Ian had no idea what Kuma was thinking or why he had given him his hat.
This silent man was an enigma to Ian; he simply couldn’t fathom what went on in his head.
After Kuma walked out, Ian took the bear-eared hat off his head.
Looking at the adorable hat in his hands, Ian felt a strong urge to complain but didn’t know where to start.
‘What the hell?
Does everyone in this world just love giving away hats?’
Not knowing what he looked like wearing it, Ian imagined it for a second and suddenly felt incredibly awkward.
However, he also knew that Kuma likely meant well.
If the Transponder Snail was a token of gratitude for the dojo’s food, then this hat was probably a personal thank-you gift.
Left with no other choice, Ian put the bear-eared hat back on.
Upon returning to the dojo, Ian heard laughter coming from inside.
This surprised him greatly; he couldn’t imagine a traditional man like his master, Koushirou, getting along so well with Ivankov.
Walking in, Ian said to Koushirou, “Master, it’s done!”
“Well then, we should be taking our leave!” Ivankov stood up from the floor and pulled his hood back up, concealing his massive purple afro.
Kuma and the other Revolutionary Army soldiers did the same, covering themselves up tightly once more.
Koushirou was staring in astonishment at the hat on Ian’s head.
Hearing Ivankov’s words, he snapped back to reality and asked, “Won’t you stay a little longer?”
“No, it’s not good for us to linger in the village,” Ivankov replied.
“We will go to the beach and wait for our ship.”
Koushirou nodded and turned to Ian.
“Ian, see them off!”
“Okay!” Even without Koushirou’s instruction, Ian had already planned to do so.
If Ivankov and the others were heading to the beach to wait for a ship, they were definitely waiting for Dragon.
Ian wanted to tag along and take a look.
Ian led the way out of the dojo, followed by Ivankov and Kuma.
The Revolutionary Army soldiers bowed respectfully to Koushirou before exiting.
“…” Watching the dojo empty out after everyone left, Koushirou sat on his knees in silence, lost in thought.
Along the way, all the Revolutionary Army soldiers, including Iva, stared at the cute bear-eared hat on Ian’s head in amazement.
They naturally recognized it as Kuma’s hat.
What shocked them was that Kuma had actually given his hat to someone else.
However, looking at the hatless Kuma with his wavy hair, not even Ivankov asked what had happened.
They just kept staring at Ian.
Feeling the burning gazes on his back, Ian felt an uncomfortable itch all over.
Because of this, he didn’t lead them in circles this time, heading straight for the beach and leaving the village in no time.
The Revolutionary Army soldier who had sparred with Ian scratched his head in confusion.
“Huh!
It didn’t seem this fast when we came!”
Ian turned around and looked at him with a deadpan expression.
“It’s your imagination!”
“Is it?” The soldier suddenly felt unsure.
“Yeah!” Ian nodded affirmatively.
“You’re probably just hungry!
That’s why you’re hallucinating.”
Seeing this, Ivankov let out his signature laugh.
“What a boy with character!”
Ian shrugged.
He knew his previous detour couldn’t be hidden from Ivankov and Kuma, but since he was currently in the body of a child, a kid’s prank would be forgiven, right?
Shimotsuki Village wasn’t very large, and its population was relatively small.
When Ian led the group to the beach, they saw a few small fishing boats tied up on the shore, left behind by the village fishermen.
Since it was already afternoon, the fishermen had long since packed up and gone home, leaving the beach completely quiet.
Ivankov’s group didn’t have to worry about being spotted here.
According to the timeline, the Revolutionary Army was still in its power-gathering phase, so they operated with a very low profile.
For them, avoiding detection was the best course of action.
Ian stayed with them, waiting by the beach.
Ivankov initially tried to persuade him to go back, but Ian shook his head.
Helpless, the group let him be.
They waited until dark, but no ship arrived.
Fortunately, Kuma took a few soldiers and found the provisions he had sent flying over earlier.
The group cooked a pot of rice on the beach, caught a few fish by the shore, and roasted them over a fire for a meal.
Ian didn’t hold back and shamelessly joined them for dinner.
The moon had already risen in the sky, and Ian was starting to yawn when he suddenly heard a Revolutionary Army soldier keeping watch from a high vantage point shout, “It’s here!”
Ian quickly scrambled up and looked into the distance.
Under the night sky, a dark silhouette was sailing toward them across the sea.
As time passed, the silhouette grew larger.
It wasn’t until it drew near that Ian, aided by the moonlight, could clearly make out the ship’s outline.
It was a massive three-masted galleon.
The figurehead was a dragon’s head that wound downwards, its body serving as the keel supporting the entire ship, before ending in a dragon’s tail at the stern.
It made the ship look as if it were being carried by a dragon.
Without a doubt, this was Dragon’s ship.
A Revolutionary Army soldier had already signaled the ship with a lantern.
Dragon’s ship slowly reduced its speed and approached the shore.
“Iva, can I go aboard and take a look?” Ian tugged at Ivankov’s cloak, feigning innocence.
“I’ve never seen such a big ship before!”
