Super Card System - S.C.S Chapter 629: Dragon's Counterattack

 

 

Almost at the exact moment when Sugar transformed Bakkin into a teddy bear toy, everyone present had their memories of Bakkin completely erased.

 

Edward Weevil shook his head as he got up from the ground, scratching his head with a puzzled expression. “Strange, why am I here?”

 

Then, he noticed Ian, who had just knocked him down, and recalled their fight. Angrily, he asked Ian, “Why did you hit me!?”

 

Since Edward Weevil had attacked under Bakkin’s orders, and those orders were now erased along with her memory, all the words she had spoken were wiped away by a strange power. As a result, Edward Weevil couldn’t remember why he had fought Ian in the first place.

 

Ian was similarly affected. While he still remembered Edward Weevil, he had no recollection of why they had been fighting. The whole situation seemed inexplicably confusing to him.

 

Tesoro, too, was momentarily stunned when he saw Edward Weevil. He remembered Weevil but had no idea why Weevil was there. The agreement Bakkin had made with him had vanished from Tesoro’s memory as if it had never happened. After a brief moment of confusion, Tesoro suddenly remembered that Ian and his crew were robbing his vault, and he once again launched an attack on Ian.

 

It wasn’t just the three of them—all the people present experienced the same phenomenon. After Bakkin was turned into a toy, all logical events connected to her suddenly became disjointed. No one could recall any of her actions or words, leaving them with a vague sense that something was wrong with their memories, yet when they tried to recall the details, nothing came to mind.

 

This inability to remember, coupled with the sense that it wasn’t important, made it easy for everyone to overlook the strange feeling entirely.

 

Bakkin, as a person, was completely forgotten…

 

“Such an ugly thing!” Sugar, the only one who still remembered Bakkin, looked at the toy bear she had transformed into and expressed her disdain. She then raised a finger and said to the toy bear, “Let’s establish a contract: You’re not allowed to speak, and you’re not allowed to move!”

 

Bakkin, who had been terrified after turning into a toy bear and wanted to call out to her son for help, found herself completely unable to speak or move as soon as Sugar’s contract took effect. She could only lie there on the ground, utterly immobile. Even though she desperately wanted to cry out, no sound came.

 

What was even more distressing for her was that her son, Edward Weevil, didn’t seem to notice that his mother had gone missing. He simply stood there, looking utterly confused.

 

As Sugar was about to walk away after tossing aside the toy version of Bakkin, Ian caught sight of Sugar and the wrinkled toy bear beside her out of the corner of his eye. This reminded Ian that he had given Sugar permission to deal with someone earlier, but he couldn’t recall who that person was.

 

Feeling a sudden unease, Ian left Edward Weevil behind, slashed through one of the golden serpents that Tesoro had sent his way, and quickly flashed over to Sugar’s side. With his sword still pointed at Tesoro, he leaned down and quietly asked Sugar, “Who was it that I asked you to deal with just now?”

 

Sugar, knowing that Ian was now under the influence of her ability and couldn’t remember, explained, “It was a very annoying old woman!”

 

However, even with Sugar’s explanation, Ian still couldn’t remember who it was!

 

Seeing his confusion, Sugar reluctantly allowed Ian to touch her head.

 

Sugar’s Hobby-Hobby Fruit ability primarily concentrates on her hands, and its effects are activated when she touches someone with them. When others touch other parts of her body, they are unaffected by the ability. On the contrary, as the one who wields the ability, Sugar can, if she wishes, allow specific individuals to regain memories of those who have been turned into toys.

 

This was how Doflamingo managed to remember the identities of those who had been turned into toys by Sugar’s ability. Without this method, how could Doflamingo possibly fear those individuals returning to their original forms if he had no memory of them?

 

So, when Ian patted her head—a gesture known as a “head pat”—he finally remembered who Bakkin was!

 

Damn! The moment Ian recalled Bakkin, he broke out in a cold sweat. He had finally experienced the true power of Sugar’s ability firsthand. Realizing that he had forgotten everything about Bakkin, he couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for her. Now, apart from himself and Sugar, no one else in the world could remember her existence. In some ways, this fate seemed even more terrifying than death.

