This Island Was Likely About to Descend into Chaos...

Sabaody Archipelago.

This was another route leading to the New World.

Ships from every route on the Grand Line converged here, so as Ian drew closer, more and more vessels appeared nearby.

Merchant ships, pirate ships, and warships flying the flags of other nations were all slowly approaching as well.

On the surface, this beautiful island was immensely prosperous, and ordinary people seemed to live and work in peace. But beneath that facade, there was no shortage of darkness.

Not only was this place the backyard of the Celestial Dragons, who frequently appeared on Sabaody to commit all kinds of atrocities, but there were also the island's gangs and the vicious pirates entering the island...

To the civilians living on Sabaody, all of those were threats!

The kind that could cost them their lives with one careless mistake...

However, none of that had anything to do with Ian. He was no saintly do-gooder. His way of doing things was simple: don't provoke me!

Ian let the waves carry his small boat toward the shore. As he got closer, there were even more ships around him.

Most of them were relatively large three-masted sailing ships, making Ian's little boat seem incredibly tiny among them...

And behind Ian, a large ship was approaching.

It was an enormous three-masted sailing ship. Its flag bore a skull with two long guns crossed behind it, while the skull's left eye was marked with something resembling a scope.

This was one of the pirate supernovas, the Mad Gun Pirates. Their captain, Mad Gun Brug, the namesake of the crew, had a bounty of 150 million Beli!

They had already conquered the first half of the Grand Line and were now heading ambitiously toward the New World. Their target was one of the Four Emperors!

At the bow, several men were drinking and gambling out of boredom.

Suddenly, one of them seemed to spot something. With interest, he said to his companions, "Look over there. It seems like a ship is heading this way..."

"Really?"

His companions looked over with interest as well.

"Such a tiny boat. Could it be someone in distress? Not just anyone can conquer these seas!" One of them looked at the small boat ahead, seemed to think of something, and burst into laughter, his tone filled with amusement.

"What a pity. There's only one person. Not enough to go around..." Another man saw that there was only one person aboard the boat and revealed a vicious grin.

They had been sitting here for quite some time, bored out of their minds and looking for some entertainment...

"Hahaha, you really are cruel. They're already in such a miserable state, and you still won't let them go?" Another person laughed as well, though there was little sympathy in his voice.

"Let people like them know that not everyone is qualified to sail the seas. Ordinary people should just obediently wait to be robbed!" The man who had grinned viciously drew a gun from his waist, braced it, and aimed at the figure on the small boat.

"Scare him first. Don't kill him with one shot. That would be too boring..." Another person hurriedly said as he pulled out his own gun and took aim.

"Relax. Do you think I don't know that?" The man had already aimed his gun and pulled the trigger.

With a bang, the bullet tore through the air with a piercing whistle, shooting directly toward the arm of the person on the small boat.

At that moment, Ian was looking at a towering Yarukiman Mangrove, upon which a large "11" had been marked.

Island Eleven? I wonder which island has the hotel. Forget it, I'll just go up and ask. Ian stroked his chin in thought.

After drifting at sea for so long, Ian had gone into the water to bathe, but he still felt uncomfortable. He planned to find a hotel, clean himself up, get some sleep, and then properly explore the Sabaody Archipelago.

However, just as Ian was thinking about that, his Observation Haki detected something. He turned to look behind him and immediately saw a bullet flying toward him.

"Hmm?" With a casual flick of his finger, a bolt of lightning knocked the bullet away. Ian looked over and saw someone aiming a gun at him, radiating malice. His brows rose slightly.

"Huh? He actually dodged it?" On the other side, surprise flashed across the face of the man who had fired first, but the smile on his lips deepened.

"Oh? Instead of running, he actually dares to come over? He's got some nerve!"

The others saw this and burst into laughter, not taking it seriously at all.

After all, he was alone, and he was riding such a shabby little boat. How could he possibly be some important figure?

Important figures should be like them—possessing a powerful ship and openly flying their flag to intimidate petty criminals!

Not sailing around in a small boat that looked like it was about to fall apart!

They had simply experienced too little. True powerhouses had all sorts of bizarre ways of traveling...

