But today, a completely unexpected call came.
At this moment, Ian, who was being attended by Ain and Robin, was staring in surprise at the Den Den Mushi seagull-hat in his hand.
Before he could say anything, the Den Den Mushi's face darkened and said coldly: "West Blue's 315th Branch, retired Marine Lieutenant, Ian?"
Ian: "..."
Hearing this voice, Ian's eyelid twitched, and he calmly said, "You dialed the wrong number."
After finishing, before the dumbfounded other party could say anything else, the call was hung up, making Robin and Ain beside him show strange expressions.
Just hung up like that?
But not long after, just as Ian was about to put the Den Den Mushi away…
"Purururu!"
The Den Den Mushi rang again, and the moment Ian picked it up, the Den Den Mushi with a seagull-hat roared: "You kid, don't pretend you're not him!"
"Alright, alright!"
Seeing the angry Den Den Mushi, Ian stopped joking and said expressionlessly: "So what do you want from me, Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
That's right, the one calling was the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines, known as the Resourceful General, Sengoku.
"So you really guessed it was me, kid?"
Hearing Ian's words, Sengoku's Den Den Mushi showed a brief flash of surprise, then returned to a calm tone. "Looks like you're smarter than I thought!"
"Your seagull hat and glasses look pretty unique!"
Ian said casually. "By the way, where did you get my number?"
"Kid, don't underestimate Marine Headquarters' intelligence."
"How much did it cost?"
"A certain bastard wanted me to return his salary for this year in exchange."
"You really lost out! Actually, you could've asked the 315th Branch. My Den Den Mushi has never changed; they should still have my number registered."
"... Damn it, I..."
Sengoku's Den Den Mushi's face darkened immediately, like someone who just saw his brother drive off in a luxury car, cursing resentfully but unclear what exactly he was cursing, though judging from his expression, it was probably pretty nasty.
After a moment, perhaps realizing this wasn't the time for cursing, Sengoku quickly composed himself.
With a darkened expression, he said: "I'm not here to chat about this."
"Alright, what do you want to talk about?"
"Kid, as long as you hand over the Devil Child and the one who carries the Devil Child's bloodline to the mar…"
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Purururu!"
"What are you doing, kid?! You hung up on me again!"
As soon as the call reconnected, another roar came.
But facing Sengoku's furious expression, Ian calmly said, "That's something I can't do. Was there anything else? If not, I'm hanging up."
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
As if he could see Ian's indifferent expression through the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku's tone grew gloomy.
His eyes glared straight at Ian, but only for a second. Then he snorted coldly and returned to his calm tone. "Do you know what Zephyr has been doing lately?"
"I know! What about it?"
"Of course you don't know… You already know, kid?"
Sengoku's Den Den Mushi froze in confusion. "Wait, how do you know?"
"How I know doesn't matter. Just tell me, how far has Instructor Zephyr gotten?"
"He's already destroyed the second Endpoint."
"That fast?"
"Hmph, that bastard is trying to destroy the New World."
Sengoku snorted coldly, his tone becoming serious. "Kid, at this point, don't you have anything to say? You're the one who ruined Marine Headquarters' Chief Instructor!"
"I ruined him?"
Ian sneered at Sengoku's attempt to blame him. "Wasn't it you Marines and the World Government who ruined him? I didn't issue the order for his previous student to attack him like he was pirates."
Sengoku: "..."
The moment those words fell, Sengoku immediately fell silent.
But Ian had no intention of chatting with him any longer. He said indifferently, "If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up. Oh, right, thanks for telling me about Instructor Zephyr."
"Hmph, I didn't tell you anything about that traitor Zephyr."
Sengoku came back to his senses, snorted again, and then said calmly: "I'm only here to notify you not to interfere with that traitor's situation. Zephyr has seriously violated Marine Headquarters and World Government law. If anyone dares to meddle in this matter privately, no matter who they are, the Marine Headquarters will immediately launch a destructive strike against them!"
"Got it, got it. Don't worry, I won't get involved, and I definitely won't tell anyone that you're the one who gave me this intel!"
"You!"
Sengoku's Den Den Mushi's face turned green, as if staring at Ian, eyes wide open in anger.
But after a moment, he took a deep breath and returned to a blank expression. "Devil Child's husband, Ian, if you are willing to abandon the Devil Child, I promise you that I will not pursue any responsibility from you. Whether it is money or wealth, I can give it to you. And if you want to join Marine Headquarters, I can even grant you a direct qualification as an Admiral candidate."
"No need, thank you!"
"Do you think I'm joking?!"
Sengoku glared at Ian furiously, his tone filled with gloom. "Do you really think that with just the few people around you, you can stand against Marine Headquarters? Against the World Government?"
"Alright, alright, I get it."
Ian didn't care at all about Sengoku's threats and answered casually: "If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
"Wait!"
Just as Ian was about to hang up, Sengoku interrupted him. But after saying just one sentence, he went silent again.
Before Ian, who was frowning, could speak, Sengoku's Den Den Mushi opened its mouth again.
"Is... Trafalgar Law in your hands?"
Ian: "..."
Ian's eyes narrowed.
Was he really calling just to ask about Law, and then mentioning Zephyr's situation on the side?
"He's here! Just craving a few cabbage, lettuce, and umeboshi."
Ian raised an eyebrow and said leisurely, "Right? Pizza too, oh, no, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, sorry, I was a bit distracted, I got the wrong name!"
Sengoku: "...?!"
(A/N: Corazaon's favorite food.)
Hearing Ian's words, Sengoku's face turned blue then white, his eyes filled with shock.
Finally, with a gloomy tone: "Kid, just what exactly do you know?"
"What? What are you saying? I don't know anything!"
"You!!"
Sengoku felt his anger rise again, seeing Ian act clueless as if he hadn't said anything earlier. He took a deep breath, as if nothing had happened, then stared blankly at Ian.
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