Chapter 499: Edd War
Ian had guessed that Kuina probably had a way to handle it, but he never expected that Kuina would be this fast!
Only the very next day, while Ian was out strolling with Aokiji accompanying him, he ran into Kuina again.
When Ian greeted her, Kuina let out a cold snort and suddenly kicked her foot straight at Ian's face!
Ian was startled, but he immediately caught her foot, and then he suddenly noticed that on her shoe, right at the laces, there was a tiny piece of paper!
With a thought, Ian smoothly swiped his hand across, slipping the paper into his palm, while simultaneously pushing Kuina's foot away to shove her back.
The paper had been transferred to Ian's hand without a trace!
"Heh heh, Kuina! Don't tell me you still want to keep fighting?" Ian said with a laugh. "Haven't you noticed that your Admiral Kuzan is right behind me?"
"Hmph!" Kuina pretended to snort in annoyance, then raised her hand to attention, saluting Aokiji and calling out, "Admiral Kuzan!"
Aokiji nodded and asked, "Kuina, where are you headed?"
"Delivering documents to Lieutenant General Tsuru!" Kuina indicated the files she was holding.
"What documents?" Ian also cooperatively leaned in, pretending he wanted to take a look.
But Kuina quickly moved the files aside, holding them far away, and stared at Ian with a wary expression.
Damn! My little sister is a real actress! Ian couldn't help but give Kuina's performance a mental thumbs-up. From start to finish, the two of them never even touched hands, and even with Aokiji following right behind, there was absolutely no sign of anything suspicious!
No one would ever guess that with that single kick from Kuina, the exchange of intelligence between them had already been completed, right?
Aokiji saw this scene and said to Kuina with a bit of a headache, "Alright, hurry on your way!"
After saluting, Kuina left without another word, and then Aokiji asked Ian, "What exactly is going on between you two?"
"How should I know!" Ian shrugged. "Back when she was still with Smoker, she crossed paths with me once. I guess she's still holding a grudge from losing that fight? Her personality seems pretty competitive..."
Aokiji nodded. He had actually noticed Kuina's personality as well, so he had no suspicion whatsoever about Ian's explanation.
However, he then said with a somewhat troubled tone, "You might not know this, but after that battle yesterday, this Lieutenant Colonel Kuina suddenly gained a ton of suitors overnight! Those guys ran over to the staff office to present flowers, and it got so bad that Lieutenant General Tsuru came to complain to me! She said they were disturbing their work..."
"Is that so!?" A dangerous glint suddenly flickered in Ian's eyes. "Want me to help you? I'll just block the entrance to the staff office and beat the crap out of all of them!"
Are you kidding me! These Navy bastards have some nerve! They actually dare to set their sights on my little sister!?
At this moment, Ian was like a protective older brother, itching to knock out every single tooth of those ugly, pathetic guys who dared to go confess to Kuina!
There's a saying: "The eldest brother is like a father." That perfectly described Ian's state of mind right now. In Ian's eyes, his junior sister Kuina had always been his pride. Even an idiot like Zoro, Ian wanted him to grow as tall and strong as possible, let alone Kuina, such an outstanding and talented little sister. Naturally, Ian cherished her even more.
So for a moment, Ian's fists cracked as he clenched them.
Aokiji didn't understand the reason behind this and thought Ian just wanted an excuse to teach the Navy personnel a lesson. How could he possibly agree to that? So he directly refused, saying, "Don't trouble yourself. Those guys have already been confined to their quarters!"
"Alright!" Hearing this news, Ian's mood finally improved a bit.
However, he also suddenly realized why Kuina had gotten the intel back so quickly. Besides the fact that she worked in the staff office, it was probably also related to how popular she had become at Navy Headquarters. Those Navy men who admired her—Kuina just had to casually ask, "I wonder where Admiral Akainu has gone?" and anyone who knew a little inside information would rush to tell her, trying to show off in front of her...
The Navy might be wary of Ian, a Warlord of the Sea, but they would never be wary of Kuina, who was also one of their own. It seemed that having Kuina gather intel in the first place was definitely the right call.
After getting the intel, Ian just held it in his hand. A tiny piece of paper, once crumpled into a ball, was even less noticeable. And Ian didn't rush back either. Just like before, he pretended nothing was wrong and took a stroll around the Navy base.
During his walk, Ian also ran into Smoker and Tina, so he stopped to chat with them for a while.
Smoker and Tina were only Navy Captains. Although they were elite personnel at Navy Headquarters, they couldn't possibly know Marshal Sengoku's true intentions. They found it strange that Ian was staying at Navy Headquarters, but they didn't ask too many questions.
