Dragon's hand, still formed in the "Dragon Claw," didn't release its grip.
The pressure on the bald man's shoulder was immense, a silent, crushing warning.
"I'm very sorry," Dragon said, his voice calm and low, cutting through the tense, dusty air.
"My companion, Swore, didn't mean to mock you earlier. He can be... thoughtless. If you feel it was inappropriate, I will have him apologize to you." He paused, his eyes locking with the giant's.
"But if you make another move, I won't be polite."
Dragon spoke with serious, flat finality.
He could see the bald man still wanted to resist.
Although Karasu's Devil Fruit ability—some kind of shadow or soot-based crow-minion—was tricky, Dragon had experienced countless battles during his time in the Marines.
If he hadn't held back his own wind-based powers, if he'd used his full strength, this bald man would have already been captured.
The giant felt the vice-like pressure from Dragon's claw and the absolute, cold conviction in his voice.
He naturally, and wisely, stopped resisting.
"My name is Karasu," the bald man said, his reedy, high-pitched voice a bizarre contrast to his intimidating form.
He signaled to Dragon with his free hand, a gesture of "enough."
Dragon released his grip.
"I'm Monkey D. Dragon." He said it lightly, but he was already feeling a strange affinity for the person before him.
He could sense they were similar types—leaders, burdened by a cause.
"Hey... my bad, Karasu-san. Seriously." Swore stepped forward, bowing apologetically to Crow, his face red with embarrassment.
"Your... uh... attack just surprised me. I wasn't... I wasn't expecting..." He trailed off, realizing he was only making it worse.
"Let's find a hidden space," Dragon interjected, saving his subordinate.
He nodded toward the entrance of the mine shaft.
"This place has already attracted others' attention."
The sounds of the brief, strange fight—Swore's laughter, Karasu's squeaky shout, the whoosh of shadow and wind—had already drawn the attention of some miners farther down.
Faces were beginning to peer their way.
"Follow me," Karasu grunted, his reedy voice barely audible.
He signaled to the group, then strode toward a different, much darker mine shaft.
These mine shafts were a labyrinth.
They were winding, dark, and damp, and many were clearly not recorded on any official mine route maps.
The air was thick with the smell of coal dust, damp earth, and unwashed bodies.
But Karasu seemed completely familiar with them.
He moved with a purpose, as if he had walked these secret, unlit paths a thousand times.
Finally, after following Karasu for ten minutes through the claustrophobic darkness, the group saw a pinprick of light.
It came from a small, crude structure, tucked into a wide cavern deep in the earth—a small house, built of scrap wood and tarpaulins.
"Come inside to chat, Dragon," Karasu actively invited Dragon and his group.
Dragon, sensing no immediate danger, followed him in without suspicion.
The small wooden house was crowded.
A single, dim oil lamp cast flickering, grotesque shadows on the walls.
It was packed with five burly, grim-faced men.
It was Dragon and Swore from the Freedom fighter army and Karasu with two of his own officials from this "Miner's Association."
"Alright," Karasu said, his voice still unsettlingly quiet. "This place is relatively safe. You can speak freely."
"I'm Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Freedom fighter Army," Dragon began, his gaze sweeping over the wary faces in the room.
"We've traveled all the way from the East Blue." He kept it simple. "Our organization aims to help the people oppressed by the World Government and the World Nobles... to help them stand up for themselves."
"Freedom fighter Army?" Karasu seemed surprised by the name.
After Dragon briefly explained the concept—not a full-blown revolutionary force, but a group dedicated to arming and training common people to defend themselves—Karasu nodded slowly.
"Quite an interesting concept."
"Your turn now," Dragon said, looking at the three men from the Miners' Association.
"We're workers from the Steel Factory," Karasu explained, "and yes, we're members of the Miners' Association."
He fixed Dragon with a wary look.
"The reason we came is simple. You've only joined recently, but you and your men have already been asking about various information. Asking the wrong kind of questions. Naturally, we needed to check you out."
"Steel Factory?" A trace of confusion appeared on Dragon's face.
He wasn't familiar with it.
He knew this "Coal-Iron City" was divided, but he hadn't known the details.
Karasu explained that the city was split in two: the coal mining area, where they were now, which was responsible for extracting the resources.
