Super Card System - S.C.S Chapter 621: All Parties Arrive
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“Huh!? You didn’t know?” Carina said in surprise. “Golden City is in chaos right now!”
How could Ian possibly know? He had been cooped up in his room for the past two days, busy drawing cards. The luxurious hotel room had excellent soundproofing, so he had no idea what was happening outside.
Moreover, the events had just occurred. The members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates who were outside probably just found out and hadn’t had time to inform Ian yet.
Upon hearing this startling news from Carina, Ian no longer had the mind to bicker with her. He immediately pulled out the small transponder snail from his pocket and contacted Crocodile.
“It seems to be true!” Crocodile responded from the other end. “I was wondering why so many of Tesoro’s men were out on the streets, and there were even some World Government agents among them. I could smell those guys’ stench from a mile away. With such a big commotion, it’s likely something major has happened.”
“Get everyone back here immediately!” Ian instructed Crocodile.
“Alright, you’re the captain, you make the call!” Crocodile replied indifferently and then hung up the phone.
On the rooftop of a building in Golden City, Crocodile, biting on his cigar, looked down at the mass of black-clad men on the street below. He sneered and said, “Now this is going to be interesting. Ian is with the Revolutionary Army, and now that the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon, has shown up here and exposed his position, attracting a manhunt, it looks like our captain is about to lose his temper…”
Mr. 1, standing with his arms crossed behind Crocodile, asked, “So, does that make us part of the Revolutionary Army?”
“If you’re asking me, who am I supposed to ask?” Crocodile stood up and said, “Let’s go, notify the others. The vacation is over, what a pity…”
All around Golden City, members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, scattered across the city, received calls on their transponder snails and began to head back towards the hotel.
In the streets, Raideen, Zick, Matthew, and Doroni ran together, their tall figures quickly noticed by two individuals at the corner.
“Brother, that giant seems to be from the Dragon Hunter Pirates!” Katakuri, with his arms crossed, observed Raideen’s departing figure and said to Perospero beside him, “I saw the tattoo on his arm!”
“It’s definitely him!” Perospero said through gritted teeth. “I saw that giant in Dressrosa. Damn it, that bastard Tesoro tricked us! The Dragon Hunter Pirates have been here all along!”
“Should we follow them?” Katakuri asked.
“Of course!” Perospero said, licking his candy cane. “We might not know where they’re going, but if we follow them, we’re bound to run into Ian! Let’s quickly complete Mama’s mission and get out of here. The air without the sweet aroma feels so uncomfortable…”
The two immediately followed.
Because of the sudden discovery of Dragon’s whereabouts, Tesoro had to deploy a large number of personnel. He was no longer able to prevent the Big Mom Pirates and the Dragon Hunter Pirates from encountering each other, an unavoidable chain reaction…
If Tesoro knew all this, he would probably regret his initial decisions. But now, it was beyond his control.
In a large conference room of the hotel, Ian sat at the head of the table with a grim expression. The hotel staff had long been dismissed, leaving only Carina nervously sitting next to Ian, unsure of what to say.
Meanwhile, the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates were gradually returning, gathering in the conference room.
On their way back, they had already heard some rumors. Within the Dragon Hunter Pirates, Ian’s identity as a member of the Revolutionary Army was no secret, so everyone guessed what Ian might be planning and waited in silence for the others to arrive.
At that moment, the conference room door opened again. However, it was not the Dragon Hunter Pirates who entered, but Aokiji and his group.
Ian wasn’t surprised. He nodded towards Aokiji, who looked curiously at Kuina.
They were able to find the hotel where the Dragon Hunter Pirates were staying because of a small piece of paper Kuina had.
That was the Vivre Card Ian had left for Kuina… This made Aokiji even more puzzled about the relationship between Ian and Kuina.
“Sorry, Admiral Kuzan!” Ian said with a smile. “I’ve been keeping something from you. Actually, Kuina is my sister!”
As he spoke, Ian walked over and hugged Kuina.
Smoker’s cigar dropped to the ground with a clatter, and he gritted his teeth, saying, “Damn it! No wonder you risked your life on the battlefield to save Kuina! I suspected something was off back then!”
Tashigi, too, looked at Kuina in shock, unable to utter a word.
Aokiji shook his head and said to Ian, “You two… kept this from a lot of people!”
