Dragon stepped off the ship and stood motionless for a moment, the weight of memory pressing down. Then, recalling his purpose, he set off toward the town.
By the roadside, an older man lounged on a chair, fanning himself with his only remaining hand. Dragon approached.
"Excuse me—do you know where Norman Brian's house is?"
The old man sat up, eyeing Dragon with a sharp, appraising gaze. "Who are you? What business do you have with him?"
"My name's Monkey D. Dragon. I'm a friend of Brian's. He can't come back right now, so he asked me to deliver something to his family."
The old man nodded. "I see. Brian's place is at the northwest corner on the east side of town—there's a giant ginkgo tree in the yard. You can't miss it."
He paused, a trace of concern in his voice. "How's little Brian doing? He's been gone for over two years now."
Dragon hesitated, then replied, "He's doing fine, but work keeps him away. That's why he asked me to come."
The old man let out a hearty laugh. "Well, go on then. Make old Granny Candice happy."
"Thank you," Dragon said, nodding politely.
He followed the directions, hand tightening around the package beneath his cloak—Brian's last belongings.
His mind drifted, swept back to that night months ago…
———
A few months earlier, Jaya Island.
The second day of the manhunt.
"Hurry up! That fugitive vanished around here!"
"Search every room! Move it!"
"Don't leave a single corner unchecked!"
Perched on a rooftop, Dragon watched the Marines comb the streets below. Then, like a whisper on the wind, he vanished.
He reappeared inside a dimly lit room.
Whoosh—!
A blade sliced through the air. Dragon, still half-formed, lifted his right hand—coated in Armament Haki—and caught the edge of the sword.
"Easy. I'm not here to hurt you," he said, slowly releasing his grip.
Across from him stood a man missing an eye and an ear, glaring with wary defiance.
"State your business, Marine."
"I just want to understand what you're all searching for. What truth drives you to risk everything?"
The man stared at Dragon for several seconds, then let out a bitter laugh.
"We're trying to expose the truth that the corrupt government has buried. To drag their crimes into the light. The people of this world deserve to know everything—not to be ruled by that filthy government and those wretched Celestial Dragons. What, Marine, you want to keep listening?"
He shot Dragon a look of contempt. Marines… ha.
Dragon's expression didn't waver. "Why?"
The man blinked, then frowned. "Why?"
"I want to know the reason behind all this."
Seeing the earnestness in Dragon's eyes, the man fell silent for a moment. Then he spoke, voice low and steady.
"If you really want to know… let me tell you a few stories from my island. Let's start with Aunt Bell from next door…"
He spoke of neighbors, of families torn apart.
Of Uncle Torel, who had a sweet little boy and girl—both gunned down by Celestial Dragons during an inspection tour of North Blue, simply for crossing their path.
When Uncle Torel rushed to their side, he was arrested on the spot by the kingdom's soldiers and the Marines guarding the Celestial Dragons.
"They even wanted to execute him," the man spat, voice shaking. "The reason? His murdered son's blood splattered on a Celestial Dragon's shoes."
He let out a hollow, broken laugh. "What an ugly world."
"Uncle Torel managed to escape, but he lost an arm. He'll never get his revenge. Now he just lives out his days on that island, nursing his hatred until he dies."
"On my home island, nearly eighty percent of the people share stories like this. They gather here, licking their wounds in silence. Why? Because they're powerless. Because they can't fight back."
"You ask why we seek the truth? We want to expose the government's crimes for all to see. We want the world to know what's really happening. Someday, we'll overthrow that rotten government and those loathsome Celestial Dragons!"
The man's voice rose to a furious roar.
Dragon stood in silence, unable to imagine the pain these people had endured. Even after all he'd seen at Sabaody Archipelago, the tyranny of the Celestial Dragons here seemed even more monstrous.
After a long pause, Dragon finally spoke. "I'm sorry."
The man gave a sad smile. "You don't need to apologize. This isn't your fault. It's the fault of that corrupt government and the Celestial Dragons. I can tell—you're a good man."
He hesitated, then reached into his coat and pulled out a small box. Inside were a sachet, a cross, and a few Belly.
"Please… take this to Pado Island. Give it to my grandmother, Mary Candice. Tell her… I won't be coming back. And if you can, help those scholars. They're the guiding lights for all of us."
He managed a bright, grateful smile. "Thank you for listening, Marine. My name's Norman Brian."
Footsteps thundered closer. He couldn't hide anymore—he had to draw the searchers' attention. Every minute he could buy meant another minute for the scholars to escape. If even one more lived, it could change the world.
BOOM—!
Brian kicked down the door, creating a massive commotion and drawing the Marines' full attention. The last image burned into Dragon's mind was that battered, bullet-riddled body—and that dazzling, unbroken smile.
Dragon watched in silence.
He wasn't someone easily swayed by emotion. He had his own judgment.
Yes, Brian and his people had suffered horribly, but that wasn't enough to condemn everything. There was no absolute right or wrong. The Marines had played their part as accomplices, true—but every year, countless soldiers died fighting pirates. The memorial at Marineford, inscribed with over twenty thousand names, wasn't built for accomplices, but for those who died battling evil.
Nobles, government, bureaucrats, civilians, pirates, Marines—all threads in the same tangled web.
But in that moment, Dragon found his direction. He would find his own path—no matter what.
Whoosh—
A gentle breeze swept through, and Dragon vanished from sight.
That night, as the historians prepared to escape, it was as if fate itself intervened.
The moment they all boarded the ship, a wild wind rose—carrying them away into the darkness.
———
North Blue, Pado Island—the kingdom at the world's edge.
Before he knew it, Dragon stood before the yard with the towering ginkgo tree. He returned from his memories to the present, gazing at the tightly closed gate.
He raised his hand… ~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
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