Squard simply could not understand.
How could he be this strong?
There was no reason for it!
He was clearly just a brat.
He did not even look fifteen.
And yet Squard was a great pirate with a bounty exceeding a hundred million.
But before him, Squard had been completely unable to fight back.
His chest and abdomen had been cut open. His organs should have been sliced apart by that sword strike, then roasted and carbonized. His entire stomach had already gone numb.
Squard struggled to raise his head and looked at the Golden Armored Winged Man who had walked up to him.
No matter how unwilling he was, he had to admit that this brat before him was a true monster.
"Answer me."
Ian looked down at the man and asked calmly, "What did Toki do in the Whitebeard Pirates?"
That woman was a hidden danger.
"Take a guess."
His internal organs had been completely destroyed, and Squard no longer had the strength even to move. Yet he still gave Ian a provocative smile. "You think I'd betray Pops?"
Ian said nothing. He merely casually raised the golden Flame Sword in his hand and slowly thrust it into Squard's right chest.
"Arghhhhh!!"
Squard instantly let out an incomparably miserable scream.
The chest pierced by the Flame Sword began to blaze. Flesh and blood, which should not have been flammable, now seemed to become fuel for the flames. That soft body was charred and carbonized in an instant, until it burned away completely.
Such pain was not something an ordinary person could endure.
Even a hardened seaman like Squard, tempered by countless battles, could no longer control himself. Tears and snot streamed freely down his face.
But after his agonized howls, the man suddenly clenched his teeth tight again.
He stubbornly raised his head, his eyes fixed firmly on Ian.
Ian felt somewhat troubled.
It seemed he really had no talent for interrogation. He should probably learn properly from Uncle King, an expert in this line of work.
The Flame Sword swept upward, and Squard's wail abruptly stopped. His body fell onto its back, with only a charred mark extending from his right chest to his neck.
Although the man had said nothing, the very fact that Toki had gone to the Whitebeard Pirates was already bad enough.
With her there, would Whitebeard still remain inactive as he had in the original story?
If not, then a war with the Whitebeard Pirates would probably come sooner or later.
Whitebeard had not yet grown old or fallen ill. At this time, he was the genuine strongest man in the world. Ian wondered whether Teacher Kai could handle him.
"How was it, how was it, Ian!"
Yamato ran over cheerfully, interrupting Ian's thoughts. She glanced at Squard's corpse on the ground and eagerly asked Ian, "Was this guy strong?"
"Pathetically weak."
Ian answered bluntly.
You should apologize for failing to entertain Lord Ian, Squard.
But there was nothing to be done. You were merely an ordinary man born into the era I lived in.
"Forget it."
Ian returned to normal. "Let's go. Let's have some fun in town."
"Yay!"
Yamato raised both hands with a grin. "Let's see if there are any enemies left in town!"
Ian's eye twitched.
That was not the kind of fun he meant.
But whatever. As long as the kid was happy.
Only now did the group of four finally enter the town, even though they had already fought two battles.
Watching the four of them enter the town, the surviving pirates outside the dock finally dared to breathe again.
Monsters!!
Were these the monsters of the Beasts Pirates?
After a brief silence, all the pirates practically sprang up at once and ran for their lives. They wished their parents had given them two extra legs. Some even dove headfirst into the sea and swam desperately into the distance.
They absolutely could not stay on the same island as such monsters. The farther they ran, the better.
Behind a house not far away, a pale-faced man tremblingly used a Den Den Mushi to dial a number. His hands shook so badly that he entered the wrong number several times. Fortunately, the call eventually went through.
"Squard?"
"Pops! Captain Squard... Captain Squard was killed!"
"What did you say?"
Yamato's hopes ultimately came to nothing.
After entering the town, she discovered—
"Why is there nobody here!"
The white-haired girl stood outside a bar, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted toward the sky, "Where did everyone go? Come out and play!"
Everyone had already run away.
After news spread that the Beasts Pirates had begun a massacre on this small island, some pirates felt they could not tolerate it anymore. Damn it, they would fight the Beasts Pirates! And then they went off to get beaten up by Yamato.
Other pirates were much more realistic. They felt there was no way they could defeat the Beasts Pirates, so they fled immediately. By now, they had already abandoned the town and gone into hiding.
Thus, all that appeared before the four of them was an utterly empty town.
Yamato shouted for a long time without calling out even half a person. The little girl was deeply disappointed. "This is no fun at all."
"If there's no one here..."
Black Maria said with a smile, "Doesn't that mean we can take whatever we want?"
Ian glanced sideways at Black Maria. So they were going on a zero-cost shopping spree? Her name really had not been chosen wrong.
"We could take whatever we wanted anyway."
Jack snorted. "Who would dare stop us?"
"Let's go."
Ian smiled. "Since we're here, let's look around."
Since they were already here, they could not just turn around and go back.
The town might have been small, but it had everything it needed. Still, it truly was tiny.
