Bathing in the warm midday sun of the Grand Line, the Orange Ship advanced swiftly.
On the deck of the Orange Ship, Ivan leaned against the railing, having removed his upper garments. His jade-white skin glistened under the sunlight.
"Nami, hurry up! I'm going to get sunburned!" he urged from behind.
"Coming, coming!" Nami walked over, holding a bottle of sunscreen. The girl wore a refreshing short-strapped top and pouted, "Ivan, lie still and let me apply the sunscreen for you."
Ivan squinted slightly, turning sideways to let Nami do as she pleased.
The girl dipped her fingertips into an appropriate amount of sunscreen, its cool touch gently landing on his back as she slowly spread it.
Ivan enjoyed the girl's service, but as the application continued, the atmosphere between them gradually grew peculiar.
At some point, more and more of Nami's skin came into contact with Ivan's, allowing him to clearly feel the softness of her skin and the dampness of her sweat.
He could even distinctly sense the two snowy peaks.
He slightly hunched over to avoid letting Nami notice his unusual reaction. Unbeknownst to him, Nami had grown increasingly unrestrained.
Two days ago, Ivan had escaped from Big Mom's Tea Party and subsequently accepted a mission dispatched by Marine Headquarters.
Once the mission concluded, instead of returning to Rainbase, he headed toward Little Garden.
That day, when he faced Big Mom's Elbaf Spear: Ikoku Sovereignty, he truly experienced the terrifying power of that move.
The explosive force capable of tearing heaven and earth apart earned his heartfelt admiration.
Thus, a strong desire arose within him—he absolutely had to learn this Elbaf Spear.
Yet he knew that learning the Elbaf Spear from Big Mom was nearly impossible. Rather than wasting effort, it was better to seek an alternative method.
Coincidentally, there were clues about the Elbaf Spear in the original storyline.
On Little Garden in the Grand Line, two giants lived in seclusion: the former captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, Blue Ogre Dorry and Red Ogre Brogy.
These two giants hailed from Elbaf, the homeland of the giant tribe. Not only were they immensely powerful, but they also mastered a technique even stronger than Elbaf Spear: Ikoku Sovereignty—
Hakoku Sovereignty!
If he could find Dorry and Brogy, perhaps he could learn this technique from them, further elevating his already formidable explosive power!
"Alright, it's time to turn over. I need to apply sunscreen to your front too."
Nami's urging voice pulled Ivan back from his thoughts.
Ivan dared not let Nami apply sunscreen to his front and quickly waved his hand. "No need. I'm not sunbathing my front. Just the back is fine."
Nami gave Ivan a regretful look but didn't press further. "Oh, let me know if you need it."
"Got it~"
A moment later, after soaking up enough sun, Ivan rose from the deck.
He lifted his gaze toward the distance, where the faint outline of lush greenery could be seen at the horizon.
Little Garden was almost in sight!
The sea breeze continued to blow gently as, under Ivan's control, the Orange Ship sailed at full speed toward Little Garden.
The Orange Ship slowly approached Little Garden.
The closer they got to this ancient island, the stronger the earthy scent of the primeval forest grew in the air.
Although called "Little Garden," the island was anything but small. However, to the creatures living within it, this vast island was no different from a small garden.
Soon, the Orange Ship reached the vicinity of Little Garden. Just as the marines were about to dock the ship by the shore, Smoker suddenly pointed toward the nearby coastline.
"Wait, look over there! There's a ship—it's the Straw Hat Crew's Going Merry!"
Everyone followed his direction and saw a uniquely designed single-masted sailboat anchored in the shallow waters by the shore.
The ship's bow was carved into an adorable goat's head—it was indeed the Going Merry, the ship used by Monkey D. Luffy and his crew.
At that moment, the Going Merry lay quietly docked, indicating that the Straw Hat Crew had already landed on Little Garden.
Upon learning that the Straw Hat Crew was so close, Smoker instantly perked up.
"Excellent! I never expected the Straw Hat Crew to be here too. This time, we absolutely cannot let them escape. It's perfect—we can capture them while we're at it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly found Ivan to report this discovery.
With Ivan's orders and the assistance of Nami and Tashigi, he was confident he could capture the Straw Hat Crew.
However, Ivan's reaction was beyond his expectations.
Ivan showed no concern whatsoever about the Straw Hat Crew's presence.
Leaning against the deck railing, he cast a casual glance at the distant Going Merry and said nonchalantly,
"It's fine. You may act as you see fit. No need to consult me."
These words left Smoker momentarily stunned. The excitement on his face vanished, replaced by utter confusion.
He took a step forward, brows furrowed, and asked urgently,
"Ivan, what do you mean by that? The Straw Hat Crew are pirates. Don't you want to capture them?"
Ivan slowly turned his head, looking calmly at Smoker.
"They aren't mere pirates. They're more like a group of sea adventurers, sailing with pure convictions—no burning, killing, plundering, or harming the innocent.
For this sea, letting them live is better than letting them die."
Smoker froze completely in place. Ivan's words struck like thunder, exploding in his mind.
He instinctively recalled the scene not long ago when Onigumo, in pursuit of pirates, callously fired cannons without regard for the civilians on the shore.
At that moment, the justice he had steadfastly upheld was thoroughly shaken.
Indeed.
Although the Straw Hat Crew acted flamboyantly, they had never harmed innocent civilians.
Everything they did was merely to pursue their dreams—fundamentally different from pirates who burned, killed, and plundered.
Thinking this, Smoker's tense body gradually relaxed.
He lowered his gaze and remained silent for a long while before making a decision.
The justice in his heart never permitted him to harm the innocent, much less lump well-intentioned adventurers together with wicked, villainous pirates.
Finally, Smoker slowly raised his head and said calmly, "I understand."
The Orange Ship gently docked by the shore, its hull lightly scraping against the fine sand.
Ivan led Nami, Smoker, and the others ashore, following a narrow trail trampled by beasts deep into the jungle.
As they ventured further, the trees grew denser, the light dimmer, with only the sounds of insects, birds, and distant beastly roars echoing around them.
But before long, familiar clamoring voices drifted from ahead, mixed with Luffy's trademark shouts and Usopp's muttering.
The next moment, the two groups collided face-to-face on the narrow forest path.
The instant the two parties met, the Straw Hat Crew froze almost simultaneously.
The moment Luffy saw Ivan, his muscles tensed instantly. He pointed straight at Ivan, his voice rising several pitches:
"It's that terrifying marine!"
In Loguetown, he had witnessed White Dove in action. That level of power was something he couldn't possibly contend with at his current strength!