“Please forgive us, but believe me, Kuina and I had no ill intentions,” Ian smiled and glanced at Aokiji. “After killing the Celestial Dragon, Kuina was just worried that I would be secretly targeted. So she joined the Navy, thinking that if anything happened, she could inform me in time. It wasn’t to intentionally hide things from you.”
“You should have told me earlier!” Aokiji said to Kuina.
“I’m sorry, Admiral Kuzan,” Kuina said, lowering her head. “But big Brother Ian is the person who has sacrificed a lot for me… I would do anything to help him!”
Seeing the resolute look in Kuina’s eyes, Aokiji didn’t know what to say. He could only turn to Ian and say, “Do you know that Akainu wants to tear you apart with his own hands? It’s a good thing Kuina was smart enough to leave the Navy with me. If your relationship with her had been exposed, Akainu would definitely have targeted her!”
“To be honest, I didn’t expect this either,” Ian sighed. “I originally thought that after crippling his hands, he wouldn’t compete with you for the position of Fleet Admiral. If you had become the Fleet Admiral, I even considered writing to Kuina, telling her to follow you and serve in the Navy. But who would have thought…”
Who would have thought you would get the position only to be ousted within a few days…
Ian didn’t say this last part out loud, but it still made Aokiji even more frustrated. He knew exactly what Ian was implying, and the feeling of resentment welled up inside him once again.
Although Aokiji usually appeared laid-back, he actually had his own ideals and ambitions. However, the World Government and Akainu had crushed those dreams…
Seeing that Aokiji’s expression was darkening, Ian decided to change the subject and asked, “What are your plans now?”
Aokiji glanced at Smoker and the others behind him and said, “If it were just me, it wouldn’t matter, but I didn’t expect Smoker and the others to follow me…”
Smoker crossed his arms without speaking, and Tashigi adjusted her glasses, her eyes resolute.
Ian smiled and said, “Have you ever thought about continuing to be a Marine?”
“What do you mean?” Aokiji was puzzled.
“A new Marine force!” Ian explained, counting on his fingers. “Look, you were originally a Marine Admiral and even served as Fleet Admiral for a few days. You have connections and a solid foundation. Smoker, Kuina, Tashigi, and those other officers who left with you—they could be the core of your new Marine force. Plus, you have old subordinates scattered around the world. With your influence, you could easily establish a new Marine faction!”
“Why would I do that?” Aokiji sneered. “That’s undermining the Marines, dividing their power. Do you think I can’t see through that?”
Ian shook his head and said, “You’re wrong. This isn’t division; it’s preserving a seed! You must have realized that the original independence of the Marines has vanished. They are gradually becoming a tool for the World Government’s rule. In such a situation, the Marines’ sense of justice has long been lost. If this continues, the Marines will face huge problems. Instead of letting the Marines’ reputation be completely destroyed in the future, it’s better to gather like-minded people now and preserve some seeds of justice. This world still needs Marines!”
“I thought you wrote to me to recruit me into your pirate crew!” Aokiji said expressionlessly. “I didn’t expect you to say this instead.”
Ian spread his hands and said, “Of course I wanted to. But would you join? If I asked that, it would truly be an insult to you!”
Aokiji fell silent. He looked deeply at Ian and saw that his expression was sincere. These words clearly came from the heart, filling Aokiji with mixed emotions.
He never expected to hear such heartfelt words from someone who had been an enemy multiple times.
Shaking his head, Aokiji said, “Let’s discuss this later. Ian, I need your help now. Tesoro and the World Government are hunting down the Revolutionary leader Dragon. This must be stopped!”
Ian was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Aokiji to mention Dragon’s situation first. Just as Ian was about to speak, the doors to the conference room swung open again.
Perospero and Katakuri walked in!
The moment Perospero and Katakuri saw Aokiji, they were clearly surprised. However, Perospero quickly regained his composure and sneered, “Ahaha! What a surprise to see the esteemed Admiral Aokiji here, having a cozy chat with a pirate!”
“Get out! Who let you in?” Ian said coldly.
The members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates immediately stood up, ready to draw their weapons as they glared at the two intruders.
Perospero was about to continue his taunting, but Katakuri stopped him. Katakuri sized up Ian and said, “Don’t misunderstand. We didn’t mean to intrude. In fact, we are here on behalf of Mama. Ian, this is the tea party invitation Mama asked us to deliver to you.”
With that, Katakuri stepped forward and, under Ian’s curious gaze, placed an invitation on the table in front of him.