Chapter 8: Heave Ho! Launch the Commodore!
Buru buru buru! Buru buru buru!
The Den Den Mushi on the deck bench rang incessantly. Nami hurried over and answered it. The snail immediately mimicked Hina's furious expression and shouted, "Jock Ian! What are you just standing there for? Are your navigator and helmsman slacking off? Change your warship's course immediately to avoid the oncoming vessel! Hina does not want to repeat herself!"
It was exactly as Ian had anticipated. That's why he'd told Nami to be ready to take the call and had instructed her on how to respond.
"Captain Hina, this is Navigator Nami," she said, her voice faltering slightly. "Commodore Ian... he is currently on a mission and is temporarily unavailable to take your call."
Ian was free-spirited and did as he pleased, but the task of bearing the pressure from the Headquarters Captain fell entirely on Nami's shoulders.
"On a mission? What mission could he possibly be on?" The Den Den Mushi's expression (Hina's frown) deepened, and her tone grew sharper. "Do you understand the gravity of this situation? The ship ahead belongs to the Donquixote Family, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! If you don't want to die, do as Hina says! You are the navigator. I order you to turn your warship around immediately and follow Hina! Otherwise, if anything goes wrong, Hina will hold you personally responsible!"
Seeing the distance between the two ships closing rapidly, Hina grew frantic, casting all caution aside. Whatever Ian was up to, getting out of the way was the top priority.
"I'm sorry, Captain Hina, but Commodore Ian's orders are... we cannot yield," Nami replied, her palms sweating from nervousness.
"Cannot yield? What do you mean? Put Ian on the line! What in the world does he think he's doing?" Hina's voice rose in disbelief. She had no idea what Ian was planning. The ship on the other side belonged to a Warlord! You had to pick your targets before acting so recklessly!
Soon, without needing further explanation from Nami, Hina heard Ian's amplified voice shouting across the water through the receiver.
"Attention, vessel ahead! This is Jock Ian, Commander of the 16th Branch of the East Blue Marines! Turn your vessel around immediately, open your hatches, and prepare for naval inspection! Failure to comply with East Blue maritime shipping regulations will be met with severe consequences! I repeat! Turn your vessel around immediately and prepare for inspection... or face the consequences!"
...
The loudspeaker was at full volume, and the booming voice came through the receiver so clearly that Hina and the soldiers around her could hear every word. Their eyes widened, jaws dropping in stunned disbelief as they stared at the Den Den Mushi.
Cold sweat trickled down Morgan's cheek. "Inspect a ship under a Warlord's banner... Commodore Ian, is he... is he insane?!" he croaked. "That's a Shichibukai! Even if the officer himself isn't aboard, his subordinates are terrifying enough. Isn't this just suicide? Or... does he not even recognize the Donquixote Family's flag?"
The Den Den Mushi connection went silent. Hina's heart sank, her anxiety peaking instantly.
There was no way he didn't know! If Nami truly hadn't recognized the pirate flag, she wouldn't have reacted the way she did when Hina spoke to her. He knew what that flag represented, and yet he was still shouting like a madman!
"Madness! Sheer madness! Does he truly believe no one in the East Blue dares to touch him? Morgan, turn the ship around and move closer! Hina is angry! Hina is furious!"
Disobeying superior officers, acting recklessly, causing trouble... In the short time Hina had known Ian, he seemed to embody everything she disliked. Ian's self-destructive behavior wasn't Hina's concern per se, but her mission was to bring Ian back to Headquarters safely to report for duty. If something happened to him en route, Hina would also be held responsible.
Hina didn't have a full grasp of Ian's capabilities. Sweeping the entire East Blue of pirates? It sounded impressive, with great renown and many achievements. But the so-called "major pirates" entrenched in the East Blue, like Krieg, had bounties barely exceeding ten million Berries. Any cadre of the Donquixote Family from the New World was far more powerful than the likes of Krieg. Most Headquarters officers understood this. The Navy's high-profile promotion of Ian, putting him on the front page, wasn't because they thought he was exceptionally powerful or his Fruit ability particularly rare. In essence, it was a "poster boy" campaign within the Navy!
In the last year or two, the New World had seen the rise of the new Emperors and the Supernovas. Every related report only served to boost the pirates' momentum and undermine the Navy's authority at sea. And Jock Ian, the East Blue base commander who had never been defeated by pirates, appeared at just this time. The times had chosen Ian, making him the representative of the "new generation hero" image the Navy was preparing to establish—similar to the "Pirate Supernovas" who had landed at Sabaody Archipelago.
How could such a young, promoted cadre die or be injured in a place like this? No matter how difficult, Hina had to grit her teeth and rescue him!
...
Ian's shouting didn't just startle Hina; it even confused Gladius, the leader aboard the pirate ship. The pirate crew could no longer remain idle.
"Order us to turn around? Submit to an inspection by the East Blue Navy? What a joke!"
"The East Blue branch Marines are just trash! Didn't they get orders from above? Boss Gladius, should we open fire and blow them out of the water?"
"One ship already gave way. Is this one asking to die? The name Jock Ian sounds familiar..."
"Kill them! No matter who the base commander is, if they dare to stop a ship under a Warlord's banner, we'll teach them a lesson!"
"..."
The pirates aboard grew murderous. On the Grand Line, they acted arrogantly every day under the Donquixote Family's banner. Now, in this backwater East Blue, some foolish Marine dared to shout at them to stop for inspection!
Gladius strode steadily to the bow, his hands folded calmly in front of him, not a trace of panic on his face. Looking at the approaching warship, he said in a low voice, "Jock Ian... Isn't that the 'Adjudicator of the Sea' from this morning's newspaper? Gained a little fame in the weak East Blue and now he's so arrogant he dares to challenge the Donquixote Family's banner? An ignorant fool! No need to fire. Just bring the ship closer. I'll handle this myself."
Gladius rolled his shoulders, the metal gears on his arms trembling slightly. The pirate crew watched with glee, waiting to see how the warship would be sunk. If Gladius took action personally, a single ordinary warship wouldn't be enough.
...
Meanwhile, aboard Ian's warship.
"Heave! Ho! Heave! Ho!"
"..."
Dozens of sailors gathered at the stern, each pulling on ropes with all their might, straining to draw back the giant catapult device on the deck to its absolute limit, ensuring maximum launch power. The sling of the catapult held not a projectile, but Ian himself, sitting cross-legged.
"Nami, see clearly now! Does the other side intend to stop?" Ian asked, scratching his ear as he contemplated his next move.
High in the crow's nest, Nami lowered her telescope, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted, "No! The enemy is still heading straight for us!"
Ian had anticipated this. He adjusted his sitting posture, bracing himself. "Men, listen for my order!" he roared. "Prepare to launch me!"
"THREE!"
"TWO!"
"ONE!"
"LAUNCH!"