The other was the steel factory, which was dedicated to smelting iron ore.
Dragon had heard people mention the steel factory, but due to the massive, guarded wall separating the two areas, workers from both sides were effectively unable to interact.
"That can't be right," Dragon said, his brow furrowing as he processed the information.
"If you really are workers from the steel factory... how did you get here?"
"Because, based on the information I've gathered, the two areas are not interconnected. They're sealed off from each other." Karasu smiled, a grim, humorless expression on his strange face.
"For you, they may not be. But in reality, there are many connections. For instance... the overseers in this coal mining area? The ones with the whips? They're actually workers from the steel factory."
"What?" This time, Dragon was astonished. "The overseers here... are also workers?"
"That's right," Karasu said, the pieces clicking into place for Dragon. "Every week, the steel factory 'selects' three to four hundred of us to serve as overseers in the coal mining area. It's a cushy job. The pay is about the same, but it requires almost no physical labor, and you get better food. It's a privilege."
"Then who are the overseers in your steel factory?" Dragon asked immediately, his mind racing.
"Mostly natives from the four major port cities," Karasu replied. "Hired thugs, with only a few being lifelong overseers."
After Karasu finished speaking, Dragon fell into a deep, analytical thought.
He wasn't sure whether this was the twisted idea of the kingdom's nobles or a standard tactic from the World Government.
But without a doubt, this divisive, "divide and conquer" tactic was executed brilliantly.
It was diabolical.
Compared to the coal miners, the steel factory workers enjoyed better treatment.
Having them serve as the oppressors for the most oppressed group created a permanent, bitter friction.
It drove a wedge between the two groups most likely to unite against their common enemy.
Then, they appointed people from other parts of the kingdom as overseers for the steel workers, severing the connection between the factory workers and the general populace.
Add to that the towering walls and the thousands of soldiers... all of it served to minimize the scale and frequency of uprisings.
"But... a new question arises," Dragon said, his voice thoughtful. "You probably didn't come here as an overseer, did you?"
He looked at Karasu, his gaze sharp. "If I were the one who devised this plan, I would certainly restrict the freedom of movement for the steel factory workers as well. Otherwise, this entire plan, which relies on the lack of communication between groups, would fall apart."
Dragon smiled with a cold, analytical expression of great interest.
"This plan is built on that separation. It must control the comings and goings of the overseers. From what I know, the overseers have fixed morning and evening schedules. Beyond those times, all overseers must leave the mining area." He leaned forward. "At this hour... theoretically... there shouldn't be a single overseer in this entire compound. Which means you shouldn't be here."
Karasu broke out in a cold sweat at Dragon's words.
He hadn't expected this tall, intense man to deduce so much from just a few sentences of conversation.
Most importantly, these deductions were remarkably, terrifyingly close to the truth.
"It seems Karasu-san is still somewhat unwilling to trust us," Swore shrugged, seeing the giant's hesitation.
Karasu, however, just calmed himself.
He looked at Dragon, his reedy voice filled with a new, heavy respect.
"I can't help it," he squeaked quietly. "I carry too much on my shoulders. Too many lives. Until complete trust is established, I can't guarantee that you aren't members of a CP organization, sent here to root us out."
Dragon surprised him by laughing.
It was a short, sharp, genuine laugh.
"Hahaha! Karasu-san, during our conversation just now, I've already concluded that you are the true leader of the Miner's Association, and your goal isn't just 'association,' it's to launch a people's uprising." He turned deadly serious. "If we were truly agents of the World Government... based on that deduction alone, we would have already arrested you."
Karasu found it difficult to understand Dragon.
How could one person's intelligence, their deductive power, reach such heights? In some ways, if Dragon were a World Government agent, the worker uprising in the Eryoku Kingdom would be a complete joke to him.
He could easily locate all the key figures and possess the capability to eliminate them all at once.
Seeing how remarkably wise Dragon was, Karasu first felt a deep shock... then spoke with a complicated, heavy expression.
"Dragon-san, your words are quite moving. But I... I carry the hopes of too many people. I cannot place my complete trust in you. Not yet." He bowed his head slightly. "I hope you can understand my position. My apologies."
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