Beckman returned, and after obtaining the latest intelligence from his informants in the Sabaody Archipelago, he cast aside his previous solemn expression and asked Shanks, "Was the future you just saw incorrect?"
"What do you mean?" Shanks asked.
"Our informants in the Sabaody Archipelago sent a new message: the Young Master of the Nerona Family from the Holy Land indeed entered the East Blue and arrived at the Goa Kingdom, but he didn't go to find Luffy. He is currently at the Goa Kingdom's royal palace."
Hearing this, a hint of confusion flashed in Shanks's eyes.
He was certain that the future he perceived through Observation Haki could not be wrong; even if it was only a partial future, it had never been incorrect to date.
If the intelligence Beckman received was true, it meant that the partial future he had seen would not happen immediately, but was delayed for some reason, or perhaps the future he saw would occur after Ian attended the banquet held for him by the Goa Kingdom.
Thinking of this, Shanks secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said with a serious expression, "Although I don't know what's going on, to be safe, we still need to notify Garp and have him immediately move Luffy out of the Dadan Family. No matter where the future I saw went wrong, as long as Ian is within the Goa Kingdom, that place will not be peaceful!"
Beckman pulled out a cigarette and lit it, saying indifferently, "Don't worry, your order has been conveyed. As for whether Garp will move Luffy to a safe place immediately, that's beyond our control."
Before Shanks could react, Lucky Roux, who was standing nearby, eating a hock of meat with oil dripping from his mouth, curiously asked, "Captain, who exactly is this Ian? I feel like you... seem very wary of him!"
Shanks sat down on the ground, picked up a wine bottle, took two big gulps, and said, "He is the Young Master of the Nerona Family from the Holy Land. Unlike other Celestial Dragons family members in the Holy Land, Ian has been personally attended to by Gunko, a member of the God's Knights, since the moment he was born."
"Hmm?" Beckman's expression changed slightly. As the Vice Captain of the Red Hair Pirates, he knew many things that other crew members didn't, especially the secret of Shanks's identity and background; he was the only one in the Red Hair Pirates who knew it best.
Knowing Shanks's background, he naturally understood the Holy Land far better than the other crew members.
Especially the God's Knights—they were a special existence that maintained the rule of the Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land and had the authority to execute Celestial Dragons. If the Marine was the external facade of the World Government, then the God's Knights were the Celestial Dragons' imperial guard, superior to the World Government, a very mysterious and powerful divine force.
Under normal circumstances, the CP0 agents, known as the Celestial Dragons' strongest shield, were responsible for the Celestial Dragons' safety.
But for This Young Master from the Nerona Family to be personally attended to by a member of the God's Knights, it was enough to show how special his status and identity were in the Holy Land.
Seeing that both Lucky Roux and Beckman were fully captivated by his topic, Shanks no longer concealed anything and briefly recounted what he knew about Ian.
Although Shanks spoke casually, every time he mentioned something Ian had done in the Holy Land, Lucky Roux and Beckman's expressions changed drastically.
"It's truly unimaginable that even the Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land are divided into different ranks."
After listening to Shanks's narration, Lucky Roux even forgot to gnaw on his hock of meat, saying in disbelief, "In my understanding, all Celestial Dragons living in the Holy Land are the same—a bunch of good-for-nothings who claim to be descendants of the creators! I never thought this Ian would be so strong and domineering, not only making the Celestial Dragons of the Holy Land revere him, but also using Celestial Dragons as balls to kick, and even throwing offending Celestial Dragons off the Holy Land to experience a rope-free bungee jump..."
"Is there no one in the Holy Land who can suppress him?"
Lucky Roux blinked, then changed the subject, "Captain, how do you know all these things?"
Shanks didn't hide it and said frankly, "When he was four or five years old, I briefly lived in the Holy Land for a period. At that time, one thing my father did every day was personally teach swordsmanship to this Young Master of the Nerona Family. From my father's reaction, he also held This Young Master Ian in great awe! Oh, and Ian has incredibly terrifying swordsmanship talent. If we go by the talent he displayed back then, now that he's nineteen, his swordsmanship is probably on par with mine!"
"Additionally, Ian awakened Haoshoku right after he was born, and his comprehension and training speed for Armament Haki and Observation Haki also surpassed ordinary people. Perhaps it is for these reasons that the Holy Land's rulers spared no effort in cultivating him!"
"Now that he has left the Holy Land for the East Blue, it's definitely not as simple as sightseeing. In short, wherever Ian appears next in any sea, it will surely stir up huge waves!"
"Not only do we need to remind Garp to move Luffy, but we also need to be prepared for Ian to intervene in the Grand Line! If Ian takes action against the Grand Line, it won't just be Admirals appearing; the entire God's Knights will surely be dispatched to escort him!"
...East Blue, Goa Kingdom Royal Palace.
Because of the arrival of Ian, the most powerful Young Master of the Nerona Family from the Holy Land, the King of the Goa Kingdom dared not be negligent in the slightest, arranging all the most beautiful women in the kingdom into a dance troupe, with entertainment programs one after another, and an endless supply of various palace-exclusive delicacies and fine wines.
"Saint Ian, are you satisfied with today's welcoming banquet?"
At the table directly set in the main hall of the palace, Otluk III, who had been secretly observing Ian's reactions and found that Ian had a constant smile and was not as difficult to get along with as rumored, gathered his courage, stood up, and sat beside Ian, raising his wine glass with a smile as he continued, "If there's anything you're not satisfied with, please feel free to mention it. Whatever you need, the Goa Kingdom will provide it to you immediately!"
Ian smiled and nodded, "It's quite satisfactory. Although it's not as grand as the banquets This Young Master holds in the Holy Land, your ability to arrange it to this extent shows your effort!"
"It's good that you're satisfied." Otluk III's face lit up with joy, and he excitedly introduced himself, "I am Otluk III, a noble of the Goa Kingdom. If you don't mind, would you consider staying in the Goa Kingdom for a few more days? I will arrange a private family banquet at my home to entertain you alone another day!"
"Oh, that's right."
Otluk III casually pulled Stelly, who had been waiting respectfully nearby, in front of him, "This is my son, Stelly. I hope you will look after him in the future."
Before he finished speaking, Otluk III suddenly turned his head and glared at Stelly, "What are you still standing there for? Quickly toast Saint Ian!"
Hearing this, Stelly gathered his courage, took a step forward with his wine glass, bowed, and respectfully said, "Saint Ian, I am Stelly, the fiancé of the Goa Kingdom's Princess..."
Before Stelly could finish his sentence, Ian, who was holding a steel fork, suddenly turned his head, and the gentle smile that had been on his face abruptly disappeared.
The next second, Ian suddenly raised the steel fork and began furiously stabbing Otluk III in the chest, who was incessantly chattering beside him.
Puff, puff, puff—
A series of sounds of a body being pierced suddenly rang out. Otluk III, who never expected Ian to change his expression so abruptly, was in a state of mental shutdown. It wasn't until blood spurted from his chest that he reacted, then instinctively opened his mouth to scream.
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, blood uncontrollably gushed out.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp, endless, isn't it?!"
After stabbing Otluk III more than a dozen times with the steel fork, thoroughly chilling him to the core, Ian flung the steel fork onto the table. "As a noble, don't you know what it means to not speak while eating, and not speak while sleeping?"
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