Create happiness with money, and without money, you’re screwed!

How can you get stronger without spending money? Ian now truly understood the meaning of this phrase.

A powerful new card doesn’t just bring a simple increase in attributes; it brings more changes in abilities. For example, the combination of the Black Dragon Wave’s flame wings with the Flight Technique resulted in a double acceleration effect.

But all of this depends on having the money to get new cards…

Ian had gradually come to understand that while the card system couldn’t make him an invincible superhuman with just one card, it did allow him to freely use the skills and abilities of the cards within certain rules.

So, as long as he had imagination and creativity, he could develop new abilities.

“Oh, right!” Ian suddenly remembered an idea he had last night. Immediately, in mid-air, he came to an abrupt halt, instantly stopping from supersonic flight.

He was currently in Super Saiyan mode, aiming to amplify his attributes for a more prolonged flight.

However, after Ian came to a halt, his body suddenly shook, and a surge of electricity erupted from him, crackling and wrapping around his body, occasionally flashing with sparks of lightning!

“Haha! Just as I thought!” Ian laughed triumphantly. “With Misaka’s electric shock ability combined with the Super Saiyan state, I can upgrade to Super Saiyan 2!”

Indeed, Ian was now surrounded by a golden aura, with electrical sparks dancing around him—he looked exactly like he was in Super Saiyan 2 mode!

Of course, this state was just for show; it didn’t mean that Ian had truly become a Super Saiyan 2. In fact, using the Misaka card’s ability simultaneously added another layer of energy consumption.

But… damn, this form is just too cool, isn’t it!?

The way Ian looked right now, anyone who saw him would think he was the big boss!

Style is justice, and flair attracts followers. If you don’t show off, how are you different from a salted fish? Ian had already decided that from now on, his Super Saiyan mode would maintain this appearance, even if it meant extra energy consumption!

‘Hehe!’ Satisfied with his creativity, Ian glanced at the log pose on his wrist to confirm his direction. Then, he instantly accelerated again, causing a sonic boom and cutting straight through the sea, disappearing from sight in an instant.

It was precisely because he now possessed such incredible flight speed that he took on the responsibility of procuring the materials and equipment needed for constructing the research facility. If they relied on the Sky Island’s slow flight to move from one island to another, who knows how much time would be wasted?

However, as Ian departed, he failed to notice that far off on the sea, on a Navy warship, the newly appointed Admiral White Wolf Arest was watching him leave through a telescope.

“So it really was him,” Arest said with a sigh, lowering the telescope. “Terrifying… It’s unimaginable that a human body could achieve such flight…”

Standing beside him, a Navy Captain who had also witnessed the scene through his telescope couldn’t help but swallow nervously and said with difficulty, “It seems the speculation was correct. Black Dragon Ian’s Devil Fruit ability has evolved again. The Golden City incident was a massive oversight. If we had known this earlier, the World Government should have informed Tesoro to transfer those reserve funds…”

After capturing Tesoro, Arest handed him over, along with Edward Weevil, to a Navy prison ship that had come to retrieve them. The prison ship was tasked with transporting Tesoro and Edward Weevil back to Navy Headquarters, while Arest continued to lead his forces in tracking the Dragon Hunter Pirates.

This task was extremely challenging. The Navy and the World Government had very little information about Ian’s Sky Island base. Because the base was so high in the sky, no CP intelligence agents could get close enough to gather information about it. The Navy ships could only sail on the sea below, and a sudden change in the weather, with more clouds in the sky, could easily cause them to lose track of the Sky Island.

However, perhaps due to a stroke of luck, the Sky Island had been quite active in the past few days due to the ongoing construction of a research facility. Ian’s procurement trips had naturally caught Arest’s attention, allowing them to continue tracking the Sky Island’s movements.

After Arest first discovered Ian’s supersonic flight ability, he became much more cautious, ordering the warship to move farther away from the area directly beneath the Sky Island, fearing that Ian might notice their presence during one of his flights.

Capturing Tesoro and Edward Weevil alone was clearly not enough for the Navy to satisfy the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. Akainu’s orders to Arest were clear—continue tracking the Dragon Hunter Pirates for a while longer.

At the very least, they needed to demonstrate that the Navy had made every effort…

Being the Fleet Admiral was indeed a challenging position. Akainu wanted to secure more autonomy for the Navy, yet he couldn’t completely shake off the influence of the World Government. He was constantly trying to find a balance.

