bridge of his nose. "But you're right, Ian agreeing does ease my mind a little."
"At least compared to those pirates, that kid is still relatively clean."
"Hahaha, anyone valued by both Zephyr and Garp must have something special! I heard that after he retired, he's been building his hometown."
Tsuru couldn't help but smile. "Speaking of which, where is Garp? Zephyr aside, why hasn't Garp returned yet?"
"Don't mention that idiot. Because I deducted a year of his salary, he dropped everything and ran off."
Sengoku's face darkened as he waved his hand. "Even though I urged him to return, knowing that idiot, he's probably sunbathing somewhere and drifting back slowly!"
"Yeah... that really sounds like something Garp would do. Anyway, let's talk about something else, something very important."
Tsuru shook her head, then inhaled deeply and spoke seriously: "This morning, I received important intel from the New World. That sea rogue suddenly left his territory and headed to the North Blue."
"Sea rogue? Donquixote Doflamingo?"
Sengoku's expression also turned serious. "Why is he going to the North Blue?"
"We don't know yet, but I already sent people to investigate."
Sengoku: "..."
Sengoku narrowed his eyes slightly and tapped his fingers on the desk while thinking.
After a moment…
"Tell them to intensify the investigation. Find out as soon as possible why Doflamingo is heading to the North Blue, or what is there in the North Blue that attracts so many dangerous people!"
He spoke with a somber tone.
"To think there's something that could attract that many troublesome individuals there."
...
Kuma and Gini also returned that night, and because of that, the Sibia River Archipelago specially held a banquet.
The banquet was extremely lively, and even Kuma, who usually didn't say much, drank happily and laughed out loud during the banquet.
Even when Ace dragged him to dance, he didn't refuse, though his laughter was mixed with tears.
As for Bonney, although she wasn't completely cured yet, once she got permission to run freely, this little girl ran nonstop from night onward, constantly pouncing onto Kuma's back, and she very quickly made new friends.
After the banquet ended, life returned to peace again.
Since Zephyr had made a fortune some time ago and expanded his fleet a little too quickly, he needed to temporarily take a break.
Ace officially settled down on the Sibia River Archipelago, and perhaps he would only leave once he set out to sea.
As for Kuma, he planned to take Bonney back to the Sorbet Kingdom and tell everyone that Bonney's illness was cured, so they didn't have to worry anymore.
Of course, he couldn't completely return to the Sorbet Kingdom anymore; if he stayed there for too long, he was afraid the local Marines would find him and cause unnecessary trouble, and he still had an agreement with Law that he hadn't completed yet.
Although Kuma didn't know what Law wanted him to do, he had already made up his mind; no matter what it was, he would definitely fulfill it.
As for Gini, he left the day after the banquet ended. There were still a lot of things waiting for him to handle in Grado.
One had to admit, the former underling had now become a competent leader.
Therefore, before anything else happened, Ian also prepared to head to Ancient Town for a trip, planning to get everything done once the new year began.
Since Robin hadn't deciphered the writing yet, Ian obtained the route to Ancient Town from Zephyr.
Then, he went to ask Kuma about it, but unfortunately, Kuma said he had never been to that place, so he couldn't send them directly.
Fortunately, Kuma had been to an island nearby, so the plan was to first send them to that island, then travel from there toward the destination.
Once everything was ready, Ian planned to set out.
This trip wouldn't be troublesome; once he got the Devil Fruit, he would leave immediately.
The only thing worth worrying about was that this was the New World, where strong people gathered.
It was possible they would run into powerful pirates, or even... The emperor of the sea.
Once someone discovered that he had a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, a battle was probably inevitable.
Originally, Ian intended to take Kuma with him so that once he obtained the Devil Fruit, Kuma could send him flying back right away.
But after seeing Kuma staying by Bonney's side all the time, Ian reconsidered and decided he shouldn't disturb the father and daughter.
The child had just recovered, so sending her father away on a trip right now doesn't really feel right!
Besides, the task wasn't troublesome. Whether he had one less person or one more didn't make much difference.
If they ran into an Emperor of the sea, who's trying to steal the Devil Fruit, adding one more person would just mean one more person running away.
Therefore, Ian has Ain accompany him, then plans to have Kuma take them back after obtaining the Devil Fruit.
After making the decision and saying goodbye to Robin and Aria, Ian set out with Ain, first riding the super Kuma-brand airplane toward their first island.
A very normal island with nothing particularly special.
Once they arrived, they didn't take a boat. Ian directly picked up Ain and, under the sunlight, shot toward Ancient Town.
Without any accidents or unexpected events, the two successfully arrived at Ancient Town.
After arriving at Ancient Town, the next part was simple.
Ain had been here before with Zephyr, so she was quite familiar with where the ruins were located.
Under Ain's guidance, they successfully reached the ruins. Looking at their destination ahead, Ian couldn't help feeling emotional: things were going surprisingly smoothly.
Just when Ian thought that once they obtained the Devil Fruit, they could head back to the previous island and have Kuma pick them up…