Chapter 157 - A small matter!

With how things were already happening, Ian knew that things had changed too much ever since he started his journey but he didn't care at all.

As before, Sanji was supposed to leave the straw-hats to protect them. But now he didn't. And then Luffy was going to attempt to save him, and again, he was not going to now.

All those plans made by Bege to take down Big Mom… Ian didn't care for any of that.

The moment he steps there, he would give Elene the privacy she needed with Big Mom, by holding off her children. Of course, the others would help him with this.

After that, he would join the rest in Wano, and again take down Kaido. Only this time that would be left to him.

Such was the new Ian. He didn't care for changing the plot anymore. He didn't care for a while now.

But who can blame him, he had surpassed that level of strength where you always needed to stay on the line…

Ian also guessed as to why Sanji was going with him. Other than the obvious reason that he wanted to sever the last link he had with that family.

But he didn't comment on this guess.

With Sanji.

Although he had asked Luffy, his captain, for permission he still needed to ask the person he was going to join.

"Um… Ian is it fine with you?" Sanji awkwardly asked Ian.

After all, he didn't know if Ian would refuse, and he had already announced that he would be joining him out loud. If he was turned down, that would be embarrassing.

'Why did I have to say it out loud?' He thought to himself embarrassed.

"Sure! You can join us at that time!" Ian told him with a smile.

And at that Sanji visibly relaxed as he gave Ian a thankful look.

And after this everyone started to move from the room on the whale tree.

Ian was standing near his crewmates, who ever since he praised them had been sporting massive grins on their faces.

They were surely enjoying this.

Taking a look at Akemi, he promised that he would help her later, as she was now officially one of them.

Ian just shook his head in amus.e.m.e.nt at his crew before looking forward.

Meanwhile, Luffy started asking the two rulers about shanks, and they proceeded to explain everything about that to them.

How they were Lord Oden's attendants and followed him from Whitebeard's ship to Rogers.

Obviously, Kin'emon and the rest stayed in the land of Wano. As they didn't even want their lord to travel with pirates.

Then just when everyone started asking them questions, Nami told them to shut up.

This was something that even Ian was quite perplexed about. As truthfully he didn't remember what he had watched in the anime about this particular moment, other than that it was okay and to just keep going forward.

Inuarashi explained to her, and once Ian heard that he knew that he didn't have to worry.

Basically, there was a road on which all the needles of the log pose points- in the same direction- towards one specific point.

In the case of Roger, since no one told him about the Poneglyphs for the first time, he had to start all over again once he reached the last island the log pose leads to.

But in the case of them who already knew about that, they were already ready. They just had to keep going on forward on their own journeys.

Then Nami was praised for being a good navigator, to which she blushed but had a happy smile on her face nonetheless.

Then they kept on moving forward before a very excited Momo remarked that he had also met Roger when he was young.

But he was called a liar by Usopp. Stating how he couldn't have been born at that time.

But Ian knew the truth about that.

In fact this was something that was interesting to him a lot.

Back in his past life, he always felt like time traveling in one piece was quite weird. Like it didn't belong in this world. But the author did manage to make it sound as if it was part of the world.

These guys in front of Ian… they were all, time traveling to the future!

This is why Momo said he had met Roger. He had in fact said the truth.

"For now… we have many things to do before fighting Kaido!" Inuarashi said.

Kin'emon gave him a nod.

"We need to prepare! Like I told you before, we are trying to recruit samurai who will fight with us in the land of Wano right now! But before anything else, we need to get information from Kanjuro first!" Kin'emon said.

Getting information from him would help them to plot their strategy even more.

And since this time, there was no grudge war, Neither Inuarashi nor Nekomamushi tried to recruit Marco. They both were going to go to the land of Wano.

In fact, apart from Ian and co, everybody was going to go towards Wano.

"When we reach the land of Wano, we will round up allies, and plot a strategy!" Kin'emon told them.

It was dangerous for them to do that, however, as the land of Wano was completely under Kaido.

But at that Law stepped up.

"We can go on our submarine, that way, we'll be safe while traveling." He said.

And they gave him a happy smile and nods.

"Afterwards if you have a safe place to hide on the island, we'll be safe" He finished.

And the samurais nodded and told him their thanks.

Ian thought that all of this was complicated somehow.

He was the type that was more forward.

If it was up to him, he would charge at Kaido with his crew and take down everyone he sees. He knew that it was possible. And easier.

But since this war was not concerning only him, he didn't think it was right to do everything himself.

As such he agreed with the rest.

All of them would go to Wano, and then try to gather allies, meanwhile, Ian and co would deal with Big Mom.

Plus it didn't hurt to be more prepared just in case something unexpected happened after all. There was the world government who until now he didn't know what will do in retaliation for killing Kong. And also there was the diávoloi who had been silent lately.

He could feel that something was wrong with that. And he figured they would make an entrance soon…

So they continued with their walking until they were joined by the other minks. And at that everybody asked how Raizo was and was he hurt at all before he was impressed with them and did one of his techniques that released heart-shaped petals from the sky.

And at that, they told him that there was going to be a banquet in the honor of the Kozuki family reunion.

All of a sudden Ian was alerted. And he sharply turned to look at the gate to Wano.

"What's wrong Ian?" Inuarashi noticed this and asked him.

Ian replied.

"It appears the beast pirates that ran away are back…" Ian told him.

Even after they had let them keep their lives, they had come back.

"Leave them to me! You guys continue on!" Ian told them and then abruptly vanished from there.