The Value of Cultured Ian! Redfield!

Shuigu Town.

It's called a town, but it's actually only the size of a small village.

It's called that simply because this place used to be called that.

This small village is built by the sea and has a small pier. A road extends from the pier, with about fifty houses on both sides and a total population of only a few hundred people.

The road that runs through the small village stretches on and on, until it disappears into the lush mountains not far from the village.

Today, this small village welcomed a visitor.

This was a tall, upright young man, who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. He was wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts, with slippers on his feet, just like a tourist on vacation.

That's why the villagers didn't understand what there was to do or play in their place.

However, what is most striking about this young man is his appearance; he is so handsome that it can be described as unusual.

He was just strolling slowly along the village path when all the women, whether young girls or married women, couldn't help but stare at him.

The young people didn't seem to care, but it made the village women blush.

After wandering around the village for a while, the young man went to the village's only tavern, a cramped little shop with just a bar and two tables.

After all, there are only a few hundred people in the village, and if the store is too big, there won't be enough customers.

Welcome!

The bar owner was still wiping glasses behind the bar, carefully observing the young man who had pushed the door open.

He looks familiar.

Why does it look so familiar?

Have you seen it somewhere before?

Is there any food?

The young man plopped down in front of the bar and asked lazily.

The bar owner noticed a strange red creature perched on his shoulder, its eyes wide open, curiously looking around.

"We have freshly baked apple pie."

The bar owner silently withdrew his gaze.

"Then bring a few, and a bottle of rum."

"Young man, "Ian, who had come from afar, said casually.

"Good."

Without saying a word, the boss took a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet behind him and placed it in front of Ian, then went to the kitchen and took out a few steaming hot apple pies.

Ian first picked up the rum, and with a Haki shove, the cork flew off.

The bar owner stared in disbelief.

I completely don't understand how Ian did it.

Ian picked up the bottle and gulped down a mouthful, then took a big bite of the apple pie in front of him.

To be honest, the taste was quite average, but it was fresh out of the oven, so it wasn't bad.

"Boss, I need to ask you something."

As Ian ate, he casually asked, "Have there been a lot of outsiders coming to the island lately?"

The shopkeeper thought for a moment, "There aren't many, but not long ago some people did go to the ruins in the mountains to search for something."

"Some of them are still in the village."

"Is that so?"

Ian nodded slightly. "Where is that so-called ruin?"

"Right in the center of the island, in the middle of the highest mountain."

The shopkeeper casually remarked, "Young man, you're here for the ruins too? There's nothing there. If there were anything at all, it wouldn't be here for outsiders like you to look for."

"Really? I don't believe it."

Ian just smiled softly.

The reason it can't be found is simply because the key is missing.

The bar owner's lips twitched.

You're still a bit rebellious.

But he looks so familiar, so very familiar.

Where exactly did I see him?

"Alright, thank you for the treat, boss."

Ian wiped his mouth; in just a few minutes, he had already swallowed the apple pie and rum.

Ian casually tossed down a few gold coins, stood up, turned, and walked out of the bar.

"..."

The bar owner was stunned when he saw the few gold coins still dancing on the table.

Is that really so extravagant?

Ian walked out of the bar, looked up, and gazed at the lush green mountains in the distance.

Since there are still quite a few outsiders in the village, I should have already been exposed. It's time to get down to business.

Ian made no attempt to disguise himself, since he was the only one who landed on the island.

Because he was alone, he was afraid of nothing.

It was launched into the air and then headed straight for the distant mountains without stopping.

"It's flying! It's flying!!"

The bar owner was dumbfounded.

Etc!

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. He hurriedly rummaged through a stack of Bounty Poster under the bar, and after a frantic search, he finally found Bounty Poster.

The bar owner was instantly dumbfounded.

The unbelievably handsome face on the Bounty Poster instantly overlapped with the young man from before.

"Four, four, Four Emperors??"