However, Arest had his own thoughts. He understood Akainu’s intentions—to track the Dragon Hunter Pirates for a while, then find an excuse to withdraw, without facing any serious repercussions. But Arest, who hailed from the Church Nation, was a devout fanatic, unlike the typical nuns and priests who mercifully sought to save the world. Arest’s beliefs were somewhat distorted; he believed that eliminating sinners was the best form of salvation.

Arest was akin to an inquisitor, believing that the Blood-Blood Fruit was a power granted to him by the Lord, meant to cleanse the world of its sins with blood.

Over the past few decades, the Church Nation had been raided by pirates on several occasions, but each time, Arest had dealt with them swiftly. It was because of these actions that his name became known to the World Government, leading to his exceptional promotion to Admiral in the Navy during the civilian recruitment initiative.

Arest had also kept an eye on Ian, the newly rising powerful figure, especially after witnessing the live broadcast of the New Edd War. Upon seeing Ian’s black flaming wings, exuding a demonic power, Arest immediately felt that this was a trial sent by the Lord.

Whether he could eliminate this powerful “demon” would be a test of his faith…

So, he was genuinely tracking Ian, not just going through the motions. He was eager to find an opportunity to see if he could kill Ian.

However… the power Ian had displayed far exceeded Arest’s expectations. He wasn’t sure if he could win in a confrontation with Ian.

“Sir Arest!” the Navy Captain beside him asked, “Now that he’s left the Sky Island base, should we take this chance to board the Sky Island?”

“How are we supposed to get up there?” Arest asked in return.

“Uh…” The Navy Captain was stunned as well. Indeed, how would they get up there? Most of the people on this ship were ordinary Navy soldiers. Although there were one or two officers like him who could use the Moonwalk technique, given the altitude of the Sky Island, their abilities likely wouldn’t reach that high.

Among those present, perhaps only Arest had the strength for it, but since he was a civilian-recruited admiral, he didn’t know the Navy’s Six Powers techniques.

“Sorry, I didn’t think it through,” the Navy Captain realized and quickly saluted, apologizing.

“Keep following them,” Arest ordered. “They can’t stay on the Sky Island forever. Also, have you found out anything about the matter I asked you to investigate earlier? Why did the Big Mom Pirates make contact with Ian? This could be a breakthrough.”

“Yes, Lord Arest, we’ve gathered some information,” the Navy Captain promptly reported. “Although the intelligence is limited, it’s suspected that they may have been delivering an invitation to Ian. It’s rumored that Big Mom’s tea party is starting soon, and this time it involves the wedding between one of the Supernovas, ‘Gangster’ Capone Bege, and Big Mom’s daughter, Charlotte Chiffon.”

“Oh!? Capone Bege has joined the Big Mom Pirates?” Arest asked.

“Indeed!” the Navy Captain confirmed. “Among the 11 Supernovas, most have encountered conflicts with the existing Four Emperors’ forces after entering the New World. Capone Bege was no exception. His Fire Tank Pirates clashed with the Big Mom Pirates, and after being defeated, his entire crew was absorbed into Big Mom’s forces. However, it seems that Big Mom took a particular liking to Capone Bege and plans to marry her 22nd daughter to him…”

“So, this is likely to be a wedding tea party then…” Arest mused. “What could be the reason for specially inviting Ian?”

Thinking for a moment, Arest suddenly asked the Navy Captain, “By the way, has the news of my appointment as a Navy Admiral been officially announced by the World Government?”

“Uh, not yet!” The Navy Captain was momentarily taken aback before replying, “Since you haven’t reported to Navy Headquarters yet and with the recent incident involving the Golden City, the World Government and Navy Headquarters have temporarily withheld the announcement.”

“Perfect!” Arest nodded. “Contact Navy Headquarters and tell them to continue holding off on announcing it for now.”

“Hmm? Lord Arest, what are you planning?” the Navy Captain asked, somewhat puzzled.

“I’m going to attend Big Mom’s tea party!” Arest grinned, and said, “You might not know this, but Big Mom has always been quite friendly toward church members. The reason isn’t entirely clear, but it’s true. I was even invited by her once and took a trip to her Cake Island.”

“What!?” The Navy Captain was instantly shocked. “So… this means…”

“That’s right, I know the Big Mom!” Arest confirmed. “If Ian has indeed received an invitation to Big Mom’s tea party, then he’s likely to attend. That would give me the chance to get close to him!”

“But… but isn’t that too dangerous?” The Navy Captain wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. “If you’re discovered… no Navy Admiral has ever ventured alone into the territory of one of the Four Emperors…”

“That’s why I asked you to keep this news under wraps for now!” Arest responded. “It’s a small request, shouldn’t be too difficult, right? When the time comes, I’ll go disguised as a priest…”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read