Super Card System

After Perospero and Katakuri left, Ian called Kuina over and started stuffing money into her arms.

Kuina was bewildered, holding large wads of cash in her hands, and asked in a panic, “Brother Ian, why are you giving me so much money? I don’t want it!”

“Hey, this is for you and Aokiji!” Ian said. “That guy is a Navy Admiral. If I gave him the money directly, he might think it’s too vulgar. But you’re my sister, so it’s fine to give it to you…”

Ian’s voice was loud enough that Aokiji couldn’t help but hear it, leaving him speechless for a moment.

“You didn’t even try giving it to me, so how would you know if I’d refuse?”

“Can you cut down on the tricks and show a bit more sincerity!?”

Aokiji then stepped forward, grabbed a bundle of cash from Ian’s hands, and said lazily, “Don’t worry, I don’t have any high moral standards or scruples. Although my original intention for getting involved was just to distract Tesoro, now that you’ve managed to get his money, I’m not going to refuse it just because it was taken by force.”

Ian smiled and looked at him, “You’ve figured it out?”

Aokiji didn’t say anything, he just nodded. At this moment, he truly had come to terms with it.

Back when he decided to compete with Akainu for the position of Fleet Admiral, it wasn’t because he was greedy for power, but because he clearly understood that with Akainu’s personality, if he became Fleet Admiral, it was very likely that the Navy would go down the wrong path!

Indeed, the Navy’s duty is to fight pirates and uphold justice, and that is correct. However, if they operate with cold-blooded ruthlessness, without discernment, and blindly follow the orders of the World Government without independent thought, the Navy would eventually become nothing more than a tool of pure violence, used by the World Government to suppress any dissenters.

Aokiji glanced at Robin, who was standing gracefully behind Ian. The Ohara incident all those years ago had already made Aokiji question the true nature of the World Government.

Shouldn’t rulers govern with the welfare of the people in mind? Why, then, would they turn against their own people? The scholars of Ohara, unarmed and defenseless, were not heinous criminals. Yet for the mere crime of researching history, an entire island was eradicated.

That was a complete and utter massacre…

After leaving the Navy and abandoning his own position, Aokiji found that, as an observer, he could see everything more clearly.

Ian was right. If he had left the Navy alone, he could have done whatever he wanted. But now, there were others who had followed him out—Kuina, Smoker, and other subordinates. Aokiji had to take responsibility for their futures, and in that context, Ian’s suggestion wasn’t a bad one.

Seeing Aokiji accept the money, Smoker stepped forward, casually taking a handful of cash from Ian’s hands while still holding his cigar in his mouth, showing no hesitation.

If anyone knew Ian well, it was Smoker. Back when Ian was a swordsmanship instructor in Loguetown, Smoker had technically been his superior.

After taking the money, Smoker grumbled at Ian, “You bastard, you tricked me good back then. You were doing just fine as a bounty hunter, and then in the blink of an eye, you became a Warlord, turning around and screwing the Navy over. Tashigi and I still feel unease whenever your name comes up!”

Ian didn’t get angry; instead, he patted Smoker on the shoulder and said, “Honestly, Smoker, I still have to thank you. You took good care of Kuina while she was in Loguetown.”

“Hmph, she was my subordinate back then. It’s what I was supposed to do! I don’t need your thanks!” Smoker snorted.

Ian then picked up a bunch of cash and placed it in Tashigi’s arms, saying, “Tashigi, you haven’t forgotten me, have you? Why haven’t you said a word to me this whole time?”

But Tashigi, with a huff, puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away, saying, “You’re a big shot now. What could a small fry like me possibly have to say to you?”

Ian burst out laughing and reached out to ruffle Tashigi’s hair, saying, “I hope you don’t mind and that you can get along well with Kuina. You two look so alike, you should be like sisters!”

“Annoying!” Tashigi’s hair was now a mess, and her glasses nearly fell off. But with her hands full of money, she couldn’t adjust them, so she shouted in frustration.

After some lighthearted banter, Ian finished distributing the bonuses to Aokiji and his group. He didn’t give too much, knowing that Aokiji and the others wouldn’t accept an excessive amount. The sum was the same as what he gave Katakuri and Perospero—around 5 billion berries.

When Aokiji handed the money to the few other naval officers, telling them to store it back in the ship’s hold, the officers were completely stunned.

They had never expected that following Aokiji to the Golden City would result in them acquiring such a vast amount of money…

At this moment, Carina, who had been watching Ian give away money left and right, couldn’t help but feel envious. She jumped up and exclaimed to Ian, “What about mine? Where’s my share?”

“How much do you want?” Ian asked her.

Carina rolled her eyes thoughtfully and said, “We’re partners, right? So, it should at least be the same as theirs, don’t you think?”

Ian smiled and wagged his finger at her, saying, “No way, the most you’re getting is 1 billion berries!”

“What!? Why!” Carina’s eyes widened in disbelief. “I was the one who led you here! Without me, do you think you would have found Tesoro’s vault?”

“That’s not what I mean,” Ian shook his head. “Even if I gave you the same 2.5 billion as a share, you’re just a girl traveling in the pirate-infested New World. Do you really think you can hold on to that much money? Having too much wealth could be more of a curse than a blessing for you!”