Ivankov wasn’t surprised by Ian’s request.
In fact, seeing Ian wait with them all this time, Ivankov had guessed that the boy wanted to see their ship.
“Hee-haw!
Little Ian candy!
You can go up and take a look, but let’s get one thing straight—I can’t take you with us!
So after you’re done looking, you have to get off the ship and go home, okay?”
“No problem!” Ian nodded.
Once the dragon ship came to a steady halt, a gangplank was lowered from the port side.
Ivankov and Kuma began boarding via the gangplank, with Ian following closely behind.
The remaining Revolutionary Army soldiers called for some hands from the ship to help carry the provisions.
As soon as he boarded, Ivankov complained loudly, “You’re too slow, Dragon!
How long were you going to make us wait?!”
Following behind Ivankov, Ian peeked out from behind the man’s massive frame and looked ahead.
On the deck, a figure wearing an identical green cloak slowly turned around.
Under the moonlight, Dragon still had his hood up, preventing Ian from seeing his face clearly.
“Sorry!” Dragon spoke, his voice deep and low.
“I was delayed by something…
I had to save this child…”
As he turned, he revealed a small child lying on the deck behind him.
The first thing Ian noticed was the thick bandages wrapped around the boy’s body.
The bandages not only covered the child’s entire body but also wrapped around his head and face.
His mouth was wide open in an unconscious state, and pitch-black burn marks could be seen through the gaps in the bandages.
Under the pale moonlight, the blood seeping through the bandages was glaringly obvious.
Even Ian couldn’t help but shudder when he saw the child; he was horrified by the severity of the injuries.
Without a doubt, this child was Sabo, whom Dragon had just rescued from the sea!
Seeing Sabo’s tragic state with his own eyes, even Ian felt a surge of anger.
Just how vicious did someone have to be to inflict such heavy injuries on a small child!?
If Dragon hadn’t coincidentally saved him, Sabo would have truly died!
At this moment, Ian realized for the first time just how brutal the Celestial Dragons truly were…
Ivankov naturally saw Sabo lying on the deck as well.
Startled, he immediately jumped over and crouched down to examine him.
“This is way too severe!!
Hey, get someone over here to help treat these wounds!” Ivankov shouted loudly.
“Ivan, can you heal him?” Dragon asked.
“No, the child is too young, he needs specialized medicine!” Ivankov replied.
“I can only keep him alive for now!
We need to get him to treatment immediately!”
With that, Ivankov took off his gloves and thrust his hands onto Sabo’s body!
“Healing Hormones, Adrenaline!”
The unconscious Sabo suddenly coughed violently.
Seeing this, Ivankov rejoiced.
“Excellent, his heartbeat is back!”
Several Revolutionary Army soldiers quickly took the opportunity to lift Sabo onto a stretcher and carry him into the cabin.
Ivankov looked up and asked Dragon, “Who is this child?
Why is he so badly injured?”
Dragon shook his head.
“I don’t know his name.
He was attacked by the Celestial Dragons…
in that pitiful country…”
“Is that so…” Ivankov was left speechless for a long moment.
Right at that moment, a voice suddenly rang out.
“His name is Sabo!”
“Hmm?” Dragon paused and looked toward the source of the voice.
He saw another child standing on the deck.
The one who spoke was, of course, Ian.
“Who are you?” Dragon asked, somewhat curious.
“Do you know this injured child?”
As he asked, Dragon naturally noticed the bear-eared hat on Ian’s head and couldn’t help but glance in Kuma’s direction.
Ian shook his head.
“I just know his name.”
He knew very well that Sabo had suffered such severe injuries that he would lose his memories once he recovered.
Saying his name now was just to give the Revolutionary Army a way to address him later.
In truth, even if Ian hadn’t said anything, the Revolutionary Army would have eventually learned Sabo’s name from his belongings.
Ian had spoken up almost subconsciously…
Dragon looked at Iva, who spread his hands.
“This is a child from the village dojo.
A boy with a lot of character.
I brought him aboard to take a look.”
“Is that so?” Dragon gave Ian a look but didn’t say anything more.
He simply turned and asked, “What about the provisions?”
A Revolutionary Army soldier answered, “The village dojo gave us some.”
“Good, prepare to set sail!” Dragon ordered.
“We return to Baltigo!”
Ian had seen the person he wanted to see and had no regrets left.
Hearing Dragon’s words, he knew it was time for guests to leave, so he said, “I need to head back to the dojo now!”
With that, he walked toward the gangplank on the side of the ship.
Before he could take two steps, he suddenly heard Dragon say, “Iva, see him off!”
Ivankov followed Ian to escort him off the ship.
When they reached the shore, Ivankov said to Ian, “Little Ian candy, don’t tell anyone about seeing us, understand?”
“I know, you guys aren’t ordinary people!” Ian shrugged.
“By the way, Uncle Bear gave me a Transponder Snail.
Can I get your number?”
Ivankov was taken aback for a moment before reacting.
“Uncle Bear?
That’s what you call him?
What do you need my number for?”
Ian nodded.
“Because I might need your help with something in the future…”