There were all kinds of shops, but almost only one of each. In half an hour, they had toured the entire town.
A weapon shop, tavern, hospital, restaurant, and...
"Oh! So this is overseas clothing?"
Inside the clothing store, Black Maria excitedly examined the garments hanging from rows of racks. "They're completely different from the clothes in Wano Country and the clothes worn by the pirates in our crew."
There was no need to mention Wano Country; people there basically wore kimonos.
The pirates of the Beasts Pirates also followed Teacher Kai's aesthetic, each one dressed like a savior from the end of the century.
But the clothes displayed here were especially bright, colorful, and eye-catching.
Black Maria, who had never been overseas before, found them very fascinating.
"I really want to try these clothes on!"
Black Maria said regretfully. Unfortunately, the difference in body size was too great. These clothes were not like pirate weapons, which could automatically adjust to their users' sizes.
Jack had no interest in this at all. Hmph, compared to the distinctive aesthetic of the Beasts Pirates, these clothes were simply unbearable to look at.
He could not even be bothered to enter. He sat outside the door like some tough guy, waiting.
Suddenly, Black Maria's eyes lit up as she looked at the unenthusiastic Yamato. "Yamato, why don't you try some on?"
"Me?"
Yamato pouted. "Sounds boring."
"Please, please."
Black Maria clasped her hands together. "I want to see how these clothes look when worn!"
"Fine, then."
Yamato agreed reluctantly.
"Great!"
Black Maria smiled excitedly. "Then let me pick out some clothes for you!"
She was treating Yamato like a doll, wasn't she?
Ian actually thought it was fine.
Yamato had worn the same style of clothes ever since she was little. A change of look would be nice.
And so, shortly afterward—
"Ta-da! A brand-new Yamato!"
Black Maria stepped aside, revealing Yamato behind her. "A literary style."
Ian froze at once.
The little girl wore a loose white cotton shirt on top and a dark green pleated skirt below. Her slippers had been replaced with little white shoes, and even her ponytail had been let down, her hair cascading over her shoulders.
Damn.
The half-literate Yamato was actually giving off an exceptional artistic aura.
She practically seemed to be glowing. Was this what Chen Wenwen looked like through Lu Mingfei's eyes?
Ian pursed his lips. She truly was a brand-new Yamato.
Black Maria noticed Ian's expression and immediately gave a meaningful smile. What an unexpected gain. "Oh? It seems Ian really likes it?"
"Really?"
Yamato immediately put her hands on her hips in smug delight, constantly raising her brows at Ian. "Hahahaha! Well, of course! It's me, after all! Ian is completely captivated by me!"
Ian instantly went expressionless.
Sure enough, Yamato was still Yamato.
"Then let's change into another outfit."
Black Maria hurriedly pushed Yamato into the changing room. Ian heard her whisper, "Yamato, don't talk casually later."
What was this woman trying to do?
Ian suspected Black Maria had ulterior motives. She wanted to laugh at him, didn't she?
Who did she think Lord Ian was?
Still, he should thank her for those ulterior motives. What Ian saw next was an entirely different Yamato.
"Spicy-style Yamato!"
A cropped camisole paired with ultra-short hot pants fully displayed the girl's snowy long legs and increasingly voluptuous curves.
Ian had not even noticed that, without realizing it, this girl could now be described as sexy.
"Classical-style Yamato!"
A courtly satin gown decorated with gold thread and pearls, its hem adorned with lace and embroidery. Combined with the noblewoman's hat on her head, Yamato wore a gentle, serene smile that made Ian cry out in disbelief. Who are you?
"Girl-next-door-style Yamato!"
A short-sleeved T-shirt paired with short overalls, with white thigh-high stockings covering her two long legs. Even her hair had been styled into twin ponytails. The girl gave Ian her trademark goofy grin.
She was like the girl next door, the one who had grown up with him and had always played around with him.
Who would not want a childhood sweetheart like that?
Wait!
Yamato already was his childhood sweetheart, wasn't she?
Ian rubbed his eyes.
It felt as though he had traveled through several different timelines in succession.
He could not help looking at Black Maria, who wore an inexplicable smile.
You did well, Maria.
"Hehe, Ian! What do you think?"
Girl-next-door Yamato walked up to Ian, still looking smug.
"Very nice. You really should change up your style more often."
Ian meant it sincerely.
"Hehe."
The little girl scratched her head and giggled foolishly.
"Then what about these clothes?"
Black Maria asked at just the right moment.
Ian coughed twice. "Pack them all up and take them with us."
And so, the entire clothing store was emptied.
The four returned to the Golden Flying Dragon and continued toward Hachinosu Island.
At the same time.
In the latter half of the New World, on the deck of a massive ship shaped like a whale.
A man with pineapple-like hair said to the imposing man seated in a broad chair, "Pops, I'll make a trip there."
Before you continue