A man appeared from the wind, draped in a dark green cloak. His left cheek bore a prominent red tattoo, and his long, pitch-black hair swirled with the wind.

“What does this mean?”

The newcomer, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, known as the “Rebellious Dragon,” Monkey D. Dragon, spoke with some surprise.

Koushirou briefly explained the situation, “Ian damaged Mihawk’s sword, so they came to ask my father for help with repairs.”

“He damaged Mihawk’s sword?”

Dragon seemed somewhat amazed, “Impressive, to be able to damage the sword of a top-tier swordsman. Ian the Skyfire truly lives up to his name.”

Even for him, this would be difficult to pull off.

“Thankfully, they haven’t caused any other trouble,” Koushirou sighed in relief, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

“I’ve heard of Ian’s deeds,” Dragon said, “Though he’s a pirate, most of the territories under the Beast Pirates are actually managed by him, and they’re quite well-ordered. He may have his shocking moments, but overall, he’s not a man who acts recklessly.”

“Although that’s true,” Koushirou paused, “He is still a pirate, and we are from the Shimotsuki clan branch…”

The Beast Pirates had taken control of Wano Country, and judging by the way the Shimotsuki family operated, they probably had already faced an unfortunate fate.

Koushirou was genuinely worried that Ian, after his father helped Mihawk repair the sword, would suddenly start taking revenge on the Shimotsuki clan.

“Until they leave,” Dragon nodded lightly, “I will stay for the time being. After all, the Golden Lion’s whereabouts are still unknown.”

“That’s great! But, the Golden Lion—”

Speaking of the lion who had thrown the East Blue into fear, Koushirou felt uneasy, “That guy is really a lunatic.”

“He’s courting his own destruction.”

Dragon’s expression was serious.

“The World Government and the navy won’t let him go, and we won’t allow him to continue causing chaos. I came with Kuma, and Mihawk and Ian are probably here for him too. As long as we find his trace, it’ll be when that golden lion falls!”

“However—”

He paused. “I don’t know how much damage he’ll cause before then.”

“We’ll find him.”

Koushirou comforted him, then asked, “By the way, Ginny…”

At the mention of her name, Dragon’s expression changed slightly. The corners of his eyes and mouth drooped. The man looked somewhat downcast.

He shook his head. “The Celestial Dragon who married her is supposedly a member of one of the Five Elder Stars’ families, located deep in Mariejois. We—”

“Are powerless.”

“…”

Koushirou fell silent.

He thought of the woman named Ginny.

Bright and lively, warm and generous, she was a very beloved woman. She was practically the goddess admired by everyone in the Revolutionary Army.

“How’s Kuma?”

Koushirou asked softly.

Dragon was silent for a moment. “He’s been desperately taking on missions to numb himself.”

Koushirou was at a loss for words.

There was nothing to say.

It could only be said that fate was cruel.

“Dad! We’re back!”

At that moment, a voice came from outside.

“I’ll leave first, I’ll stay on the island.”

With that, Dragon vanished into the wind.

Then, Kuina and Zoro ran into the dojo, one after the other.

After carefully checking the two of them and confirming that neither child had any new injuries, Koushirou sternly said, “Kuina! Zoro! I’ve already told you! Stop going after the pirates!”

“No!”

Koushirou was stunned for a moment.

He blinked, lowering his gaze to look at Kuina.

Was it really Kuina speaking?

Was that the Kuina, who always listened to him, now rebelling against him?

“I came back to tell you! Father!”

The bright-eyed daughter said, her energy vibrant. “Zoro and I are going to join Ian’s ship!”

“What!!”

Koushirou’s glasses almost flew off. The usually gentle man’s voice was now as sharp as a cat’s claws scratching glass.

He doubted if he had misheard. Was he dreaming?

“That’s right! Koushirou-sensei! We’ve decided to join the Beast Pirates!”

Zoro’s words struck like a heavy blow, shattering Koushirou’s resolve.

His hand trembled as it gripped his glasses.

“Zoro, Kuina, are you two joking?”

Koushirou’s mouth twitched in disbelief.

It was one thing for his family, but their connection to the Shimotsuki family was distant now.

But Zoro, your grandmother was once the princess of the Shimotsuki family! She was the sister of the heir, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, whom my father spoke of!

“Of course not!”

