Ian floated quietly in the sky, carefully using his Observation Haki to probe the area.
Only after confirming that the presence of Ochoku had completely disappeared did he gently nod.
That's why I said, if it was just Ochoku, there was no need for such a big commotion.
The King Punch, forever a god!
After confirming that Ochoku was dead, Ian returned to his human form and ran towards the island, stepping on the air.
On the coast below, his companions were chasing down the collapsing members of the Ochoku Pirates.
Seeing that Ochoku was taken out directly by Ian, the pirates of the Ochoku Pirates no longer had the courage to continue fighting.
Either the ones who had collapsed fled immediately, or those who were terrified kneeled and surrendered.
Right now, the companions were just cleaning up the battlefield.
Jack transformed into a giant elephant and charged back and forth across the battlefield.
Alongside him were Black Maria and Drake, who also transformed and, relying on their enormous sizes, slaughtered indiscriminately.
Compared to them, Law seemed a bit less noticeable. He created a semi-transparent sphere with a few meters in diameter and then wielded his blade inside it, chopping any pirates that entered into pieces.
This guy was doing such cruel things, but his face was full of excitement.
It could be said that Law was indeed very eager to learn, never forgetting to practice his abilities.
Besides them, there were Yamato and Hancock.
The methods of these two were much more efficient compared to the others.
Yamato simply planted the Takeru No. 2 onto the ground and used the continuous spread of freezing air to freeze the entire coastline. One by one, the pirates turned into ice sculptures.
Hancock pulled out her Mero Mero no Mi, drew her bow, and released a rain of peach-colored arrows, turning the pirates into stone sculptures.
Ian didn't disturb them at first and just let them have their fun.
There were more important things to do.
He stepped through the air, directly skimming over the battlefield, and landed on a huge rock in the rear.
"Hehehe, that's really impressive, Ian!"
Morgan's chuckled as he put away the Den Den Mushi, his face full of congratulations. "That's the strongest pirate under the emperors! A former high-ranking member of the Rocks Pirates, the master of Hive Island, Ochoku! To think you took him down so easily!"
Ian glanced at the guy. "You didn't just broadcast that fight to the world, did you?"
"Hehehe, this battle is bound to shake the world!"
Morgan flapped his wings, but he couldn't get off the ground. "I just made sure people knew about it as soon as possible."
Ian squinted. "What should I do with you, Morgan?"
The World government had already known he would use the King Punch, but not everyone out at sea did.
This technique was almost unbeatable when it came to finishing off someone in the first encounter.
Especially now, after Ian had improved it.
But after today, things might be different.
Morgan, that idiot, sure knew how to make things worse.
The smile on the bird-man's face froze, and all the feathers on his body stood on end.
Danger, danger, danger!
Morgan quickly realized that if he didn't do something, he'd never leave Mittel Island today.
Not that!
Dying here?
I at least want to work as a paparazzi for another ten years!
"I'm sorry, Ian,"
Morgan immediately became serious, apologizing sincerely. "I didn't think this through."
He decided to offer Ian compensation. "By the way, we've known each other for a long time now, and I think our relationship could go to the next level."
What was this guy saying to an underage boy?
Ian's lips twitched slightly.
You're not about to say something inappropriate, are you?
If you dare, I'll burn you to ashes immediately.
"I think we can become strategic partners."
Morgan grinned, "If you ever need any intel in the future, you can come to me first."
Morgan was actually more than willing about this.
The person who had just died was Ochoku!
Ochoku, who had dominated the New World for decades!
And the man who killed him was Ian, the one in front of him, who was only fifteen years old!
If anyone was likely to become the next Pirate King, it had to be him!
The strongest talent, paired with the strongest pirate crew!
This man was born to change the world!
Morgan couldn't be more eager to strengthen his relationship with Ian.
If he could report on the birth of the new Pirate King first and also uncover the world's secrets in his newspaper, he would die happy.
"Oh?"
Ian looked down at him, "Sounds pretty good."
This guy was the world's number one gossip journalist, with reporters stationed all around the world.
Even if you searched the entire world, the only one more in the know than him was probably the World Government.
Even the Charlotte family, known for its advanced intel system in the pirate world, likely couldn't match him.