He stammered incredulously to himself.

How could such a prominent figure appear in this rural area?

Did the Pirate Emperor come to eat at his place?

They even gave him a few gold coins?

"Could it be that,"

He suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Is there really something hidden inside the ruins?"

Oh dear, I missed out on a fortune!

Just as Ian had expected, as he raced toward the ruins, warships were rapidly closing in on the nearby sea.

"Ian!!"

Hero Garp was no longer the lazy guy he used to be. Standing at the bow of the ship, his gaze was serious. The sea breeze made his coat flap wildly. "Why is that guy here? Could he also be here for the legends on the island?"

"But how could he know about this?"

"Our men found absolutely nothing on the island."

Zephyr said, "There's nothing inside that ruin. Perhaps we've just come to the wrong place."

"Whether you've found the wrong one or not,"

Hero Garp clenched his fist. "Now is not the time to hesitate!"

"However, if we act now, the Cross Guild will probably immediately realize this is a conspiracy targeting them, and they won't show up again!"

Zephyr said seriously.

"Ian came alone this time,"

Hero Garp said seriously, "He didn't bring any of his companions. There's never been a better time!"

Zephyr pursed his lips.

That's right, the Cross Guild are troublesome too, but they're still far inferior to Ian.

That man is the World Government's biggest threat!

Once he becomes stronger, defeats Kaido, and unites the entire Beasts Pirates, the whole world will be in turmoil!

"Good!"

Zephyr nodded emphatically, "Then let's go take down that Ian guy first!"

"Get Kuzan here quickly!"

Shuigu Town.

Not long after Ian left the small village, the sea suddenly became turbulent at the dock outside the village.

A ship suddenly emerged from the seabed!

The bubbles that had been enveloping the ship vanished the moment they surfaced.

Almost the instant the bubbles dissipated, a dark shadow shot out of the ship, propelled into the sky, and then trod through the air towards the distant mountains.

"Quick!"

Crocodile turned into yellow sand. "Moria! You and I will deal with those government agents on the island first!"

"Shiryu! Go after Ryde!"

"World, I'm counting on you for the coating!"

With a clear division of labor, the Cross Guild arrived at the scene.

Ian launched himself into the sky and soon arrived above the mountains.

After all, the island wasn't very big, and at his speed, it was really nothing.

Soon, the highest mountain that the bar owner had mentioned appeared before Ian's eyes.

Ian lowered his altitude, Observation Haki became somewhat ineffective when searching for inanimate objects.

Fortunately, the ruins were quite large, and Ian spotted them immediately.

He landed lightly on a tall pillar in the ruins. Ian looked around and could only see a pile of broken walls.

However, there is one place that is special.

There is a cave in the mountain wall, which is also part of the ruins.

Judging from its exterior decorations, this doesn't seem to be an ordinary cave; it's more like a temple.

This should be the place, right?

Ian lightly leaped and landed outside the cave, then stepped inside.

Inside was a fairly spacious area, with stone slabs paving the floor and ceiling, and brick walls.

Directly opposite is a stone platform, carved with many patterns, but there is nothing on the platform.

The entire space was empty.

Some only have pillars to support the ceiling and various patterns painted on the walls.

Ian's lips curled into a smile.

No wonder the World Government's people couldn't find anything.

They didn't even notice the crucial details.

Ian walked to the front of the stone platform and looked up at the patterns on the wall.

This is not a simple pattern.

Those who understand Ancient Text will be able to see that some Ancient Text are interspersed among these patterns.

It refers to the Ancient Text inscribed on the Poneglyph.

Because they are not densely arranged together, they appear to those unfamiliar with Ancient Text as merely unique patterns.

At first glance, there's nothing particularly special about it.

But coincidentally, Ian was a cultured man; he understood Ancient Text.

Is that so?

Ian walked to a certain paving stone and stomped on it a little harder.

The floor tiles did not react at all.

