One Piece : Winged Dragons of the Beast Pirates

In the blink of an eye, Ian, trailing a long streak of flames like a fighter jet, had disappeared into the horizon.

There was no catching up—absolutely no chance.

Kuzan could only sigh helplessly.

His speed wasn't exactly slow. On the ground, he might have been able to compete with Ian, but using Moonwalk to pursue him in the air? That was simply impossible.

Not that catching up would make much of a difference anyway.

His ice were practically useless against Ian.

Even Sakazuki's magma was questionable in its effectiveness.

Judging by the temperature of the flames Ian wielded, it was hard to say if even Sakazuki's magma could leave a burn.

So, is Kizaru the only one we can rely on?

Such thoughts swirled in Kuzan's mind.

He landed softly on the ground, casually setting the restrained Rear Admiral Gion upright. As he did so, his hand rested on the chains binding her.

The specially crafted, resilient chains made by Judge were instantly covered in a layer of azure frost. Then, with a casual tap, Kuzan shattered the chains that even Gion's brute strength couldn't break.

Under such extreme cold, even the strongest metal becomes brittle.

"That kid really doesn't know how to treat a lady, does he?"

Kuzan sighed as he glanced at Gion's hair, now looking like it had been chewed up by a dog.

Such a beautiful woman, and now she looked like a wild mess.

"He said… he's a feminist," Gion muttered softly.

"A feminist?"

Kuzan couldn't help but want to laugh.

But laughing in front of Gion at this moment didn't feel appropriate, so he forced himself to hold it in.

The conflicting urge to laugh and suppress it left him in what could only be described as "Kuzan's tension."

"Vice-Admiral Kuzan," Gion lifted her head, her expression apologetic. "I'm sorry."

"Ah la la, if you're really sincere about apologizing," Kuzan smirked confidently, his tone teasing. "How about making it up to me with a date afterward, Gion-chan?"

"Please forgive me, Vice-Admiral Kuzan," Gion replied flatly. "But I must decline."

Gion (Momousagi) didn't hesitate, "I still prefer men who are more handsome."

Though Vice-Admiral Kuzan was slightly better-looking than Tokikake, who was always pursuing her, it was only just a little better.

"Uh—"

Kuzan felt as if a bullet had pierced his heart.

"But, Vice-Admiral Kuzan," Gion's expression darkened once again. "The World Government is doing business with the Beasts Pirates, and it's been going on for a long time."

"…"

Kuzan's odd expression faded, his face becoming calm. He replied, "Wano is the primary producer of Seastone. I think everyone knows that."

"…"

Gion fell silent.

Recently, some Marine warships had undergone modifications, embedding Seastone into their hulls.

Why hadn't she thought about it before? Where had such a large quantity of Seastone come from?

"That guy also said the Celestial Dragons are the cancer of the world..."

Gion wanted to speak her mind clearly.

But Kuzan interrupted her. "It isn't goood for you to believe what others say, Gion. Go see for yourself."

See for herself?

Gion was momentarily stunned.

Vice-Admiral Kuzan.

She looked at the man in front of her.

His eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, making it impossible to discern his expression.

Suddenly, Gion recalled the Kuzan from before the Ohara incident—back then, he was full of passion. Even though his Devil Fruit abilities was ice, he burned like a fire.

But after that day, everything had changed.

Vice-Admiral Kuzan, is he also seeing for himself?

Meanwhile, Ian was unaware of the exchange between the two. He streaked through the sky, leaving a long trail of flames as he sped forward.

After confirming that Kuzan hadn't followed, Ian opened the box he was carrying and took out the fruit inside.

Although Vegapunk stubbornly deemed this fruit a failure, the only aspect he hadn't perfectly replicated was its color.

This was a genuine Mythical Zoan!

Fish Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Azure Dragon… No, Pink Dragon—wait, let's just call it the Red Dragon form.

Aside from the color, it shares no difference with Kaido-sensei's ability.

But there's still one problem.

Who should eat this fruit?

Originally, Yamato seemed like the most suitable person. As Kaido's daughter, it was only natural that she would inherit his power.

However, Yamato was already a Devil Fruit user.

Should it be given to one of the pirates instead? But none of them seem to be worthy of it.

The Azure Dragon Fruit is one of the top-tier Mythical Zoans and could very well produce a power on the level of the Four Emperors.

In Ian's eyes, out of all the kids around him, only Law and Sanji seemed truly qualified to eat this fruit.

Between the two, Law was more suited for the Operation Fruit, and Sanji, being a genetically-engineered soldier, didn't really need a Devil Fruit power.

Ah, well. The fruit was already in his hands, so he could wait for the right person to come along. There was no need to rush.

Ian flapped his wings, quickly catching up with Babanuki and the others.

Not long after, they encountered the Donquixote Family's fleet.

"Heh heh heh! Ian! This trip has been a huge success!"

Donquixote Doflamingo watched the five Navy warships with a greedy glint in his eyes.

"Just a few ships," Ian said with a calm, nonchalant tone.

To Doflamingo, it seemed like Ian was showing off, but it was the truth—the fruit was the most important thing.

"Let's head back to Wano," Ian said.

And so, they set their course for Wano.

On the way, Umit left to attend to his business.

After over a week of sailing, the towering cliffs of Wano finally came into view before Ian's eyes.

Wano Country, back again.

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