His proposal was indeed quite constructive.
Ian's lips curled into a smile.
"Hee hee hee hee, we're friends, after all!"
Morgan said with a wide grin.
He also secretly sighed in relief.
It seems safe now.
But...
"Yeah, we're friends,"
Ian said meaningfully, "As the saying goes, only with sincerity can you make a true friend. Morgans, are you willing to give your sincerity for our friendship?"
Morgans nodded repeatedly. "Of course, of course! Who doesn't know in the New World, Morgans always gives sincerity for sincerity!"
"Great."
Ian patted this guy on the shoulder and shouted toward the distance, "Law, come here."
Huh?
What does that mean?
Morgans froze.
Soon, a young boy with a spotted hat ran over quickly. "Ian, what's up?"
"Help me with something."
Ian said.
Then he looked at Morgans. "Alright, Morgans, you can give your sincerity now."
"Ah?"
Morgans blinked in confusion.
How should he give it?
"Law, it's up to you."
Ian said.
Law immediately understood. "Sincerity, huh? Leave it to me."
He took two steps forward, raised his right hand, and a faint spiral of air gathered in his palm. Then he flipped his hand, and a translucent sphere expanded, enveloping both himself and Morgans.
"Eh?"
Morgans stared at the sphere in confusion. "Is this the ability of the Operation Fruit? Ian, you gave that fruit to this boy—"
"Scalpel!"
A flash of electricity flickered on Law's hand, and he gently pushed toward Morgans' heart from a distance.
Unprepared, Morgans' body shuddered.
With a soft pop.
He lowered his head in shock, only to realize that there was now a square hole where his heart used to be, and he could see through to the other side.
His strength was instantly drained, and Morgans collapsed weakly to the ground.
Law snapped his fingers lightly, and a square object fell into his hand.
Inside the square was a heart, still beating steadily, wrapped in muscle and covered by a strange thin membrane.
"Here."
Law handed the heart to Ian.
Ian casually took the heart, gave it a quick glance, then smiled and said, "Not bad, you're already quite proficient with your abilities."
Law snorted softly, "Isn't it obvious? You've told me everything the Operation Fruit can do. If I couldn't do anything with it, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"
Ian chuckled.
Although his abilities were still weak due to physical limitations, they were already flashy enough.
For example, right now, Law could easily extract someone's heart.
Ian squeezed the heart in his hand a little.
"Ugh!"
Morgans broke into a cold sweat, clutching his chest in pain.
This was bad!
Is this what it really means to give your heart away?
Ian, I can't ever compete with you.
"Morgans, I've received your heart, for real."
Ian released his grip, smiling as he said, "From now on, we'll be close partners, right?"
Morgans gave a dry laugh, "Y-Yeah, of course."
Damn, he's given away his most genuine heart, what else can he say?
"Then I'll be counting on you from now on."
Ian chuckled.
Though he couldn't exactly say he had completely "recruited" this guy, since Morgans would really risk his life for a big scoop.
Even with his heart in hand, Ian couldn't guarantee that Morgans would follow his every command.
But at least, in the future, if something comes up and he needs to find this guy, he should be more cooperative.
"Of course, of course..."
Morgan cursed inwardly but smiled and nodded repeatedly.
Law rolled his eyes.
"Alright," Ian glanced back.
His companions had already dealt with most of the members of the Ochoku Pirate Crew.
So he said, "Next, let's head to Hive Island."
Now that Ochoku was gone, the island he occupied was naturally vacated.
It used to be the base of the Rocks Pirates, the palace of the previous generation's ocean overlord.
Ian felt it was still worth taking over.
Of course, more importantly, it was a chance to take over the territory of Ochoku's forces.
At this point, Morgan cautiously said, "So, Ian, can I head back first? I really want to report today's news."
Even though Ian already understood this guy's nature, he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
"See you next time," Ian replied.
After all, this guy wasn't much of a combat force, and there was no need to keep him around all the time.
If something came up, they could just contact each other with the Transponder snail.
Morgan left with mixed feelings.
After wiping out all the pirates Ochoku had brought, the Golden Dragon ship set sail again, this time heading for Hive Island.
**********
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