Akainu and Kizaru’s predictions weren’t far off the mark. By the time Arest arrived at Golden City, it would already be toote.


    At this moment, on a stretch of sea not far from Gran Tesoro, a Navy warship was quietly floating.


    This was the only asset that Aokiji had taken with him when he left the Navy, and the Navy hadn’t made a fuss about it. Aokiji had long since removed the naval insignia from the ship, but he hadn’t reced it with any other g. So now, this ship wasn’t quite a warship, nor a pirate ship, nor even a merchant vessel; it was something in between, a bit of an oddity.


    Onboard this warship were several other naval officers and soldiers. These were the ones who had chosen to leave the Navy along with Aokiji. Ian found their faces somewhat familiar, likely having seen them back at Marineford, but he didn’t know their names. So, when he saw them, he simply nodded in acknowledgment without paying much more attention.


    However, these officers were visibly surprised when they saw Ian and his group, along with Perospero and Katakuri, boarding the ship. They never would have imagined that such an eclectic group of people would end up together.


    Ian and his group hitched a ride on Aokiji’s ship, but they didn’t travel far before stopping nearby. As they stood on the deck, watching the mass exodus of ships pouring out of Gran Tesoro like ants fleeing a sinking ship, they couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of reflection.


    Just minutes earlier, Golden City had been a bustling, never-sleeping metropolis, where people indulged in unparalleled luxury and decadence. Yet, in the blink of an eye, they had abandoned it all as if fleeing from a disaster.


    No wonder people say that superficial glory is fleeting—there’s definitely some truth to that.


    And Ian, the mastermind behind all of this, looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back, adopting a pensive expression as he remarked, “Life rarely goes as nned, nine times out of ten…” (T/N: saying that while acquiring 100s of billions…)    Enel and Urouge exchanged a speechless nce, thinking that Ian was incredibly sly. If Tesoro were to hear Ian’s feignedment, he might just cough up blood in anger.


    However, Kuina, who was well-acquainted with Ian’s personality, couldn’t help but recall the time when Ian used to prank Zoro back in Shimotsuki Vige, and she let out a stifledugh.


    Perospero and Katakuri, on the other hand, were unimpressed by Ian’s showy behavior. Now that they had secured the money and delivered the tea party invitation to Ian, they had no desire to linger on the warship a moment longer. They urged Ian to divide the spoils quickly so that everyone could go their separate ways.


    “Uncultured!” Ian was clearly displeased with Perospero and Katakuri for ruining the atmosphere with their impatience, so he cast them a disdainful look before finally leading everyone to therge gold chests they had carried out.


    With so much money,bined with the weight of the gold chests, Aokiji’s warship was heavily burdened, with the waterline dipping significantly lower. In truth, there was no need to go through all this trouble. Ian could have easily transferred the wealth using his ability, but he chose not to.


    Besides needing to set aside a share for Perospero and Katakuri—since it would be hard to exin if the amount suddenly decreased—Ian also had another reason: he realized that he probably didn’t need to convert all of it.


    The 500 billion Berries was an enormous fortune. Converting it all into in-game currency (gems) would be a waste. Ian figured that even if he converted just 50 billion Berries, the resulting gems would be enough tost him a long time.


    So, he nned to use the rest of the money for other purposes.


    The first thing he intended to do was allocate some funds to help Varua establish a proper researchboratory. Although Varua had once had conflicts with Ian, that was all in the past. Ever since joining Ian, Varua had been exposed to ancient lunar technology, the Germa science from Reiju, and even Vegapunk’s Pacifista technology. To a scientist like Varua, Ian was like a vast treasure trove, always full of surprises. Now, Varua had fullymitted to acknowledging Ian as his boss.


    For someone on his team, Ian was never stingy. Varua had been diligently working on deciphering Vegapunk’s Pacifista technology, with the hope of one day creating his own Pacifistas. However, theboratory Ian had set up for him at the Ballon Terminal Ruins had always been a makeshift setup,cking many essential resources. Ian felt it was necessary to use some of the money to purchase equipment for Varua and truly establish hisboratory.


    Research facilities like these typically require significant and ongoing investments before they can yield results.


    Aside from setting up the researchb, Ian also intended to provide Aokiji with some funds.


    Since Kuina was his sister, Ian certainly didn’t want to see her roughing it with Aokiji. Before Aokiji left the Navy, all the admirals had their needs supplied by the Navy, but now that Aokiji had left, he no longer had ess to these resources. The people on his ship couldn’t survive without food and drink, and all of that requires money.


    So, Ian decided not only to give Aokiji a share of the spoils but also to give him a little extra. If possible, Ian even hoped that Aokiji might use these funds to recruit soldiers and establish a new navy!


    Ian could tell that both Aokiji and Kuina hadn’t given up on their dreams of the navy.


