Chapter 48: The Sea King
"I think the title worthy of Major General Ian should be... Sea King!" Skylark announced, her voice filled with conviction.
Ian: "..."
(Ian's inner monologue: I'm your dad! I'm Akainu! Is this some kind of joke?!)
"Why don't you... elaborate on that?" Ian managed to say, his internal defenses shattered but his outward composure barely intact. After all, she had made a suggestion; he had to at least give her a chance to explain.
Seeing that Ian didn't immediately refute her, Skylark grew even more enthusiastic. She hopped up and down excitedly, facing all the cadres, and began to explain with great passion:
"This is what I thought! The 'color' part... we don't really need to be literal about it, right? Like Vice Admiral Momousagi, Vice Admiral Chaton, and the 'Snow Wolf' title Headquarters suggested for you. 'Peach,' 'Tea,' and 'Snow' are all colors inferred from real objects. So, 'Sea' should be suitable too, right? Major General Ian is active at sea! And Major General Ian is a user of the Human-Human Fruit. Humans are animals too, and above all others, they are called Kings! So, Major General Ian is the King of the Sea... the Sea King!"
Skylark explained her reasoning vividly, even wearing a look of watery-eyed admiration by the end.
It turns out you shouldn't mess with intellectuals, Ian thought, feeling strangely swayed by her logic. This was... actually not bad?
"Marineking" – Marine (sea, ocean, navy), King (ruler). It was fitting, perhaps even more so than "King of the Seas." It encapsulated his domain and his ambition.
"Great! Sea King! Skylark, you're so clever! I never even thought of a title like that!"
"Excellent! There is absolutely no more fitting and prestigious title than this!"
"Skylark-chan, you're awesome! Major General Ian must be super satisfied. Look how happy he is!"
Clap clap clap!
Clap clap clap!
After evaluating the title proposed by Skylark, the other cadres broke into enthusiastic applause.
Ian: "..."
If he thought about it carefully, the term "Sea King" held no negative connotations in this world. Setting aside his own preconceived notions, it wasn't... completely unacceptable. In fact, it seemed to fit his persona rather well.
Sea King.
It had a ring to it. It was face-saving.
"Emm… that's it!" Ian declared, making up his mind. "Uncle T-Bone, send the report to Headquarters. No, wait. I trust Little Skylark's judgment."
Skylark clenched her fists in excitement, her chest swelling with pride. It felt good to have her advice taken seriously.
With the decision made, Ian slumped into his chair and picked up the newspaper on the table. Besides his own front-page news, which occupied the vast majority of the space, there were reports of other turbulent events on the sea recently:
The new Warlord of the Sea, "Tyrant" Kuma, under the orders of the World Government, had once again annihilated pirates on the Grand Line with bounties exceeding 100 million!
The hottest actress, "Uta," had released a new single, which was becoming a hit across the seas!
"Fire Fist" Ace, Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 2nd Division, had committed countless crimes in the New World, and his bounty had risen to 550 million berries!
Looking at the familiar names, Ian felt a restless energy. As his fame continued to grow, he would inevitably encounter these figures from the news and legends one by one.
Knock knock knock!
There was a rap at the door.
"Come in, it's open," Ian called out.
A Marine sergeant in a standard uniform entered the office. Saluting the assembled cadres, he reported: "Major General Ian! As you instructed, we set up a checkpoint at Port 44 in advance. Three pirate crews are attempting to flee the island and are currently engaged in a fierce firefight with our soldiers! Among them is a group called the Purple Otter Pirates, whose captain has a bounty of over 50 million! Our numbers at the port are few. Do you want to provide immediate support?"
Ian had anticipated that some of the smaller pirates on the island would become restless after seeing the newspapers. The journey to the New World was difficult and required time for ship coating. Their best bet was to escape the island entirely to avoid being hunted down by him.
Crack!
Peacock excitedly snapped the whip in her hand. "Major General Ian, how about letting me handle this?" she said with a predatory grin. "Hehe, I guarantee none of them will escape!"
Peacock had been unable to participate in the previous day's battle in time and was now brimming with fighting spirit.
Unfortunately for her this time...
"I'll go with you. You'll be responsible for evacuating the surrounding civilians," Ian stated, rising to his feet. "I'll handle the pirate hunting myself."
Given the current situation, were there any truly fearsome pirates left on this island? Every bit of experience was just waiting to be collected!
…
Fifteen Days Later
The Sabaody Archipelago had taken on a brand new appearance thanks to Ian's relentless "anti-piracy" operations. Although pirates still lurked in some corners of the island, they no longer dared to act openly. Pirates arriving on the island were mostly terrified, skilled in disguise, and constantly on guard against being swept up by Ian's forces.
The Sabaody Archipelago was gradually transforming from a criminal's paradise.
In just over half a month, the results were staggering:
Sixteen pirate crews, big and small!
Over forty kidnappers and slavers!
This was the amazing report card Ian had delivered since taking office. Among them, three pirate crews retreating from the New World had provided a very welcome surprise in terms of enhancement points.
A half-month of cleaning operations, combined with points from daily tasks, had allowed Ian to undergo eight enhancements—four to his [Devil Fruit Ability] and four to his [Overall Quality]! While he hadn't unlocked any new fruit skills, his existing ones had been significantly improved. Both his Armament and Observation Haki had also been elevated to a high degree of proficiency.
Since the battle with Cavendish half a month ago, Ian's strength had reached new heights.
During this period, the human auction house in Grove 1 had attempted to raise funds for reconstruction. Just two days after the funds were secured and construction began, it was raided and looted again in the middle of the night by the "Dawn Pirates," reducing it to ruins once more.
All identified members of the Dawn Pirates were also forcibly placed on bounty posters, despite incomplete information:
Crew Leader: Dahn Shuke - Bounty 550,000,000 Berries!
Crew Member 1: Dahn Beta - Bounty 120,000,000 Berries!
Crew Member 2: Dahn Tom - Bounty 36,000,000 Berries!
Crew Member 3: Dahn Jerry - Bounty 23,000,000 Berries