 

By this time, Tesoro had already engaged Aokiji in battle, giving Ian a moment of reprieve. He patted Sugar’s head again and said, “Thanks, Sugar. You really helped me out of a big mess.”

 

To his surprise, Sugar looked up at him with a slightly puzzled expression and asked, “What did you just say?”

 

“I said thank you. Why?” Ian replied, a bit confused by her reaction.

 

“It’s nothing…” Sugar shook her head and then said, “I’m going to find Walnut!”

 

As Sugar ran back, she found herself inexplicably happy—all because of Ian’s simple “thank you!”

 

Back when she was with the Donquixote Pirates, Doflamingo had always given Sugar a high status, even assigning one of the highest-ranking officers, Trebol, to protect her, showing how much he valued her. But Doflamingo had never once said “thank you” to Sugar. Every time, he issued commands in an authoritative tone, as if it was only natural for her to obey.

 

In Sugar’s memories, she had always been deeply fearful of the ruthless Doflamingo and had become accustomed to obeying his orders without question. When Doflamingo found her during the battle at Dressrosa, he even wanted to take her back. If it hadn’t been for Uncle Fujitora stepping in to help her, she might have succumbed to her fear and left with Doflamingo.

 

Originally, Sugar’s presence in the Dragon Hunter Pirates was mostly out of a sense of obedience. In this world, people tend to admire and look up to the strong, just as many are accustomed to following authority. So, her obedience to Ian, who had defeated Doflamingo, was largely due to this psychological tendency to submit to the powerful. Even though Fujitora treated her well within the crew, it didn’t necessarily mean that Sugar felt a strong affection for the Dragon Hunter Pirates.

 

However, for some reason, after hearing Ian thank her today, Sugar suddenly felt that staying with the Dragon Hunter Pirates wasn’t so bad after all… At least here, she had a companion like Walnut to play with, and a “daughter-con” uncle who looked after her like a nanny.

 

And now, she also had a captain who knew how to show respect. It made her feel… quite reassured!

 

Watching Sugar run back and get protectively shielded by Fujitora like he was guarding his own child, Ian couldn’t help but sigh.

 

When it comes to the dangers of Devil Fruit abilities, Sugar’s Hobby-Hobby Fruit would definitely rank in the top five. Ian was well aware of this, which is why he usually tried to restrain Sugar, not allowing her to use her Devil Fruit powers recklessly. Looking back now, it seems his decision was absolutely correct.

 

Fortunately, this buggy Devil Fruit ability comes with its limitations. The fact that it can only be activated through her hands is a significant restriction—probably even more limiting than Matthew’s Sleep-Sleep Fruit, at least since any part of Matthew’s body could trigger his power if touched.

 

Moreover, since the Hobby-Hobby Fruit locks the user’s appearance at the moment of consumption, Sugar has remained in the body of a 10-year-old child to this day. With such a small body, she can’t really train in physical techniques or Haki. Even if she could, it’s unlikely she would reach any advanced level. As a result, Sugar’s combat ability is nearly nonexistent, and she constantly needs someone to protect her.

 

Additionally, through Varua’s research over the past few months, they discovered another hidden limitation of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit: the user must consume the fruit during childhood for its abilities to be effective!

 

This aspect is similar to Law’s Op-Op Fruit, where the fruit’s power can only be fully utilized by someone who is a highly skilled surgeon. The Hobby-Hobby Fruit is the same; if an adult were to consume this fruit, they likely wouldn’t develop the kind of abilities Sugar now possesses…

 

The Hobby-Hobby Fruit is all about childhood wonder—without a child’s heart, how could one possibly wield the full power of the Devil Fruit?

 

This is likely the real reason Uncle Fujitora, despite knowing how dangerous Sugar’s abilities are, insisted on keeping her in the pirate crew. It wasn’t just because of her cute appearance; Fujitora could sense that Sugar still had a bit of that innocent, childlike heart.

 

It seems that this child still has hope, and she’s not completely beyond redemption. Maybe I don’t need to be so wary of her in the future, Ian thought to himself.

 

Eliminating someone physically and erasing someone from existence mentally are two entirely different things. If Ian had directly killed Bakkin, her foolish son Edward Weevil would have relentlessly hunted him down for revenge. But now, by using Sugar’s ability to make Weevil completely forget about Bakkin, the situation had changed dramatically.