Some rowed coffin boats using nothing but supreme-grade blades, some rode bicycles across the sea, and some simply swam shirtless through the ocean...

And the person they had encountered now was someone they could not afford to provoke!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Mad Gun Pirates grinned viciously as they raised their guns and fired repeatedly. Countless bullets poured forth, streaking toward Ian.

"Quite bold..." Ian sneered. He had been inexplicably targeted by a group of ants. Though Ian was not angry, he certainly would not spare them!

Hyorinmaru left its sheath at his waist. Ian casually slashed, and with a hum, a slash burst through the air, destroying every incoming bullet before cutting across the sea!

With a sharp hiss, the enormous three-masted sailing ship suddenly split down the middle and collapsed toward both sides!

What was even more terrifying was that not only had the massive three-masted ship ahead been split apart, but even the sea beneath it had been completely divided by that strike!

A ravine of unknown length stretched across the sea, remaining open for a long time without closing!

The nearby ships saw this scene as well. Though they had no idea what had happened, they stared in shock at the ravine stretching beyond sight!

"Hmm? What happened?"

"Over there! Look, a ship seems to be sinking!"

"That flag... is that the Mad Gun Pirates, one of the supernovas? How is that possible? They were actually destroyed?"

Some sharp-eyed people had spotted the Mad Gun Pirates earlier. They had not dared to approach because of the crew's reputation, but now they discovered that the Mad Gun Pirates' ship had somehow been split in two...

"Look! There's a small boat ahead too. The crack seems to have spread from that direction!"

"Gasp... c-could this have been cut open by someone's sword?" Someone guessed, but the thought made his heart skip a beat!

"N-no way, right?" another person muttered, his eyes full of terror.

After an unknown amount of time, the divided sea seemed to finally react. It suddenly slammed back together, unleashing a boundless tsunami that surged outward in every direction!

"Damn it, why is there a tsunami? There isn't even a storm!!"

"Steady the ship! The tsunami is here..."

"Hurry up! What are you standing around for? Do you want to die?"

"..."

After a chaotic scramble, the sea finally calmed down. Although the tsunami had come suddenly, these were ships capable of sailing this far, and their crews possessed extremely rich navigational experience.

But although the sea had calmed, the hearts of everyone who had witnessed that scene remained far from calm!

On a pirate ship, a group of people leaned over the railing and stared ahead. They had watched everything happen from beginning to end, and their mouths hung wide enough to fit an egg inside!

"Who was that person on the small boat just now?"

"T-that face... I-I think it was Ice Dragon Ian, the one with a bounty of 1.16 billion Beli?" One of them seemed to remember something and spoke with a trembling voice.

"What? That great pirate whose very first bounty was over 1.1 billion Beli?" another person said in disbelief.

"No way. Isn't Ice Dragon Ian supposed to have white hair? I remember it clearly. That guy just now had black hair!"

"Idiot! Even if he wasn't Ice Dragon Ian, someone capable of unleashing that kind of slash is not someone we can fight! Get out of here and head for another port. I don't want to die!" The captain of the pirate ship spoke, his voice filled with lingering fear.

He had noticed the small boat ahead earlier as well. Bored, he had wanted to test out some newly acquired cannonballs, but the Mad Gun Pirates had acted before he could.

Thinking of the terrifying scene he had just witnessed, the captain broke out in cold sweat. That had been close—far too close!

If he had attacked first, then their ship might have been the one split in half!

Ian did not take that minor incident to heart. Even the malice those people had directed at him had failed to trigger a system mission notification...

Recently, the system seemed to be issuing fewer and fewer missions...

Ian had vaguely formed some guesses of his own. At the beginning, when he had no reputation, even a minor character or a small difficulty could trigger a mission.

But after killing Donquixote Doflamingo and gaining a certain degree of fame, the chances of triggering missions had decreased.

It was likely closely tied to his strength, status, and reputation!

Furthermore, Ian had vaguely figured out some of the system's rules for issuing missions—

A mission could only be triggered once, and a second mission would not trigger on the same day!

If one mission was not completed, the next mission would not trigger!

And by combining abilities from two different worlds, Ian could unlock advanced applications of his skills!

