The Challenger!

Ian naturally coveted Vegapunk.

Putting everything else aside, the new energy source he developed in the original work, the Holy Mother's Flame, was something Ian dreamed of obtaining.

after all,

It's not just the World Government that needs powerful energy to activate Ancient Weapon.

Pluton, which has been buried underground in Wano Country for eight hundred years, is now also in a state of energy depletion.

It also needs a powerful new energy source to power it.

Only with a sufficiently powerful energy source can Pluton unleash the terrifying power to sink an island with a single shot.

According to Stussy, the energy research should be completed soon.

All that's needed is to wrest energy from the government, and then the final battle can begin.

It will be soon.

Thinking about it this way, I can't help but feel a little excited.

After ending his call with Stussy, Ian summoned all his subordinates who were currently stationed on Onigashima.

Gold, radiating a brilliant golden light, was placed before them.

"Pure Gold?"

Teacher Kai bent down, his large, bell-like eyes scrutinizing the gold nugget before him.

"Ian, you're saying this thing can give us lifespans of tens of thousands of years or more?"

"It's been at least tens of thousands of years."

Ian emphasized again, "The life force of any creature illuminated by the Pure Gold light will decrease dramatically."

"Even living for a hundred thousand years, it might not be impossible."

"One hundred thousand years?"

Jack couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

Such a massive number is mind-blowing just to think about it.

What a long time that was!

The World Government has only been established for eight hundred years, but the world has undergone tremendous changes.

And 100,000 years, or even a hundred times longer than that period of history.

In other words...

Hancock looked at Ian with eyes full of tenderness and affection.

Ian's lips twitched slightly.

Although she didn't say anything, her misty eyes said it all.

I guess what he wanted to say was the same as what Yamato said before, something about being able to work together for 100,000 years or something like that.

"Such a long life, yet there's a feeling of losing purpose?"

Drake asked, "In this seemingly endless time, is there really enough worth fighting for?"

If one loses their purpose in life, wouldn't it be incredibly empty, and living become meaningless?

That's what Drake thought.

"That kind of thing doesn't matter."

Black Maria was intrigued. "Ian, you said that as long as we are bathed in the light of Pure Gold, the aging process will be slowed down indefinitely. Doesn't that mean we can stay young forever?"

What girl could resist such a temptation?

"Um..."

Ian thought for a moment, "Even if it slows down, time still flows slowly. The time for youth may be long, but the time for aging will also be long?"

"Tsk."

Violet was immediately speechless.

To live as an old woman for tens of thousands of years before dying is just too cruel.

Perhaps it's better to wait until it ages and then just use a Zisha (purple clay) pottery.

Ian smiled.

Actually, solving this problem is quite simple; many Devil Fruit can achieve this.

The first one to be affected is the Return-Return Fruit that Ain possessed in the original work.

A single activation can regress the age of the person touched by twelve years.

This in itself is equivalent to the ability to live forever.

Add Pure Gold, and it's simply a killer move.

"But it's too early to say all that now."

Ian laughed and said, "Slowing down aging doesn't mean you won't be killed. Pure Gold can't grant immortality."

"If we are defeated in the final battle against the World Government, then everything else is meaningless."

If they lose, their fate will be the same as Joy Boy and his companions: to be erased from the world and even from history by the World Government.

By then, no matter how much Pure Gold can slow down aging, it will be of no use.

"Then let's crush the World Government!"

Bullet's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "Does this even need to be said?"

"That's right! You must destroy the World Government! I'll help you! Nobody can stop me from preserving my youth!"

The speaker was Uta, the top songstress of the Beasts Pirates, a beautiful girl with red and white hair.

The sixteen-year-old songstress has blossomed into a beautiful and charming young woman.

She, naturally, could not resist the allure of eternal youth.

"So, Ian!"

Teacher Kai grinned, looking excitedly at his good student, "When are we going to war with the World Government?"

"Soon."

Ian said, "It should be soon."

Once Vegapunk's energy supply is secured and seized, the war will begin.

However, some preparations need to be made before the war begins.