    As Ian, Luffy, and even those Supernovas continued to be more active, and as the Revolutionary Army gradually starteding out of the shadows, the world was bound to be increasingly turbulent. The arrival of a new era is inevitable—this is the trend of history. While this trend might be dyed or elerated by the appearance of certain individuals, it will inevitablye.


    No one knows what kind of chemical reaction will ur among the pirates, the navy, and the Revolutionary Army, but Ian did not believe that under the leadership of the decaying World Government, the navy could achieve anything significant. Perhaps one day, when the World Government copses under the assault of the Revolutionary Army, the navy might fall with it.


    At that time, Aokiji and Kuina’s faction might be able to reemerge in the world under the banner of the navy.


    Of course, these were just vague premonitions—Ian himself couldn’t say exactly what would happen. But people have a certain intuition, and Ian’s intuition told him that this was the right course of action.


    Since he nned to give Aokiji some funds, naturally, the Revolutionary Army couldn’t be left out. Ian also intended to provide them with some military funds. For some reason, Ian had a feeling that Dragon’s sudden and unexpected appearance in the Golden City might actually have been to find him. The only unexpected twist was that before Dragon could find him, he was recognized by that old woman, Bakkin, leading to the chaos that ensued.


    Ian was currently lingering here, nning to wait and see if Dragon woulde to find him.


    As for Tesoro, there was no way he could be a match for Dragon. After all, Dragon was from the same generation as Aokiji! Justparing him to Aokiji made it clear that Dragon’s strength was likely at least on the level of an Admiral!


    And as the leader of a force capable of shaking the world, Ian didn’t mind specting that Dragon’s power might be even greater…


    So he wasn’t worried at all about Dragon’s current situation. The battle between the Revolutionary Army and the World Government’s intelligence agents in the Golden City might not take long to conclude. Tesoro might try to stop the Revolutionary Army from damaging his ship, but if he’s unlucky enough to run into Dragon, he’s likely to be taken down again…


    Ian took out 25 billion Berries in cash and handed it over to Perospero and Katakuri.


    Since he had made a promise, Ian had no intention of going back on it, even though his strength could easily overpower Perospero and Katakuri. As he had mentioned before, Ian was willing to follow the rules most of the time, but if someone decided not to y by the rules, then they couldn’t me him for what happened next. Tesoro had been a prime example of this.


    Fortunately, Perospero and Katakuri didn’t make any trouble. After receiving the 25 billion Berries, they were quite satisfied and felt that cooperating with Ian had been a pleasant experience. Katakuri extended his hand and shook Ian’s, saying, “This gift will definitely make Mama very happy… So, I hope to see you at Mama’s tea party. I’ll give you a tour of Cake Ind when the timees.”


    “Oh…” Ian didn’t say much, merely nodding in response. In truth, he still hadn’t decided whether he would attend or not.


    Katakuri and Perospero then jumped onto a small boat they had seized earlier and quickly departed.


    However, once they were a fair distance away from Ian’s ship, Perospero turned to Katakuri and said, “My dear brother, are you sure it was wise not to mention to Ian that Mama ns to marry Smoothie off to him?”


    Katakuri shook his head and replied, “You have to understand, Brother Peros, if we had brought up that matter when we handed over the invitation, Ian might have kicked us off the ship right then and there!”


    “You saw that kind of future?” Perospero asked.


    “Yes!” Katakuri confirmed with certainty. “Although it was a bit blurry, that’s indeed what I saw. And we wouldn’t have been able to fight back at all! Both your abilities and mine arepletely countered by Ian’s.”


    “That’s true…” Perospero fell silent for a moment, then added, “Bute to think of it, this really is quite an interesting situation. Look, Mama’spanions, Prometheus and Zeus, happen to represent fire and lightning, and Ian’s disyed powers are precisely these two elements. If Ian shows up on Cake Ind, Prometheus and Zeus might actually like him… And with his unique ability to extract souls, it’s no wonder Mama is so interested in him.”


    “Do you think Mama genuinely wants to form an alliance with Ian through marriage, or is she just after his abilities?” Katakuri suddenly asked.


    “…Probably both!” Perospero thought for a moment and replied, “If it can be achieved peacefully, that would be ideal. After all, Mama has always been concerned about that giant from the Dragon Hunter Pirates, Raideen. Given how much Mama wants to improve rtions with the Giant race, Ian is undoubtedly her most important opportunity!”


    “But what if Ian refuses the marriage?” Katakuri asked. “If Mama brings it up during the tea party and Ian rejects it, Mama might get furious, and everything could fall apart…”


    Perospero felt a headacheing on. He didn’t know how to handle this situation. If it wasn’t managed carefully, it could indeed lead to a confrontation between the Big Mom Pirates and the Dragon Hunter Pirates.


    “Maybe we should try to persuade Mama when we get back, suggest that she doesn’t rush things with this matter…”


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