"He's a really good guy."
Watching the departing ship, Woop Slap said with a wistful smile: "Even an old man like you trusts him and wants to do business with him? But is he not afraid that you will squander his wealth? It's a shame! It would be better if he were from our village."
As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and looked at Garp with disdain.
"Unlike you, an old man, you're completely useless."
"Hey, hey, hey, Woop Slap, what do you mean? I'm also a man of integrity!"
Hearing Woop Slap's words, Garp, who had been smiling cheerfully, suddenly looked at Woop Slap with disapproval. "And how am I useless? I'm a Hero of the Marines!"
"That kid was able to invest hundreds of millions in his village. What have you done? What have you, a Hero of the Marines, done?"
"Alright, alright."
Seeing Garp smirking at Woop Slap's words, Makino quickly consoled him: "If it weren't for Mr. Garp, our village would have been plundered by pirates and bandits long ago. Mr. Garp protected our village and everyone."
"Hahaha! Makino, you always say the best things!"
"But Mr. Ian is truly remarkable!"
Hearing Garp's carefree laughter again, Makino gave a helpless smile, shook her head, and continued to watch the departing ship, saying with emotion: "He actually gave up the offer from the Marine Headquarters for his family. What an excellent husband."
You know, countless so-called heroes on the sea have abandoned their wives to pursue their dreams, but Ian is the opposite.
She also heard from Garp that Ian had been working hard for years to get to the Marine Headquarters.
Finally, he made it, but gave up after meeting his wife. "He has done so much for his hometown. I always feel that Mr. Ian is very warm, as warm as the sun."
"That guy is really good."
Garp also smiled and nodded, then winked at Makino, saying, "But Makino, don't do anything rash. That guy already has a wife and children!"
"Mr. Garp, what are you talking about?"
Makino looked at Garp helplessly. "I really do feel that Mr. Ian is very warm."
After saying this, Makino saw that the ship had disappeared from sight and no longer cared.
"We should go back."
Just as she turned around, she seemed to remember something and asked Garp and Woop Slap in confusion: "By the way, where's Ace? Why didn't I see Ace go back to rest last night?"
"Didn't Ace go back to rest?"
Woop Slap was also taken aback. "Didn't he go off to train somewhere? I remember Garp clearly took Ace away last night. Oh, Garp, what did you need a large wine barrel for last night?"
After hearing Woop Slap's words, the two exchanged glances, then stared at Garp in confusion.
Garp, who was being watched by the other two, was happily picking his nose. He glanced in the direction of Ian's ship and said with a smile, "Ace? I don't know. I guess he went off to play somewhere!"
...
Sailing alone was rather boring.
After calling home and confirming that his sailing matched the direction the Log Pose was pointing, Ian began training on the deck.
Of course, the space was small, and there was no specialized training equipment on board, so he could only conduct simple training.
After some thought, Ian decided to start tempering his axe.
He stripped off his shirt, bare-chested, and sat cross-legged on the deck.
He placed the axe on his lap, then slowly closed his eyes and immersed himself in the training, continuously tempering the Divine Axe Rhitta with his Armament Haki.
At this moment, as Ian immersed himself in the training, a ray of sunlight for some reason shone on the Divine Axe Rhitta.
As if mirroring Ian, who absorbed sunlight, the Divine Axe Rhitta also seemed to begin absorbing sunlight.
Man and axe absorbed the sunlight together, seeming to resonate. Under the blazing sun, they almost became one.
Time passed slowly, from noon to afternoon, until the sun slowly set.
Ian slowly opened his eyes, smiling as he gazed at the Divine Axe Rhitta in his hand.
As he continued to temper it with his Armament Haki, he could feel the already incredibly hard Divine Axe Rhitta grow even harder and sharper.
And whether it was an illusion or not, the Divine Axe Rhitta seemed to grow stronger with the rising and setting of the sun, just like him after consuming the Light-Light Fruit.
Ian stroked his chin while watching the Divine Axe Rhitta, also radiating in the setting sun.
Could it be that, like Enma's ability to absorb Haki and Kitetsu being cursed with misfortune, this axe, the Divine Axe Rhitta, had also been gifted with the ability to absorb sunlight during his own training?
"Never mind, I'll just consider it a strengthening."
Puzzled, Ian decided to give up thinking about it.
A stronger weapon was a good thing, after all.
He looked up at the sky again.
By now, the sky was gradually darkening.
Although there was still a faint glimmer of sunlight, Ian decided not to continue training. He decided to get something to eat first, then rest for a while.
Although the sun had just set and he wasn't tired or hungry yet, he still maintained his usual habits.
Besides, the sky was getting dark.
Alone at sea, he had to conserve his energy. Who knew he would stumble across one of the four emperors, who came to the East Blue to recuperate?
...
Ian lowered his head and looked into the cabin while frowning. "Are there any rats?"
There had been a constant thumping noise from inside. He planned to catch the rats before preparing dinner tonight, lest they rob the cabin of all its supplies.
These Marines are truly unbelievable! They were told to prepare some supplies, and yet they even brought rats along.
Is Garp's fleet never cleaned up?
After complaining, Ian entered the cabin.
The thumping noises grew louder.
He looked in the location where the sound was coming from and saw a large wine barrel.
Could the rat be in the wine barrel?
Just as he was about to activate his Observation Haki, to catch the rat and then go prepare dinner, suddenly…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hands and feet emerged from the wine barrel in front of him.
Ian: "…?"
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