And him? How was he supposed to fight the entire world?
Rely on his hard-earned strength? Or rely on the handful of people under him?
Don't joke.
With that level of strength, forget the World Government; even if it were the combined forces of various large factions at sea, his force probably wouldn't be strong enough to beat them.
At 32 years old, his fiery youth had long passed.
And the World Government was not simple at all!
Over the past two years, he had thought of something and realized something: Why Roger started the great pirate age.
Perhaps it was to weaken the World Government's control over the seas, to inspire the strong across the world, to bring them all together, and finally, under Joy Boy's lead, launch the final battle against the World Government.
From the beginning of the great pirate age until now, the darkness hidden by the World Government had been gradually revealed bit by bit by those pirates seeking freedom. Their dominance over the world had slowly weakened under the chaotic age of piracy.
It was obvious.
Those who knew the truth were waiting for the one capable of delivering the final blow to the World Government!
So saving the world should be left to the young people.
As for a middle-aged man like him, he should honestly just accompany his wife and children!
Of course, he still couldn't give up training, because no one could guarantee what the future would bring.
Feeling that the time was about right, Ian slowly opened his eyes. The sunlight gathered around him also slowly dispersed into the surroundings.
But Ian didn't stand up immediately. Instead, after thinking for a moment, he took out a Den Den Mushi from his body, dialed a number, and said calmly, "Gini, help me handle something."
After finishing handling the matter, Ian also went down the mountain toward the setting sun.
When he arrived at the central area of Ohara, he saw Zephyr playing with two children.
Don't be fooled by five-year-old Aria's little adult appearance; when she's with Instructor Zephyr, she still behaves like a child, happily playing around.
Perhaps because she herself had experienced too much, as a mother, Robin hoped Aria could have a happier childhood. She just didn't expect that this child's dream would actually be to rebuild the Tree of Knowledge.
Only a few of them had heard this. If this news were to spread outside, the Marines' warships would probably sail right to their doorstep.
The blood of Ohara rebuilding the Tree of Knowledge, what are they trying to do?
Are they planning to inherit Ohara's will or something?
As for almost-three-year-old Aikes... He was still just a tiny bean, nothing much to say.
It seemed they had also seen him.
Zephyr immediately waved with a cheerful grin. "You really came back early! The sun hasn't even set yet. Finished training?"
Aria: "Daddy…"
Aikes: "Daddy…"
"This kind of training doesn't have much effect on me anymore."
Ian put the axe on the ground and directly picked up Aikes. But after noticing Aria's longing eyes, he held one child in each arm, sat down, and looked at Zephyr. "I'm just used to it. If there's nothing else to do, I'll go train a bit."
Ever since coming to Ohara, his training time had gradually been compressed. Besides the fact that this simple training no longer did much for him, there was also the reason that... he was too tired!
Dealing with the Flower-Flower Fruit and the Return-Return Fruit user every night, how could he not be exhausted?
If not for the Light-Light Fruit, he probably wouldn't even be able to get up in the morning.
As expected, the Light-Light Fruit was the one most suitable for him. Thankfully, he hadn't chosen to wait for the Vampire Fruit or the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!
"That's true."
Hearing Ian's words, Zephyr nodded.
At Ian's current level, it was already very hard to improve any further. In fact, even putting Ian aside, even the four Emperors of the Seas who stood at the top of the New World were the same once they reached this level.
What a pity…
Even with strength like that, it still wasn't enough to fight the World Government.
Even Rocks, who once tried to become king of the world, was defeated, and even the king of the strongest kingdom, the Elbaph, chose to lead the giants in lowering their heads.
The waters of the World Government ran very deep!
Seeing Zephyr give a long sigh, even though he didn't say anything, Ian understood what he meant.
In response, Ian didn't say anything either. He couldn't exactly say that, even if he couldn't win, all they had to do was hold on for a few more years; once Nika appeared, the World Government wouldn't have time to bother with them, right?
"Forget it, let's not talk about that."
Zephyr quickly collected his complicated emotions and said cheerfully, "Get me a few more ships!"
Ian: "...?"
Hearing that, Ian raised an eyebrow. "How many fleets did you form this time?"
"Not many. Just three!"
Ian: "..."
This was not many?
Adding these three, in just the past two years, they have had almost 30 fleets.
Don't look at the number, being only a mere thirty, still fewer than some of the Emperor crews, but these weren't those messy pirate fleets. These were fleets trained professionally by the former Chief Instructor of the Marine Headquarters!
One could imagine the difference.
Although Umbrella Corporation's top-tier strength might not compare to some Emperor crews, in mid- and low-tier power, they were absolutely not weak, far surpassing them, even.
But what exactly was Zephyr trying to do?
At this rate... Was he really planning to build a new Marine Headquarters?
Ian looked at Zephyr strangely, but still nodded. "I understand. I'll have Wolf handle the preparations."
Two years had passed, and Umbrella Corporation now had its own shipyard. The template they used was a replica of the Sun Ring ship they bought from Vegapunk.
Although it couldn't compare to Vegapunk's original, and they couldn't obtain that golden metal he used, it was already more than enough for standard military production.
It had to be said, because of the technologies Vegapunk left behind or discarded, Umbrella Corporation's tech could develop this fast. Not only ships but also weapon manufacturing had changed drastically.