 

Ian realized that his plan could now move forward.

 

At that moment, Edward Weevil was holding his naginata, looking around with a confused expression. Tesoro was locked in battle with Aokiji, and Weevil vaguely remembered something Tesoro had said about getting paid if he helped fight the bad guys.

 

But then he wondered, what do I need money for?

 

Edward Weevil, with his simple mind, didn’t really understand the concept of money, so even though Tesoro was struggling in his fight against Aokiji and wanted to call on Weevil for help, Weevil had no interest whatsoever.

 

He couldn’t even remember why he had agreed to help Tesoro in the first place…

 

At that moment, Ian approached him and said, “Hey, Edward Weevil, do you remember me?”

 

Edward Weevil gripped his naginata and shouted at Ian, “It’s you! Do you still want to fight me!?”

 

“No, no!” Ian waved his hand, trying to calm him down. “How about we stop fighting? I’ll treat you to some roasted pork.”

 

“Really?” Edward Weevil’s eyes lit up, and he started drooling. He bit his finger and said to Ian with a naive expression, “If you treat me to roasted pork, I won’t fight you anymore. But how much can you give me? I can eat a lot!”

 

Seeing his simple-minded demeanor, Ian couldn’t help but sigh. Without Bakkin’s control and manipulation, this guy is just an innocent kid at heart.

 

The most important thing is that Bakkin has already been erased from Edward Weevil’s memory, which means that the claim of him being Whitebeard’s son, which Bakkin had always pushed, has likely vanished from his memory as well. Now, Edward Weevil is just a powerful but brainless pirate.

 

Gullible and easy to deceive—perfect!

 

These words flashed through Ian’s mind, and he gestured for Edward Weevil to come closer.

 

When Weevil leaned down and brought his ear closer, Ian whispered to him, “I can only treat you to one roasted pig, but I heard the Navy is recruiting for the Seven Warlords of the Sea. If you can become one, you’ll have all the roasted pigs you could ever eat!”

 

“Re-really?” Weevil sniffled, his eyes lighting up. “I could have endless roasted pigs?”

 

“Absolutely!” Ian said confidently. “If you become a Warlord, you can take other people’s roasted pigs whenever you want, and no one will charge a Warlord for them!”

 

There was nothing wrong with what Ian said, and Weevil believed him instantly. He eagerly asked, “How do I become a Warlord?”

 

“It’s simple!” Ian replied with a smile. “Just go to the Navy Headquarters, Marineford, and beat everyone there. Once they see your strength, they’ll invite you to become a Warlord!”

 

“Alright, I’ll go right now!” Weevil said, and without another word, he grabbed his naginata and dashed out of the vault, disappearing from sight in an instant.

 

This sudden turn of events left many people stunned. They couldn’t understand how Ian had managed to get rid of someone as brutish and ruthless as Edward Weevil so easily.

 

Seeing Weevil run off, Aokiji frowned. He had been thinking of using this opportunity to bring Weevil to justice and hand him over to Admiral Zephyr for punishment. But while Aokiji had been preoccupied fighting Tesoro, Weevil had slipped away before he even realized it.

 

Ian, noticing Aokiji’s frown, gave him an apologetic look and thought to himself, “Sorry, Admiral Aokiji, but I couldn’t let you capture Edward Weevil.”

 

Ever since Akainu became the Fleet Admiral and initiated his plan to expand the number of Admirals, Ian had felt uneasy, as if there was a thorn stuck in his throat. If Akainu’s plan were to succeed, there would be five Admirals in the Navy, and given the enmity between Ian and Akainu over the severed arm, Akainu would undoubtedly use these Admirals to relentlessly target the Dragon Hunter Pirates.

 

So Ian had been contemplating how to strike a blow against Akainu. Now that Bakkin was gone, Edward Weevil would be even easier to manipulate. By convincing Weevil to storm Marineford with the promise of endless roasted pork as a Warlord, Ian believed the World Government would definitely recognize Weevil’s value.

