"You... who are you exactly? Why do you want to see Dragon?"
Ginny cautiously shoved the last piece of meat from the bone into her mouth before asking.
And now this strange Marine suddenly appeared, asking to see Dragon!?
As a former slave of the Valley of Gods, Ginny had no good feelings toward the Celestial Dragons or the Marines.
After fleeing to the Sorbet Kingdom, she witnessed how some Marines from the South Blue Marine Branch colluded with King Bekori of the Sorbet Kingdom...
So...
This Marine in front of her must be an enemy of the leader!
"Kuma! Grab him now!"
"Ginny, he just cured the old man from the Linney family... maybe he's not a bad person?"
Kuma's overly kind and pure heart made him very sensitive to the goodwill and malice people emitted.
And from this man in front of him, he couldn't sense even the slightest ill intent.
Only the small bloodstains on the cuffs looked a bit suspicious.
And those gem-like blue eyes, when looking at them, revealed a trace of...
Pity.
"Idiot Kuma! That's obviously a disguise to deceive us!" Ginny snapped back, then turned to the strange Marine who kept a gentle smile on his face. "Name yourself!"
"My apologies, that was rude of me. I'm Michael, Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters." Michael nodded in greeting to the tragic lovers now clad in the Freedom Fighters's uniform. "You may not know this, but I've known Dragon since we were kids."
Kuma leaned down and whispered in Ginny's ear,
"He doesn't seem hostile... and he's alone, so he can't stir up much trouble. If he could wipe us all out by himself, why would he need us to guide him?"
Ginny irritably slapped her own forehead, then turned and walked toward the former Sorbet Royal Palace, now the Army's base camp.
"Sorry, she's never been fond of the Marines."
"I completely understand. For someone who was once a slave in the Valley of Gods, the fact that you didn't attack me the moment you saw me is already quite surprising."
Michael followed alongside Kuma.
But his words made Kuma's honest face twist into a deeply shocked expression.
Michael patted him on the arm and laughed.
"Ahaha, no need to be so tense. I just happen to know a little more than most."
"It's just... a bit of a shame..."
"Your situation back then was so terrible, you didn't even get the chance to kill a few Celestial Dragons."
A sudden glint of killing intent flashed in Michael's usually smiling eyes.
Kuma trembled slightly, a complex look on his face.
So... not all Marines obey for the Celestial Dragons?
As they walked through the streets of Sorbet Kingdom, Michael clearly sensed the strange and wary gazes coming from all directions.
Tsk tsk tsk. Looks like this Marine isn't too welcome in the birthplace of the Flame of Liberation.
But overall, Michael was satisfied.
Dragon was truly born to rebel. Even in his first operation, he already understood the importance of establishing a new post-war order.
And those on the streets, wearing the uniforms of the Freedom Fighters, were all righteous men and women with convictions of their own.
This force... is truly impressive.
...
Soon, Michael arrived at the Sorbet Royal Palace accompanied by Kuma.
At that moment, several Freedom Fighters members were carrying large quantities of gold and silver treasures out from the palace vault.
"Register all the assets and convert them into Belly to support the reconstruction of the Sorbet Kingdom!"
"Use the rest to purchase weapons, equipment, and everything else we need!"
"The Sorbet Kingdom is only the beginning! Not the end!"
"Our goal is to liberate... the entire world!"
Michael looked at the commanding Monkey D. Dragon and was filled with emotion.
Back when Dragon was in the Marines, he often wore a cold expression—especially toward Onigumo and Sakazuki. He was even colder than usual.
But now, though he still didn't smile, he no longer looked dead inside.
A firm will had broken through the haze that once clouded his eyes.
Only now could one say... Dragon has truly plunged into the deep sea.
...
After finishing his on-site orders, Dragon spotted the towering Kuma and walked over.
"Kuma, is something wrong?" Dragon raised his head and looked at Kuma's face. "I saw Ginny storming into the warehouse just now. Isn't today your free clinic day?"
"Well, today, someone beat us to it and treated all the patients before we even arrived. Even Linney's old grandpa with a serious illness was cured."
"He claimed to be a Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters."
"And he... wants to see you."
Kuma shifted his enormous body to the side, revealing Michael standing beside him.
"Yo, Dragon. Long time no see."
"...Michael?"
Dragon's eyes widened in shock, and the next moment, his Haki-covered fist swung directly toward Michael's head without hesitation.
"Whoa, whoa! You still treat me like the kid I used to be?"
Michael flapped his wings and dodged the strike.
"Rear Admiral, huh?" Dragon withdrew his Armament Haki after the missed punch. "So you've dropped the act, then?"
Monkey D. Dragon looked at the little brother he once met in Marineford, emotions swirling in his heart.
Back then, the two of them knew each other's secrets.
Michael knew Dragon planned to leave the Marines.
And Dragon knew of Michael's monstrous talent.
Now, the boy who once tried so hard to seem ordinary... had become a Rear Admiral?
What changed him?
"Do you even hear yourself?" Michael looked at Dragon, who still didn't have a shoe-print on his face.
"What do you mean dropped the act? I was just lazy back then..."
"Let's put the reminiscing on hold for now." Dragon waved off Michael's complaint. "Why did you come to the Sorbet Kingdom? Was it Admiral Sengoku who sent you? Or the old man?"
"See, you're always so jumpy." Michael tucked one hand behind his back and pointed at Dragon with the other.
"Can't I just come to visit my long-lost friend? Maybe help reinforce his beliefs and strengthen his ideological foundation?"
Hearing this, Dragon looked at the army officer in charge of intelligence transmission. Only after receiving a confirmed report—"no Marine warships spotted near the Sorbet Kingdom"—did he believe Michael.
Of course, Michael didn't blame Dragon.
If it were him starting a rebellion to liberate the world, he'd be even more cautious than Dragon.
Friend?
Even if you were my own father, I'd still have to check your background thoroughly first!
...
Just as Dragon was about to speak, a member of the Freedom Fighters came running from the direction of the prison!
"Leader! Something terrible has happened!"
"The former king we imprisoned..."
"He's dead!"
Kuma instinctively turned to look at the bloodstains on Michael's cuff...
Could it really be that much of a coincidence?