Actually, if you thought about it carefully, Ian had quite a bit of history with the Navy. He had friends in the Navy, like Smoker and Tina, and Vice Admiral Garp. But he also had enemies, like Vice Admiral Chó Chiến, whose arm he had cut off, and Vice Admiral Sóc Bay, whom he had defeated. Ian had run into all of these people while strolling around Navy Headquarters, and each of them treated him differently.
After making a full round, Ian went back. While he stayed in his quarters, Aokiji and Kizaru wouldn't go inside—they just stood guard outside.
Once he returned to his room, Ian finally opened the note Kuina had given him.
The note was very small, so of course it couldn't contain too many words. Ian only saw a single name on it: "Edd War!"
Ian wasn't very familiar with Whitebeard's territory, so he didn't know whether this place was within Pops Whitebeard's domain. But by reasoning it out, it probably wasn't Whitebeard's territory. If Akainu, a Navy Admiral, entered Whitebeard's territory, he would be spotted immediately.
Since it was outside Whitebeard's territory, Akainu's movements were worth pondering. What was he trying to do in this place?
Moreover, for some reason, Ian felt that this place name sounded familiar, like he had heard it somewhere before.
So Ian furrowed his brow and thought hard. As he thought, a flash of inspiration hit him, and he finally recalled the name!
Edd War!? Could it be the place of the Battle of Edd War!?
The Battle of Edd War was a very famous historical event, dating back to the era of the Pirate King Roger.
And one person had to be mentioned—the Flying Pirate's Golden Lion Shiki! At that time, the Flying Pirates, the Roger Pirates, and the Whitebeard Pirates were the three most famous pirate crews on the entire Grand Line!
This was roughly three years before Roger was executed, meaning at least twenty-five years ago. Golden Lion Shiki and Pirate King Roger had originally become acquainted through their battles, having decades of history between them, in a relationship that was both enemy and friend. However, at that time, Golden Lion Shiki's pirate fleet was extremely powerful. He approached Roger seeking an alliance, wanting to use his own military strength, combined with the whereabouts of the "weapon that could destroy the world" that Roger possessed, to rule the world together.
Unfortunately, Roger had no such ambition at the time, so he directly refused Golden Lion Shiki. Enraged and humiliated, Shiki declared war on Roger!
Unlike Roger, who favored an elite approach, the Flying Pirates had dozens of ships surrounding and attacking Roger's single ship. Although Roger's crew destroyed a large portion of their forces, they still managed to push the Pirate King Roger into a desperate corner.
If not for a sudden storm that instantly reversed the Flying Pirates' advantageous situation, and Roger seizing that opportunity to turn the tables, perhaps there would have been no Pirate King in this world...
That battle was later called the Battle of Edd War by later generations, and it was secretly celebrated by many. This was why Ian felt the place name was familiar.
That sea battle ultimately cemented Roger's reputation as the Pirate King. Winning against the numerically superior Flying Pirates with just a single ship—Roger had essentially risen to prominence by standing on Golden Lion Shiki's shoulders.
What was Akainu doing there with the Navy?
Could it be that the Navy was planning to fight a "New Battle of Edd War" against the Whitebeard Pirates in these waters!?
As he thought about it, Ian gradually began to understand. The first Battle of Edd War made Roger's name as the Pirate King. So who would the second Battle of Edd War make famous!?
The Navy? Or the Whitebeard Pirates?
Ian knew that the Navy and the Whitebeard Pirates would eventually have their battle, but he never expected that because of his interference, the Navy had lost their chance at the Paramount War, yet they might instead spark a New Battle of Edd War with the Whitebeard Pirates!
Choosing this place—was it to represent the Navy's determination? Did they want to use this battle to establish the Navy's prestige?
Ian was now a hundred percent certain that Akainu hadn't just randomly chosen to stay in the Edd War waters. Although he didn't know exactly what he was planning, he guessed that Akainu might be the Navy's opening move. Perhaps Akainu was setting something up there...
Right now, elite personnel from various Navy branches were continuously arriving at Navy Headquarters, showing that the Navy was gathering their forces. This war could break out at any moment.
This made Ian feel a bit anxious inside. He really wanted to warn Ace to be careful of Blackbeard and Akainu, but he was stuck at Navy Headquarters and couldn't leave.
"Luffy, Zoro! It's all up to you two now!" Ian clenched his fist secretly. "Don't let me down. When you see the Celestial Dragons, punch them flying, or just cut them down! If you do that, then either Kizaru or Aokiji will have to leave Navy Headquarters and head to Sabaody Archipelago. And when that happens, with only one Admiral left, things will be much easier for me over here!"