For example, you could travel to the Final Island, uncover the ultimate secrets of this world, and incidentally inherit the legacy left behind by that Joy Boy.

Before that, we need to go to the Whitebeard Pirates and get the last Road Poneglyph from Whitebeard.

By the way, we should also deal with the other monsters on the sea.

They should be given a choice: which side to stand on in the upcoming war.

This time, there was no neutrality option for them to choose from.

"Hehehehe!"

Upon hearing Ian's reply, Teacher Kai burst into excited laughter, "Then don't keep me waiting too long!"

"That's right!"

Bullet, the second most belligerent member of the White Beast Pirates, laughed loudly, "Let's quickly start this great war to seize the world!!"

All the cadres couldn't help but gleam with excitement.

We're really close to taking over this world!

Among the cadres, the chubby, dark-skinned Teach tried his best to put on an excited expression, but inwardly he was sighing.

It's a dead end.

He has been a member of the Beasts Pirates for six years, and in those six years, he has come to a deep understanding of the power this pirate crew possesses.

It's no exaggeration to say that even if he obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit he so desperately desired, he would still be absolutely unable to shake the Beasts Pirates in the slightest.

As for the idea of taking advantage of the war between the Beasts Pirates and the World Government to profit from the chaos, that's utter nonsense.

Are you kidding me? Where on earth is he supposed to assemble a team capable of picking up scraps in a war between these two behemoths?

More importantly, Teach couldn't think of any way to defeat Lord Ian.

This person's power far surpasses that Pops Whitebeard at his peak; it is beyond human comprehension and has reached a level of strength that transcends another dimension!

There's only one thing we can do now: obediently follow Lord Ian and witness his journey to conquer the world!

That seems like a good idea.

That's what Teach was thinking.

He could even get a share of the Pure Gold.

"By the way, the aging process will be slowed down, which also means that normal growth will be delayed."

Ian cautioned, "Kids whose bodies aren't fully developed yet shouldn't even think about getting their hands on this thing."

"Let's talk about it when we're older."

"I don't care."

Ace shrugged.

He's not even twenty yet, so there's no need to think about staying young forever.

"As for the others,"

Ian looked at his companions, "One for each of you, you can have it set in your jewelry and carry it with you."

"Then we won't stand on ceremony!"

Black Maria smiled.

So each of them received a small piece of Pure Gold.

After being divided, the head-sized piece of Pure Gold looked exactly the same as before; there was no need to even say that it had been dusted off.

That's why I said that this part alone is more than enough.

There are specialized factories on Onigashima, so creating custom-made jewelry is a piece of cake.

Soon, pieces of jewelry inlaid with Pure Gold were completed.

Teacher Kai made a bracelet to replace the one he already had.

Black Maria and Violet chose to have Pure Gold set in their earrings.

Jack went even further; he simply drilled a hole in his tooth and buried Pure Gold inside.

However, if we're talking about convenience, then Bullet is definitely the best. He activated his Combine-Combine Fruit ability and directly merged with Pure Gold, so they would truly never be separated again.

On the contrary, Ian is now faced with a difficult choice.

He glanced at the two different rings being presented to him by two hands, then looked up at the two women who had offered him the rings.

"Ian! Do you want her ring or mine?!"

Yamato and Hancock spoke almost simultaneously, their eyes fixed intently on Ian without blinking.

"Oh."

Luo, who was watching the scene unfold, let out a strange, gloating cry.

Ulti, the younger sister, was so angry she gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do; she was simply no match for her two older sisters.

Now all I can do is sit here and watch, feeling utterly pathetic.

Ian sighed.

Then he simply reached out and took the ring from each of the two women's hands.

"Ian!" x2

Yamato puffed out his cheeks, and Hancock also showed a sorrowful expression.

How could I possibly accept that white-haired bastard/scoundrel snake woman's ring?

But Ian didn't care what they were thinking; he had a ring in each hand!

Love is indeed selfish and exclusive, and this is unfair to both girls.

But now that things have come to this, how can I possibly let go?

I'm going to be the King of the World, you know. A little bit of special privilege isn't too much to ask, is it?