 

If they ended up recruiting Weevil as one of the Seven Warlords, just like in the original timeline, then Admiral Zephyr, one of the older generation’s Admirals, would almost certainly leave the Navy.

 

First Aokiji, then Zephyr—if two admirals who had made outstanding contributions to the Navy were to quit in anger one after the other, it would undoubtedly deliver a devastating blow to the Navy.

 

If Ian could seize this opportunity to cause serious division within the Navy, he would be more than happy to see it happen. At that point, Aokiji could potentially join forces with Kuina and Zephyr to form a stronger, new naval force.

 

It’s often said that fortresses crumble from within. The Navy’s power is so vast that perhaps this is the only way to gradually bring it down…

 

After Edward Weevil ran off, the only one left to fight was Tesoro, who was struggling alone. Although he continued to control the gold to launch relentless attacks on everyone, his heart was filled with despair.

 

Leaving aside the Dragon Hunter Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, Tesoro knew he couldn’t handle even just one Navy Admiral like Aokiji.

 

In truth, from the moment Tesoro rushed back to the vault, his fate was sealed. While he may have initially gained some advantage due to his home-field advantage, in the end, he was bound to be defeated.

 

That’s why Ian never truly put his full effort into fighting Tesoro; instead, he focused most of his attention on manipulating Edward Weevil.

 

Now, with Tesoro the only one left standing, Ian calmly watched him battle Aokiji while he walked over to Kuina and Tashigi. Placing his hand on the gold that bound them, Ian used his flames to completely melt the gold away, freeing them. (T/N: by freeing them does he mean frying them XD)

 

He then moved on to Katakuri and Perospero. Ian knew that Tesoro’s gold wouldn’t be able to hold them for long, so he decided to free them as well.

 

With that, a group of powerful figures, all crossing their arms and watching like spectators at a show, surrounded Tesoro with menacing expressions.

 

The pressure was driving Tesoro to the brink of madness!

 

It was only now that he realized that in the face of overwhelming power, gold and money could not save him.

 

Tesoro finally stopped his attacks. He stood in the center of the vault, surrounded by a mass of serpentine liquid gold that protected him, but he was panting heavily, trapped with no way out.

 

Since Tesoro had stopped, Aokiji did the same, and everyone else just stood there, silently watching him.

 

“I…”

 

Just as Tesoro was about to say something, a sudden and violent tremor shook the entire Golden Tower. The intense shaking almost made everyone in the vault lose their balance.

 

Before the shaking even stopped, an earth-shattering explosion echoed through the air.

 

The explosion came from outside. Robin and Reiju quickly stepped out of the vault and immediately saw a massive fireball rising in the distance.

 

The location of the explosion was in the middle section of the giant ship, Gran Tesoro. As the explosion subsided, Robin and Reiju noticed a huge geyser of water shooting up from the site of the blast.

 

Did… did the bottom of the ship just get blown open!?

 

The two women stared in shock at the gushing water. They grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked toward the area, where they saw a large crowd of people rushing toward the geyser, standing beneath it, reveling in the spray of water.

 

Soon after, the sound of gunfire erupted throughout the Golden City. Through the binoculars, Robin and Reiju saw a group of people wearing cloaks and feathered hats, armed with guns, engaging in a fierce battle with the black-suited agents of the World Government! Bullets were flying in all directions, and people were falling left and right. The gunfight caused chaos throughout the city.

 

Reiju and Robin exchanged astonished looks. Who would dare attack World Government agents!?

 

But in an instant, they both realized the truth.

 

The Revolutionary Army! It’s the Revolutionary Army!

 

Could it be that Revolutionary Dragon’s counterattack has come so quickly? And with such ferocity!

 

Indeed, the most notorious criminal in the world is not someone who can be easily captured!

 

As they looked at each other again, Robin and Reiju both felt that Tesoro was truly out of luck. He had actually tried to assist the World Government in capturing someone, and now look at what happened—his own ship was on the verge of being sunk by the Revolutionary Army…

 

Could it be that after Baccarat, the Luck-Luck Fruit user, was knocked unconscious by Ian, her ability lost control, and now Tesoro, who had been relying on her luck, is facing the backlash of misfortune?

 

At this moment, Reiju and Robin could only feel a deep sense of sympathy for Tesoro…