Ian shook his head and said calmly. "Umbrella Corporation didn't do anything like that. Gerd was captured as a slave, so she went to vent at a slave auction house."
"That's perfectly normal, isn't it? As for assisting the Straw Hat Pirates, we didn't do that. You can't just make things up!"
"That storm..."
"That wasn't caused by the Umbrella Corporation."
Ian looked at Kuzan meaningfully. "I don't believe you don't know who Luffy's grandfather is, or who his grandfather's son is!"
"... I don't know!"
Ian: "..."
Yes, yes, sure.
Looking at those righteous eyes, Ian perfunctorily indicated that he believed him.
"Looks like you also don't know exactly what happened."
Kuzan said expressionlessly, nodding. Then he patted his backside and stood up. "In that case, thank you for your cooperation. I won't disturb you any further!"
"Not staying for a meal?"
"I'll pass. I don't want to be caught leaving evidence at a time like this. That would give me a headache."
"Is the next Fleet Admiral election about to start?"
Kuzan: "...?!"
Hearing that, Kuzan suddenly turned his head and looked at Ian in surprise. "How do you know? That's a secret within Marine Headquarters!"
"Instructor Zephyr has an informant within Marine Headquarters..."
"Alright, that's enough. No need to say more."
Before Ian could finish, Kuzan's lips twitched slightly, and he froze on the stop. Then he froze the sea surface again, slowly mounted his bicycle, and just as he was about to pedal, he stopped.
"Behave yourself. I don't want to have to arrest your wife and then spend the rest of my life arresting your daughter, too, Mr. Ian, the God of Sun."
After saying that, he pedaled the bicycle and slowly rode off into the distance.
Ian smiled and shook his head.
After this incident... the World Government probably won't have time to worry about Umbrella Corporation anymore!
A guy who would give the World Government an even bigger headache was about to appear!
As Ian smiled and watched the figure riding the bicycle away, his daughter walked over beside him and asked curiously, "Dad, who was that uncle?"
"Him? Just a bear, that's all!"
Aria: "...?"
Bear?
Could he be the bear Mom mentioned?
Aria seemed to recall something, her small mouth forming an O shape. But before she could ask again, a large hand landed directly on her head.
"It's getting late. Pack up, we should head back."
Ian said with a smile while shaking his head and not letting the child continue asking. Then he turned to look in the direction Kuzan had left and slapped his thigh in frustration. "Damn it, my five-thousand-meter-long big fish!"
…
The arrival of the Admiral did not cause much of a stir.
On Umbrella Corporation's side, everyone continued doing whatever they were doing as usual, and there were not even many people who knew that an Admiral had arrived.
Time also quietly passed bit by bit during this period.
Today, Ian did not wander around aimlessly. Instead, he came over to Instructor Zephyr's side.
During this period, Instructor Zephyr had not taken his fleet out to roam about. He had been continuously teaching his students, and at the same time giving that guy, Sanji, some instruction as well. As a result, he was not hard to find.
When Ian arrived at the Umbrella Corporation fleet training base, at a glance, he saw Instructor Zephyr lying on a beach chair basking in the sun, and Sanji running across the surface of the sea.
And just as he stepped in, Instructor Zephyr had already noticed him.
However, he did not sit up. Resting his head on both hands, he said cheerfully: "Why did you come, kid?"
"Nothing to do, so I came over to take a look."
Ian sat down directly to the side. After glancing at Sanji running on the sea, he turned his head back to look at Instructor Zephyr in front of him. "Looks like you're teaching him pretty well!"
"This kid's talent is indeed quite good. He's a child from the Vinsmoke Family, but aside from being a bit lecherous, he didn't inherit the Vinsmoke Family's cold-blooded nature."
Hearing Ian's words, Zephyr smiled, then frowned again, his tone carrying a hint of doubt. "But how did someone from the Vinsmoke Family end up going to the East Blue?"
"He was abandoned. His old man thought he didn't inherit the Vinsmoke Family's talent, so he threw him away."
"Abandoned?"
Zephyr froze for a moment, then smiled knowingly and shook his head. "No wonder this kid has always denied being a member of the Vinsmoke Family and is full of resentment toward them. But later on... the Vinsmoke Family will probably regret it!"
"Who knows? Maybe those inhuman, technology-modified people don't even know what regret is."
Ian shrugged, said it casually, then looked at Zephyr. "But you, on the other hand, seem to think highly of him."
"Hahaha, I do indeed think quite highly of these kids."
Facing Ian's teasing, Zephyr did not deny it. Instead, after laughing loudly, he looked at Ian with a meaningful smile. "And it's not just me. You also seem to value that group of kids quite a bit, don't you?"
"It's not really valuing them. It's just that with these guys around, the World Government probably won't have time to deal with us next."
Zephyr: "...?"
No time? What does that mean?
Could it be that in the eyes of the World Government, this group of brats who haven't even entered the New World yet poses a greater threat than their Umbrella Corporation?
"Forget it, let's not talk about that."
Seeing Zephyr's baffled expression, Ian didn't explain. He directly took out a newspaper from behind him and handed it to Instructor Zephyr.
"Marine Headquarters has already announced the specific time for the public execution. It's one week from now!"
"One week?!"
As soon as those words fell, a high-pitched voice rang out, but it wasn't Zephyr.
It was Sanji who had come ashore at some unknown time.
Sanji suddenly lowered his head and leaned over beside Zephyr, who had spread out the newspaper. His eyes were sharply fixed on the paper in Zephyr's hands. Then, as if he saw something, his expression darkened.
At this moment, Zephyr also saw the news in the newspaper, his brows furrowing. "One week from now? Earlier than I expected! It seems Marine Headquarters has already made its preparations."