Run!

(A/N: Hey guys! To help you better visualize the diávoloi and Ariel the Winged-Lion, I have added their pics into paragraph comments on their relative sections in past chapters. But for those lazy to go back, you can check the paragraph comment of this A/N. Or head out to Discord's picture channel. On another note, an embarrassing one, I have gone back to Robin's 'intimate' chapter (ch 87) and changed things up a bit and added almost 500 words… *Cough* She now still has her V-Card *Cough* so give it a reread if you'd like.)

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Right now Ian was watching over Tama as she slept. They were sitting atop the lion-dog as they run across a wasteland. The rest were keeping up on foot as the lion was just walking.

Earlier the poor girl invited them to her house. Which was situated in a bamboo forest. The house was quite… modest. And Ian and co felt sad for the little girl.

She was a bit down at first since she didn't have much food to cook even for one person, much less all of them. But Bert being the kind of guy he is, took it upon himself and cooked them all some delicious food that Ian brought from the ring. After all, Ian always makes sure to stock as much as he can.

The nine-year-old girl cried and smiled at the same time as she filled her stomach with all the food she can. Probably thinking that she was not going to get another chance like this.

Ian at that time shared a look with guys and girls.

To make someone this young starve for food… this was real cruelty.

But Ian knew this was not Kaido's doing. Kaido was cruel true, but he only cared about the results.

This was the result of Orochi.

And Ian decided to let his very pissed-off crew to 'take' care of him. While he would make sure Tama, and any other starving person in Wano, would be taken care of before he leaves.

After that Ian convinced the little girl to come with him. He even invited her master who joined them at one point. But he refused stating he has a reason why he doesn't want to leave. Ian didn't know what but he left him be.

Tama herself didn't want to go with Ian. She stated that she had a promise with Ace.

But Ian assured her that he would call him and let her talk with him later so she agreed in the end.

Right now Ian was heading in the direction of a large aura he sense earlier when he used Observation Haki.

He didn't bother finishing out his whole range, but just casually using it he was able to span the whole wasteland.

Soon after he finally saw the person he had sensed.

This person was standing there drinking from a sake gourd bottle. Near him stood a woman.

This was Zoro and he had just saved the woman unintentionally.

Zoro as if he sensed a dangerous enemy he threw the bottle aside and put his hands on his swords in preparation to engage in battle.

But after a while of looking, he saw that they were just Ian's crew with a few newer additions.

For one there was Reiju… Aokiji… Don and then a little girl he also didn't know.

"Hey, Zoro. What's up? Where are the rest?" Ian was the first one to greet him as he jumped off the lion still with the little girl coiled around him like a koala.

But now she was awake.

Both men shook hands as they smiled.

Zoro had earlier kind of fucked up the original plan, which was to lay low until everyone was assembled in Wano.

He somehow became a wanted man…

So seeing these guys now he could relax. He knew that they were the last edition that they were waiting for.

Zoro's eyesight moved to the newest additions in the crew.

Ian seeing this explained.

"They are the newest members of the crew. First, the big guy is Don, next to him Kuzan, and then Sanji's sister Reiju. The little girl is someone we picked up in Wano just earlier. Her name is Tama." Ian said introducing his crewmates in pride.

And said guys gave nods. Feeling proud themselves.

Zoro knew Aokiji from beforehand… they had met after all but he didn't have anything against the guys so he just nodded as a greeting to them. While thinking about who the pink head was.

'The love cook's sister?'

But then he saw Sanji next to her. And he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

The sake started to taste bad in his mouth…

Sanji who heard that glared at him.

"Oy! What's your deal you stupid moss-head?" Sanji yelled as he came running at him and started their usual scuffle.

Zoro snorted as he spoke.

"Nothing. Just that seeing you again dumb love-cook, made the sake taste bad." Zoro replied.

"What the hell! In the first place, what are you even doing here? Wasn't the plan to lay low?" Sanji replied.

Zoro somewhat panicked but he calmly replied after a second.

"There were some complications…" he said.

"Complications? Don't you mean you just got lost?" Sanji found his weak point and decided to attack.

But even though Zoro sweatdropped at that, he still shook his head.

"I was framed for something… and now I'm a wanted man…" he whispered while annoyed. His head was averted to the side as he scratched his head.

The rest laughed at this.

But Sanji was the loudest of them all.

"Hahahaha as expected from you moss head." Sanji laughed as he ridiculed him.

But then Zoro reached for his sword and prepared to cut him down.

When the woman Zoro saved interrupted and proposed to repay him by serving him tea at her shop.

"Please let me repay you. Your friends can join you if you like." She said as she bowed.

But Zoro looked at Ian.

Ian nodded back at him.

"Let's go. The rest are near there anyway…" He said.

He then turned to look at the side for a few seconds…

Elene saw this and decided to ask him what's wrong as she took tama from his hands and hugged her.

"What's wrong Ian?" she asked.

Ian smiled at her as he said.

"Don't worry it's nothing… just a… small scared rat!"

****

Meanwhile, not very far from them, a couple of pirates being led by Basil Hawkins could be seen running away on their steeds.

Their direction? the opposite of Ian…

Hawkins was a man known for keeping his emotions in check. He holds a logical, pragmatic mindset when it comes to confrontations.

He shows no emotional response to events that would be considered outrageous to most people. Even when approached by a powerful enemy like a marine admiral, Hawkins rarely falters from his usual composure while considering his options for the situation at hand.

But at this time he was sweating bullets as he ordered his crew to run.

"Run! Don't look behind!!" He yelled as he led the way.

He didn't look behind not even once.

Why?

Because earlier he tried predicting what would happen if he confronted the many auras he felt ahead of him. This is what he does usually, he calculates the outcome of every battle before starting it. And he was following after Zoro this time to catch him, but he felt a lot of auras ahead so he used his tarot cards to see his chances.

The result was:

Battle: Probability of defeat 100%

Escape: 0%

Defense: 0%

That scared the shit out of him… even against Kizaru he still stood a chance at evasion or a bit of chance at running…

After all, he had his ability to evade death by using his subordinates… but his tarot cards are never wrong… if it said his escape and evasion perchance was zero then it was.

Most likely if he continued on his earlier path, he would have died. He was sure since he could see an especially bright card among his cards. When he drew it… it was *Death!*

That's why he ordered their escape… what awaited them if they continued on that path was total eradication… the more he runs from Ian's direction, the more the card dimmed…

This only happened to him once before… against Kaido. Whom he now serves under.