The end result was that, under Hancock's mournful gaze, he was Yamato and beaten all the way by Yamato wielding a spiked club.

Shortly afterward, people arrived on Onigashima.

They didn't simply enter Wano Country through the Port of Stealth and then take a ship to Onigashima.

Instead, it fell directly from the sky.

Bubbles, resembling Cat Claws pads, fell from the sky and crashed onto the shore of Onigashima Port, creating a shallow, paw-shaped dent in the ground.

The people who had been transported from thousands of miles away by these bubbles finally set foot on the island.

"It's Onigashima!"

A cute little girl with pink hair raised her hands and ran out happily, "I can see Brother Ian again!"

"Don't run around, Bonney."

Behind the little girl stood a dignified woman with pink hair, who spoke with a smile.

"Mama! I want to go find my Brother Ian!"

The little girl turned around happily and waved to her mother, then dashed off into the interior of Onigashima. Judging from her familiar appearance, it was clear that this wasn't her first time here.

"Honestly, this child has way too much energy."

"Woman, "Ginny smiled and shook her head.

"I really hope Bonney can stay this energetic forever."

Beside the woman, Xiong spoke with a smile.

"That's true."

Ginny leaned against her husband's lap, watching her daughter's tiny figure toddle towards the island, her smile radiating pure happiness.

That's great.

This kind of life was the happiness she had longed for in the past, wasn't it?

"Snort."

As the couple basked in their happiness, another man who had come with them scoffed, "Alright, let's go find Ian first."

The man with eagle-like, sharp eyes curled up at the corners of his mouth, his eyes brimming with excitement. "Ian is going to give you guys a gift, and coincidentally, I also have a gift for him!"

"Mr. Mihawk ..."

Xiong sighed softly, "Perhaps we should reconsider."

The world's number one swordsman has been living on Hachinosu Island for more than six years.

Although he is known as the World's Strongest swordsman, he is actually much easier to get along with than people imagine.

Normally, this man neither caused trouble nor joined in the fun; he simply practiced his sword quietly.

It's hard to imagine that this man was so arrogant in his youth that he hunted down the navy, earning him the nickname "Navy Hunter."

The couple actually got along quite well with this man over the years.

So after learning the reason why Mihawk had asked to come to Onigashima with them, Bear couldn't help but feel worried.

How could they possibly win?

"Bear, no need for further words, I want to see a whole new landscape!"

Mihawk said that.

The next moment, a huge bubble opened up from the depths of Onigashima, and the handsome man appeared directly in front of them.

Luo, who had been smiling, raised an eyebrow in surprise upon seeing Mihawk. "Hawk Eyes? What are you doing here?"

"That's none of your business, just take me to see Ian."

Hawk Eyes said firmly.

"Tsk."

Luo clicked his tongue in amazement. "Then let's go. I've already taken little Bonney there."

The power of the Op-Op Fruit activated again.

Hawk Eyes only felt a blur before his eyes, and he was already in an attic.

Before him sat Ian on the armrest, and Bonney chattered excitedly, gesturing wildly as she spoke to him.

"Brother Ian! Listen to me!"

Ian looked at the adorable little girl in front of him with a smile.

Bonney is seven years old this year.

She has probably reached her peak.

They possess a certain level of thinking ability, yet act like children, deeply believing in certain fantastical things.

Over the years, Ian has been sending fantasy books to Hachinosu Island.

Then.

Ian looked up at the bear couple, "Bear, Ginny, thank you for coming all this way. There are some things I need to give you."

As a member of the Beasts Pirates, Kuma has helped Ian hold down Hachinosu Island for many years, which is a great service and deserves his Pure Gold.

We'll even have to trouble Xiong to deliver Pure Gold to other people next.

"Oh? What is it?"

Ginny was very curious.

You'll find out soon enough.

Ian smiled and kept everyone in suspense, then turned to look at the man carrying a knife and striding towards him.

"Mihawk, my good friend, it's been so many years. What can I do for you?"

Hawk Eyes's lips curled into a smirk. "Ian, let's fight!"

oh?

One chapter missing, will be added tomorrow.