Chapter 27: Webs of Influence
"Contact me immediately! It must be immediately! Do you understand? Remember this!" Garp warned again in a stern voice.
"I understand. Teacher, those words are enough." This was the answer Ian wanted to hear. As expected, Vice Admiral Garp treated his disciple and his grandson completely differently.
...
Meanwhile.
The New World, Kingdom of Dressrosa.
Inside the luxurious hall of the royal palace.
All the members of the Donquixote Family were gathered. Sitting on the throne at the head, a man in a pink feathered coat stared at the Den Den Mushi on the table before him, a wicked smile playing on his face.
Donquixote Doflamingo!
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the current King of Dressrosa!
The Den Den Mushi mimicked the expression of the person on the other end, furious: "Joker! You bastard! Do you want the demon to become a mace and help you get rid of the aliens? Do you know who you are working with? Do you have the right to make demands on me? You incompetent lackey of the World Government! Before I get completely mad, you'd better hurry up and prepare your trade items. Be careful, or I'll kill you first!"
In the hall, the Donquixote Family cadres remained silent, their expressions grim. If an ordinary person dared speak to Doflamingo like that, they would undoubtedly end up dead. But Doflamingo didn't dare easily anger the person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
He was one of the Four Emperors of the New World, the Captain of the Beasts Pirates, the "King of Beasts" Kaido!
"Mr. Kaido, please listen to me first. Jock Ian's appearance has disrupted our entire plan. A batch of raw materials used to produce 'SMILE' was completely seized by the Marines. Although the matter is with the World Government, I have already found a reason to explain it away. But right now, Jock Ian has been assigned to the Sabaody Archipelago, making it difficult for our people to source materials in the first half! The World Government warned me that even in such a difficult situation, no one in my family can do anything to Ian... Fufufufu, for the sake of our smooth cooperation, shouldn't Captain Kaido do something to help? I can reduce the price a bit more."
Doflamingo was scolded, yet he remained unangered. Instead, his smile grew more brazen and ferocious.
The children Ian rescued had absolutely nothing to do with the production of the artificial Devil Fruits. But Doflamingo wasn't about to swallow this anger! Since it was inconvenient for his own people to act, the best and optimal solution was to trick his partners.
...
The journey from Marine Headquarters to the Sabaody Archipelago could be easily completed in no more than two hours at a warship's speed.
Ian summoned the four team leaders, including Nami. Taking advantage of the brief break, he planned to hold a small meeting.
On the deck of the warship, Ian dismissed the soldiers stationed around. He sat leisurely on a lounge chair under a makeshift parasol, taking a deep sip of iced orange juice. Freed from the constraints of Headquarters, the unruly Ian was back online!
Slurp...
Seeing Ian shaking the empty cup, Nami trotted over, took it, and placed it on the wooden coffee table. After putting it away, she hurried back to continue standing in line. Just as she took a step, Ian grabbed her arm.
"It's too sunny outside, Nami. Just listen under the umbrella. Let's hear from our new team members and have a good chat."
Nami's cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked a little embarrassed. But she didn't reject Ian's kindness, silently enjoying the feeling of being "specially cared for" by him.
"Skylark."
"Here!"
Hearing Ian call her name, Skylark quickly snapped to attention and saluted.
"Go get the chairs from the back."
"Yes, Commodore Ian!"
Skylark looked back, then ran off with her small frame, moved a chair, and ran back.
"Commodore Ian, where should I put the chair?"
"Place it next to Uncle T."
Ian pointed.
T. Bone turned his head to look at Skylark, then suddenly realized something.
"Me? Uncle... Uncle T?"
Ian put his hands behind his head, half-lying on the lounge chair. "Yes. Mr. Garp said before he left that you are the elder. You've served the Marines longer, so I should respect you as much as I do him. In terms of age, I should call you Uncle T!"
T. Bone saluted stiffly and retorted, "No, please, Commodore Ian, treat me like you would anyone else! I am just Commodore Ian's subordinate now; I have no other identity!" As he spoke, he easily lifted the chair Skylark had placed behind him and moved it back to its original spot.
He really is an honest man, too simple-minded. Ian had only offered a little special care to an elder, but he rejected it outright. It didn't matter. Anyway, in this internal meeting, he planned to use courtesy first, then coercion.
"Everyone, the warship has set sail. At least for the next four months, you will serve as my subordinates and carry out missions with me. The main purpose of this internal meeting is... complete honesty! I only want to hear the truth, not a single lie. Everyone should know that I am a user of the Human-Human Fruit, so I am the person who 'understands the human body best' in the world. I can tell at a glance whether you are lying or not by your reaction."
"Uncle T, you go first. Tell me why you joined my unit. Are there any instructions for me that I don't know about?"
These questions couldn't be asked at Headquarters. Now that we've left, I must get to the bottom of this.
Hearing his name called, T. Bone took two steps forward under the scorching sun. "Commodore Ian, I have been assigned by the Fleet Admiral to join the unit. In addition to actively cooperating and completing the mission of guarding the Sabaody Archipelago, Fleet Admiral Sengoku asked me to record your daily behavior, business handling, crisis response, leadership style... and so on. Create a written report every two days and send it back to Headquarters via fax!"
Ian: "..."
Just as I expected. That's why Fleet Admiral Sengoku dared to let such a young cadre lead such an important mission. He had a spy constantly monitoring Ian's movements. A report every two days... that's too frequent!
What Ian was thinking in his heart and what T. Bone said in front of everyone were two completely different feelings. This old Uncle T was really too straightforward. Was he just going to reveal the secret mission assigned by the Fleet Admiral so easily?
"Ahem, Uncle T, we are family from now on. Shouldn't the report include..."