Hearing this, Carina immediately deflated, her excitement vanishing in an instant.

She knew Ian was right. For a girl with little combat strength, holding on to too much money could indeed be dangerous. While Carina often claimed that girls could survive on their wits, she knew that wit alone might not be enough when faced with raw power.

Still, she tried to negotiate for a better deal, saying, “1 billion berries is too little. I could earn that much just by staying with Tesoro. You can’t let me leave empty-handed, right?”

Ian didn’t haggle with her further and eventually agreed to give her 2.5 billion berries.

“Great! This job was totally worth it!” Carina jumped up in excitement.

2.5 billion berries might seem like a lot less compared to the 5 billion that Aokiji and the others received, but it was more than enough for Carina to live a comfortable life. More importantly, with this money, Carina was free again. Compared to being controlled by Tesoro and forced to work as a singer, freedom was far more valuable.

“One more request!” Carina added with a playful grin. She looked at Ian pleadingly and said, “Since we worked together so well this time, could you let me use your pirate crew’s flag occasionally? Don’t worry, I won’t misuse it. I’d just like to use it to protect myself when I’m in a pinch!”

The reputation of the Dragon Hunter Pirates was well-known throughout the New World. Even Dressrosa currently flew the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ flag for protection. If Carina could get Ian’s permission, she’d gain a lot of respect. Even in Whitebeard’s territory, people would have to give her some face. That way, even if someone with ill intentions knew that Carina was sitting on a small fortune, they might think twice before trying to take advantage of her.

Ian thought about it and decided it wasn’t a big deal. As long as Carina didn’t use his name for scams or to cause trouble, it wouldn’t hurt to protect her. If the Dragon Hunter Pirates couldn’t even safeguard a single woman, then their reputation would be worthless.

So, Ian nodded in agreement.

As soon as Carina got his approval, she immediately started humming a tune and found a pen to draw the Dragon Hunter Pirates’ emblem on her chest. This action left everyone around her stunned.

They couldn’t help but feel like something was off…

After handling Carina’s request, Ian walked over to another woman.

“What about you? Any plans?” Ian asked, addressing Baccarat, who was lying on the deck. “Stop pretending—I know you’ve been awake for a while.”

Hearing Ian’s words, Baccarat finally opened her eyes. She brushed her hair back from her face and sighed softly, “What plans could I possibly have? You brought me out here because you probably have your eye on my abilities, right? It doesn’t matter. For someone like me, a weakling, I’m just at the mercy of you big shots… For me, it’s just a matter of changing bosses.”

“Don’t misunderstand, I’m not like Tesoro!” Ian replied. “I’m not someone who likes to force others. As the saying goes, a twisted melon isn’t sweet. While I admit your abilities could be very useful to me, I still respect your wishes. I’ll give you two choices: if you don’t want to join my pirate crew, I’ll give you the same amount of money as I gave Carina, and you can leave.”

“Really?” Baccarat asked, a bit incredulous.

“Of course!” Ian nodded. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask my crew if they joined voluntarily… Uh, well, except for one person!”

Ian shot a glance at Enel, that flamboyant character…

“I…” Baccarat hesitated, about to say something, but at that moment, a sudden and strong gust of wind swept across the sea!

The wind was quite peculiar. Not only did it appear out of nowhere, but it also seemed to be confined to the area surrounding the massive ship Gran Tesoro.

The naval ship beneath Ian and the others was within this range as well, causing the entire vessel to sway suddenly. However, the ships that had already left the Gran Tesoro’s port and sailed farther away were completely unaffected.

At first, Aokiji also found it odd and wondered if they had encountered some unusual weather. But suddenly, as if realizing something, his expression changed, and he urgently said to everyone, “This is bad! We need to get out of here quickly!”

Kuina and Tashigi didn’t hesitate. They immediately rushed to the sails and the helm, while Ian and the others, not understanding what was happening, looked at Aokiji’s serious expression and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on?”

Aokiji glanced at Ian, then turned to look at the Gran Tesoro, saying, “It’s Dragon! He’s finally making his move! I’m afraid Tesoro won’t be able to keep his ship…”

As if to confirm Aokiji’s words, the hurricane grew even stronger just as the naval ship managed to distance itself from the Gran Tesoro.

At the position where Ian and the others were, they couldn’t fully feel the force of the wind, but they could clearly see the massive ship Gran Tesoro starting to sway under the hurricane’s power.

This was a super ship that spanned several miles in length! And yet, the wind was strong enough to make it shake!?

Such a violent hurricane whipped up even larger waves. As Ian and the others watched in stunned silence, two towering tsunamis rose up on either side of the ship and then came crashing down on the Gran Tesoro from both directions!

In that moment, Ian had a sudden sense of déjà vu, as if Whitebeard himself had made a move!

With a deafening roar, the Gran Tesoro was engulfed by the two massive waves! A tremendous amount of seawater surged into the golden city…

Under the force of these colossal waves, the Gran Tesoro might not necessarily be dragged to the bottom of the sea, but with the water flooding the city, the entire place would be utterly destroyed…

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