The two kids said seriously, “Because we want to get stronger! We want to see a broader world!”

Koushirou’s face stiffened.

Without a word, he turned and walked outside, his pace quickening. Once he left the dojo, he broke into a full sprint, leaping onto the rooftops of the village, running swiftly until he reached the coastline where the Golden Dragon ship was docked.

Ian!!

I’m coming for you!

Now, Koushirou was convinced Ian hadn’t come to eliminate them entirely.

But the outcome was still only slightly better than a complete eradication.

He had managed to take both his daughter and his most valued disciple away!

“Are you even human?!”

Koushirou leapt up and landed directly on the side of the Golden Dragon ship.

Then he saw Ian, who was taking a beating from Mihawk.

“Ian!!”

Koushirou’s face darkened, and his voice grew grim.

“It’s such a waste for them to stay here.”

Ian, while withstanding Mihawk’s punches, calmly replied, unbothered as usual, “I’ll make them truly have the power to reach the peak.”

“That’s not why you turned them into pirates!”

Koushirou gritted his teeth.

Such good kids! Now they were being led astray by this guy in front of him!

“Pirates?”

Ian casually responded, “Mihawk, do you think our Beast Pirates are just regular pirates?”

“Everyone knows,” Mihawk said in a flat tone, “that the pirate emperors of the New World are three massive military factions, above even countries.”

Koushirou wanted to argue, but Ian turned his head to look at him and said with interest, “In the end, you who keep saying that women can’t surpass men, what right do you have to stop Kuina from getting stronger?”

Koushirou froze, speechless, but he still wanted to argue, “There are differences between men and women; that’s a fact—”

“Then, why don’t you try helping Kuina overcome that difference?” Ian simply said.

It was just a matter of physical ability. A Zoan-type Devil Fruit could bridge that gap.

Koushirou was instantly silenced.

“What reason is there to stop the kids from going to sea?”

Ian borrowed someone’s famous words, “Rather than venting your frustration at me, why not go back and ask the kids what they think?”

“They may still be kids, but don’t they already have some say in their own lives?”

Koushirou gave Ian a deep look before finally turning and walking away.

Watching his retreating figure, Ian smiled softly.

He suddenly spoke, “But it seems like someone extraordinary has arrived on the island.”

“What?”

Mihawk was momentarily stunned.

“Mihawk,” Ian shook his head with a look of regret. “Your Observation Haki isn’t quite there yet.”

How could he not sense such a powerful presence?

Of course, it’s also possible that Mihawk’s Observation Haki isn’t particularly good at sensing auras.

It should be Dragon. I vaguely remember that Koushirou was indeed connected with the Revolutionary Army, maybe even a high-ranking officer.

It was probably because of our arrival that Koushirou asked the Revolutionary Army for help.

But, since Dragon hasn’t made an appearance, Ian couldn’t be bothered to bring it up.

After all, this guy liked to observe in the shadows, so let him observe to his heart’s content.

Mihawk’s eye twitched, and the black lightning in his hand surged. He punched Ian, sending him spinning like a top.

“To be honest, not to praise or criticize, but Red-Haired Shanks is better.”

Koushirou quickly returned to his loyal dojo.

His daughter and disciple were waiting for him in the yard.

They were passionately discussing what they might encounter after setting sail.

Koushirou looked at them with a complicated expression.

“Kuina, Zoro,” He asked seriously, “Do you really want to join the Beast Pirates? Are you truly ready to become pirates?”

The two children exchanged a glance, then Kuina straightened her face and answered seriously, “Ian said the Beast Pirates are so strong now that they don’t need to plunder or kill anymore.”

“We just need to focus on getting stronger.”

Koushirou’s mouth twitched slightly.

It was hard to argue with that.

As Mihawk just mentioned, the Beast Pirates have already become a powerful warlord faction, even a huge nation.

Such an existence is hard to simply categorize as either just good or evil.

In fact, as far as Koushirou knows, the residents of the islands under the Beast Pirates’ control are living quite well.

The Beast Pirates have continuously expanded their factories, and the development of industry has brought some prosperity to the economy of those islands.

Could the Beast Pirates, simply because they are pirates, be defined as vicious criminals?

If these two children join the Beast Pirates, it might indeed be hard for them to commit what we would consider conventional wrongdoings.

**********

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep