"We only met yesterday. Don't worry, it's no big deal!"
Facing the intimidating aura from Crocodile, Ian glanced speechlessly at Village Chief Martin, then looked outside at the nearly noon sun.
"You're sure you want to fight now?"
"If you want me to wait a bit."
Crocodile seemed irritated without his cigarette, but restrained his anger and said, "Then I don't mind letting you prepare properly."
As soon as Crocodile finished speaking, Ian told Robin to wait with Garp, then stretched his body.
Bathed in the sunlight streaming in through the window and door, the short sleeves on his body suddenly tightened. His muscles bulged one after another, and in that instant, they grew so large that they completely burst his shirt apart.
Before the stunned Crocodile could speak, the now even more massive Ian stared him down.
"Since you have decided to have a fight now, then let's do it!"
Those muscles, larger and tougher than yesterday, made Crocodile fall silent.
How can this guy's muscles get even bigger?
No, this guy... he remembered that golden light yesterday that shone like the sun.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Don't tell him... Is Ian also a Devil Fruit user?
...
At the same time, a warship was slowly sailing towards the West Blue.
And on the bow, a shirtless, purple-haired figure, draped in a Marine's cloak of justice, stood with his arms folded while gazing at the sea with a wide grin. "Have we entered the West Blue yet? Hahaha, I wonder how that kid is doing now? Is he cherishing the gift Ain gave him?"
Gazing at the sea before him, he seemed quite cheerful.
But unlike Zephyr, who stood excitedly at the bow of the ship, behind him... Ain and Binz stared at his upright back, their eyes filled with hesitation and worry.
They wanted to say something, but said nothing, simply watching Zephyr's back.
A moment later, Zephyr, who was cheerfully gazing at the sea, suddenly had a complex expression in his eyes, as if he had sensed something.
He didn't turn to look at his two students, but sighed deeply.
After a pause, he slowly said, "Ain, Binz, what do you think that kid will choose?"
…
Challenge him at noon?
Although noon doesn't last long, is that time enough?
During this timeframe, Ian felt he could even face an admiral head-on.
Unlimited stamina and energy negated the fatigue of using Devil Fruit and Haki, which drained his stamina.
Add to that his strength at noon, how could Crocodile stand against him?
Undoubtedly, facing him at his strongest state, Crocodile's face turned green, and his eyes were filled with disbelief!
He even began to curse, but Ian didn't pay attention to what he said.
After he agreed, he simply pinned him down and began to beat him up.
It must be said that, compared to that disheveled man, Crocodile was quite skilled at timing.
In the end, the result was unsurprising: Ian won, while Crocodile left swearing with a green face.
In reality, his noon state couldn't last much longer. If that guy had held on a little longer, perhaps things would have been different.
Unexpectedly, he just ran away, leaving Ian with a regretful shake of his head.
He didn't have a good time!
As for where Crocodile had gone, Ian had no idea.
But not long after Crocodile left, Gini, far away on Baiscaiborg Island, called and cried, saying that Crocodile had suddenly burst into his office, beaten him and his subordinates, robbed him of 50 million, and then run away.
This guy… What a mean-spirited person!
No wonder he gave up on himself after being defeated by Whitebeard.
He can't beat him, so he picks on his subordinates instead.
Right now, Crocodile probably won't come again. But since he hasn't started the Alabasta coup yet, would the World Government still remove him from his position as a Warlord due to his defeat this time?
And will he still go back to Alabasta to carry out his plan?
Ian thought about it briefly, then stopped caring about Crocodile.
However, Garp seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the ending and muttered things like: "Crocodile is not a man, he just runs away like that!"
Ian rolled his eyes.
Garp might not know Crocodile was after the Ancient Weapon, but he knew why Crocodile was here to steal his wife...
Well, it could be considered stealing his wife.
Regardless, Garp was simply enjoying the fun!
Then, perhaps because there wasn't much fun to watch, the old man threw another banquet, using the excuse that Ian had gotten his wife back and that he was returning to the East Blue.
This old guy has only been here a few days, and how many banquets has he already held?
And soon, the next day arrived.
But just as Ian opened the door and was about to train in the courtyard, he was surprised to see three people appear at his door... Including Garp, there should be four people.
"Instructor Zephyr."
Ian, carrying the Divine Axe Rhitta, looked at Zephyr and Ain in surprise.
"When did you get here?"
"I just arrived this morning. Hahaha, I have only been away for half a year, and the Sibia Village has changed so much."
Seeing Ian, Zephyr also laughed heartily.
Looking at the golden axe on Ian's shoulder, he gritted his teeth and said with a smile, "So that's the weapon Ain traded for with her precious Devil Fruit. Kid, how does it feel? Ain exchanged her precious Devil Fruit for it."
Ian: "..."
He even emphasized it twice?!
Ian stared speechlessly at Zephyr's meaningful words, but before he could say anything else…
"This kid thinks Ain's gift is amazing! He even gave it a name, Divine Axe Rhitta!"
Garp, standing next to him, also smiled and said with a wink: "He has been holding it non-stop for a while!"
"Ah, is that so? And you even gave it a name, Divine Axe Rhitta. Not a bad name at all! It was worth Ain trading her valuable Devil Fruit for it!"
"It's a truly remarkable weapon!"
Ian rolled his eyes while looking at the two old men in front of him, who were talking back and forth, then at Ain, who was standing quietly beside them.
He smiled and said, "Thank you for your gift!"
The Return-Return Fruit... It's a truly remarkable Devil Fruit, capable of reversing one's age or restoring matter to its previous state.
It's truly precious!