His Advanced Conqueror's Haki had been unlocked by combining Conqueror's Haki with Spiritual Pressure Burst!

Ian did not possess Spiritual Pressure. Hyorinmaru and Kidō relied on physical strength, while Conqueror's Haki and Spiritual Pressure Burst were, in the end, both bursts of momentum. Only by combining the two had he unlocked Advanced Conqueror's Haki!

His Advanced Observation Haki had likewise been unlocked by combining Observation Haki with the profound and mysterious "realm" of the Nameless Divine Wind Style!

Lottery abilities and unlocked abilities were not the same.

Lottery abilities were obtained out of thin air.

Unlocked abilities, on the other hand, grew stronger through the development of abilities he already possessed!

Without dwelling on that minor incident, Ian was already nearing the shore.

From where Ian stood, countless colorful bubbles slowly floated into the air. Under the sunlight, they reflected dazzling, dreamlike colors, and once they rose to a certain height, they burst with a pop.

"The scenery is pretty nice." Ian commented casually. He moored his small boat by the shore, stepped onto the island, and headed forward.

This should be the Lawless Zone... As he walked, Ian sharply noticed people watching him from the shadows.

A sweep of his Observation Haki revealed that they were insignificant lackeys who posed no threat to him. They were likely gang members, bounty hunters, slave traders, and the like.

If he remembered correctly, the Sabaody Archipelago was divided into different areas.

There were prosperous commercial districts, Marine branch bases, tourist areas dedicated to entertainment, and Lawless Zones where gangs and slave traders gathered.

This place should be the Lawless Zone!

Ian ignored them. With their strength, they could not pose any threat to him at all.

Perhaps because they sensed that Ian was not someone to be trifled with, those hidden figures did not attack him.

Without a certain amount of discernment, it was difficult to survive in a place like this.

Unlike some arrogant pirates, who believed that reaching this place meant they had conquered the first half of the Grand Line. Their confidence swelled so much that they no longer even regarded the Marines as a threat!

Of course, such people often met miserable ends. For example, the Mad Gun Pirates supernova from earlier—the captain had been completely killed by Ian before he even understood what had happened.

All that could be said was that he had terrible luck, having subordinates like that...

Ian continued onward and casually took a map from a "kindhearted person" before studying it.

"Hotels are only on Islands Seventy through Seventy-Nine? Then I'll head there." Ian vanished in a flash and rushed toward his destination at incredible speed.

The moment Ian left, several people nearby emerged. They were island gang members who specialized in robbing other criminals.

But as they watched Ian's departing figure, fear filled their eyes...

"Boss, who was that guy just now? He only looked at me once, but it felt like I was about to be cut in half..." A lackey-like man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and spoke with lingering fear.

"Don't ask too many questions!" The boss smacked the lackey on the head, but he was equally shocked inside. Such a major figure has actually come to the island? Is he heading to the New World? But if someone like that appears, the Marines can't possibly sit back and do nothing...

"Come on, leave the Sabaody Archipelago immediately. This island is very likely about to descend into chaos..." The boss spoke to his subordinates, gave Ian one last look, then left without looking back.

That was right. This boss had recognized Ian!

That was why he was so shocked!

Ice Dragon Ian, an extremely vicious criminal with a bounty of 1.16 billion Beli, had landed on the Sabaody Archipelago!

He had a feeling that the Sabaody Archipelago was about to descend into chaos!

He planned to leave the island for a while first. If the Marines learned that such a dangerous figure had appeared on the Sabaody Archipelago, they would definitely take action!

After all, this place was the backyard of the Celestial Dragons. The Celestial Dragons came down to visit from time to time, and if anything dangerous happened, it would be troublesome...

Back when Red-Haired Shanks had not yet become one of the Four Emperors, when he arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago to have his ship coated before heading to the New World, the island had also descended into chaos.

At that time, two Admirals and numerous Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals had appeared on the Sabaody Archipelago, along with ordinary soldiers as numerous as the hairs on an ox!!

Even thinking about it now made him shudder...

However, neither side had fought at the time. Only after Red-Haired Shanks had finished coating his ship and left did the Marines withdraw...