Red-Haired Shanks was, after all, one of the Four Emperors.
Sending only a Vice Admiral to receive him would have been rather disrespectful.
But having Hancock, Leo's wife, receive Red-Haired Shanks would have made it feel a little like the enemy was taking the lead.
So Ivankov naturally took on the responsibility and came to receive Red-Haired Shanks.
Although Ivankov was a trans person, he was a great guy. His own strength and broad experience allowed him to get along well with anyone—provided they did not discriminate against his identity.
If someone discriminated against him, he would use Reverse Hormones to tell them: if you were going to discriminate, then discriminate against his transitioned self too!
With Red-Haired Shanks's broad-mindedness, there was no way he would discriminate against Ivankov. He laughed heartily, shook Ivankov's hand, and asked, "When can we see Commander Leo?"
Ivankov gave Red-Haired Shanks a flirtatious wink, making the hairs on his body stand on end. "The Commander is already waiting for you on Sky Island. Come with me."
Next came the test of trust.
The Sky Island elevator was indeed enormous, capable of carrying more than two hundred people at full capacity. But the Revolutionary Army and the Red-Haired Pirates could only send up half their people at a time.
Once Red-Haired Shanks went up, only half of his core forces would remain. If the Revolutionary Army set an ambush, they could easily capture and kill him. Yet if Red-Haired Shanks lacked sufficient bearing and demanded that all three hundred of his core officers go up together, it would inevitably make him seem petty.
Now, the choice had been thrown back to Red-Haired Shanks.
But Red-Haired Shanks seemed not to notice the danger at all. With a broad wave of his hand, he said, "Boys, let's