Kamabakka Kingdom.
The instant the enormous screen flickered to life, Sabo and the others turned toward Dragon almost in unison.
"That's… you, isn't it, Mr. Dragon?" Sabo asked.
On the screen, the man appeared much younger—his face smooth and sharp, free from the marks and burdens of time. Even without eyebrows, his youth gave him a striking kind of charisma.
"Fufufu~! Dragon-chan looked so handsome back then!"
Ivankov couldn't help but exclaim in his usual flamboyant tone.
Dragon, however, merely twitched the corner of his mouth. His eyes were fixed on the screen, deep and thoughtful.
'The viewing target: Dual-World Revolutionary Leaders?'
There was no doubt that he was one of them.
But what about the other?
Another world… another Revolutionary Army?
What kind of world could that be? What kind of man would lead it?
While Dragon pondered, the rest of the chatroom—completely unrelated bystanders—had already broken into noisy chatter.
Golden Lion Shiki: "Oi, what's this supposed to be? Who's that young guy?"
Rocks: "Can someone tell me what the hell a 'Revolutionary Army' even is? Some kind of pirate crew?"
Roger: "Oi, oi! Isn't that you, Garp? That's young you, isn't it?"
Whitebeard: "Why are they showing Garp's face? Is this… some kind of viewing of a person's past?"
Steel Bone Kong: "Hmm, a young Garp, eh? Seems to be from a different time period. Interesting."
Vice Admiral Tsuru: "Dragon… that man…"
At least now, the Marines could finally get a closer look at the man who had remained such a mystery—the leader of the Revolutionary Army himself.
Roger: "Eh? Garp had a son?!"
Garp: "What're you babbling about, Roger? Unlike you, who waited until your fifties to have a kid, I became a father in my twenties!"
Roger: "I wasn't some old virgin, damn it! I just… started late!"
Whitebeard: "Roger, there's no need to explain. Did you even have a woman aboard your ship?"
Roger: "Shut up, you overgrown beard!"
Garp: "Oh, by the way, I've got a grandson, too. He's about the same age as your boy. In fact—"
Garp: "—I made your son call me Grandpa!"
Roger: "...I'm going to kill you, Garp."
Whitebeard: "Count me in. When I'm revived, I'll smash that bastard Garp straight to the ocean floor!"
Whitebeard's spectral mustache bristled with fury.
To him, Ace was a son in every sense of the word—
and the idea of Garp jokingly taking advantage of both his and Roger's family lines infuriated him.
Ace: "You're not my father. My father is Whitebeard."
Whitebeard: "Ace…"
Roger: "So… you're my son? Ace… A boy, huh? Rouge…"
Ace: "Don't you dare speak my mother's name."
Golden Lion Shiki: "Tch. The sorrow of men never connects. All I feel right now is annoyance."
Rocks: "So nobody's going to answer me? What the hell is this Revolutionary Army?"
Sengoku: "Hey! Garp! Answer me—when the hell did this happen?"
Garp: "Hmm… can't really remember. Must've been around thirty years ago. The brat got rebellious—didn't want to be a Marine. Said he wanted to go to sea."
The chatter in the room didn't stop the vision from continuing on the colossal screen above.
[A gentle breeze rippled across the grass. The young Dragon stood at the edge of a cliff, his gaze distant and deep as he stared toward the endless sea. Behind him, Garp scratched his nose, wearing an expression of helpless exasperation.]
"So you've made up your mind, huh, Dragon?"
"Yes, Father. I don't intend to join the Marines. In these past years, I've traveled across every corner of the Goa Kingdom. I've seen the poor who live in garbage heaps… the slaves beaten and broken… the nobles whose hearts have long rotted away."
"I can't accept any of it. I can't protect that kind of world in the name of justice. That's not my ideal. Besides… I hate fighting. I hate war."
Dragon's voice was calm, yet carried a heaviness that didn't match his age.
"If you won't be a Marine," Garp asked, squinting, "then what will you do?"
"I don't know yet. Maybe I'll find like-minded people and talk with them. This world—something about it is wrong. I just… haven't figured out how to fix it yet."
No sooner had Dragon finished speaking—
[A fierce gust erupted from behind him.]
Dragon barely dodged as a massive fist smashed into the cliff beside him.
BOOOOM!
The cliff shattered, collapsing into rubble as stones rained down below.
Sweat trickled down Dragon's forehead. If that punch had landed, he would've been seriously hurt.
"Are you insane, old man?!"
Dragon stared in disbelief, still not understanding why his father had suddenly attacked.
Garp's face darkened with fury. His fists cracked as his muscles bulged beneath his shirt, like coiled steel.
"What was that nonsense about gathering like-minded people and setting sail? Sounds like becoming a pirate to me! Looks like it's been too long since I've taught you a lesson!"
"And your way of teaching is trying to kill me?!"
"It's a Fist of Love! It won't kill you!"
[Garp smiled kindly as he threw another punch—its Armament Haki so dense it tore the air apart.]
"Yeah, right!"
[Dragon, completely fed up, met the blow head-on with a punch of his own.]
[The collision of raw power and Haki blasted out a shockwave that tore the grass from the earth, sending it swirling into the sky.]
[Garp blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Dragon's strength to be this formidable—but then, his lips curved into a dangerous grin.]
[After stretching his arms, Garp charged again—stronger, faster, his Haki fiercer than before.]
[And yet, the young Dragon met him blow for blow, displaying strength and control utterly beyond his years.]
[That lean body—so much less massive than Garp's—burst with sheer, overwhelming power and will.]
[Until finally, with a single devastating strike laced with Conqueror's Haki, Dragon sent Garp flying.]