Ian didn't stop, but jumped onto another tile and continued stomping.

Next is another piece.

Ian moved very quickly, leaping around the hall like a kitten.

After stepping on dozens of floor tiles in a specific order, the spacious hall suddenly began to shake.

The stone platform shook the most violently.

Just as Ian thought the stone platform was about to crack open and the Vampire Fruit would emerge from it, a crack suddenly appeared in the ceiling, and a small box fell down.

"Ah?"

Luckily, Ian reacted quickly and grabbed the box, otherwise it would have really fallen to the ground.

You're not playing by the rules, are you?

All the vibrations stopped, Ian casually opened the box.

A Devil Fruit lay quietly inside.

It's purple, slightly larger than a fist, shaped like a tomato, and covered with spiral patterns.

It must be you, right?

Zoan Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Vampire Form?

Um?

Ian looked up, and a smile immediately appeared on his lips.

This scent is so unfamiliar.

There can't be anyone else who would be here at this time.

Did they arrive so quickly?

Didn't the government just recently leak the news of Shuigu Town to the Cross Guild in some kingdom? How could it be so fast?

Could it be that they actually received the news beforehand?

Is he just trying to outmaneuver the World Government?

That's interesting.

Perfect timing, let's exchange a few words with the senior.

Ian strolled leisurely out of the cave and looked up at the sky.

A dark shadow was rapidly approaching.

Ian raised his right hand and waved to the person who approached.

Redfield headed as fast as he could towards the ruins located in the center of the island.

Crocodile's men had already located the ruins before they arrived.

Although they said they hadn't found anything, Redfield simply thought they were incompetent.

Now that he's here, what can't we find?

However, when Redfield arrived above the ruins, he saw a boy emerge from the cave, smiling and looking up at him, even waving.

"This guy!!"

Redfield's pupils constricted slightly.

Although he had never met the kid, he had heard far too many legends about him after his release from prison.

Redfield landed on a tall pillar in the ruins. He looked at the boy standing at the cave entrance with a solemn expression, "Ian of the Scorched Sky!"

"You must be the legendary the Lone Red, Patrick Redfield?"

Ian looked at the white-haired man and smiled, saying, "The legendary man who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates all by himself, I've heard so Daimyo about you."

"Ian!"

Ryde stared intently at Ian, a sudden sense of foreboding washing over him. "Why are you here?"

"You actually asked me why I'm here?"

Ian was a little confused by his question, and replied matter-of-factly, "Of course I'm here to visit this ruin. What, aren't you here, Senior Ryde, for tourism purposes?"

The reason I say "them" is because another aura is also very close.

Ryde didn't believe a word of Ian's story.

His sharp eyes noticed the small box Ian was holding, and almost instantly, he pointed to it. "What's that?"

Ian smiled, his eyes crinkling. "It's my lunchbox."

Redfield's forehead vein throbbed instantly. "Give it to me."

"Oh?"

Ian laughed heartily, "Senior Ryde, you're not planning to wash my lunchbox, are you? That wouldn't be very kind of you."

"I'll let you have it, give it to me!"

A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from Redfield, pressing down on Ian with unparalleled power.

As a legend of the previous era, he naturally possesses Conqueror's Haki.

but.

The next instant, an even more terrifying aura erupted from Ian, not only withstanding Ryde's Conqueror's Haki but also pressing down on Ryde in return.

"Oh!"

At that moment, Shiryu, who had also been approaching using Geppo, suddenly stopped. "No way? Ian?"

The next moment, a smile crept across his face. "Exciting! Exciting! Are we about to witness a battle of the strongest?"

This kid has amazing Conqueror's Haki!

Ryde gritted his teeth inwardly, but his words were cold and sharp, "Kid, I told you to give me what you're holding!"

Ian smiled. "Perhaps, Senior Ryde, you could try and snatch it."

"You think I wouldn't dare?"