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Chapter 451: Father-Son Recognition Scene, Luffy Opens His Mouth to Borrow a Million
Luffy bounded over the moment he spotted Blake.
He pressed his palms together, blinking his large, pleading eyes at the shop owner. "Please, Blake! Just let us go in and play that dungeon game once!"
"Ever since Grandpa came back last time, he's been punching mountains to rubble every single day! It's way too cool!"
Ace tightened his grip on his blood-stained iron pipe. "We might not have a million Beri, but we can work for you. Washing dishes, mopping floors, taking out the trash—we can do anything."
Sabo nodded vigorously in agreement.
Blake took a slow sip of his green tea. He casually pointed toward the front entrance of the tavern. "Work for me? Go take a look at who's wearing the [Security Guard No. 007] uniform out front. Even Emperor Kaido is guarding my door. What could three scrawny kids like you possibly do?"
The trio deflated like punctured balloons.
Of course they knew who the terrifying, horned monster radiating overwhelming bloodlust at the front door was. That was an Emperor of the Sea—a man even their Grandpa Garp would curse out while lifting him by the collar.
Blake looked at the three future great pirates, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "It's not entirely impossible for you to get tickets. But I don't collect junk, and I don't accept straw hats as payment. If you can manage to rob a Devil Fruit from some pirate in the East Blue, I'll give each of you a low-tier ticket."
The system's minimum recycle value for any Devil Fruit was ten million Beri. Exchanging that for three low-tier tickets meant Blake would turn a massive profit.
Ace's eyes practically lit up. "It's a deal! We'll head out to sea right now and hunt down some pirates for their fruit!"
Just as the three brats were brimming with motivation and ready to hunt for prey, a commotion broke out near the Foosha Village docks.
A massive three-masted ship, bearing no pirate flag, slowly pulled into the harbor. The only marking was a strange, crimson insignia painted on the sails. The pirates and merchants queuing up to buy tickets hastily parted to clear a path.
The aura radiating from the figures disembarking was simply too overwhelming.
Dragon walked at the forefront. He didn't intentionally release his Haki, but the innate, oppressive presence of a long-standing ruler naturally radiated from him. The surrounding crowd didn't even dare to breathe too loudly.
Kuma followed on Dragon's right, holding Bonney's hand, while Ivankov strutted on his left, heels clicking sharply against the stone.
Standing near the tavern's back door, Luffy spotted the man in the green cloak from afar. He tilted his head. "Weird. That guy looks super familiar."
Ace followed his gaze. "You know him?"
Luffy shook his head. "Nope. But I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."
Sabo's eyes went wide the moment he stared at Dragon's back. He instantly recognized that iconic cloak and the tattoos on the man's face.
"That's… the leader of the Revolutionary Army who overthrew the Goa Kingdom!" Sabo's voice trembled with excitement.
He had always despised the corrupt nobility system of Goa. When he heard the news that the Revolutionary Army had overthrown those nobles, he was so thrilled he hadn't slept for an entire night.
Blake set down his teacup. He reached out and patted Luffy's head. "Stop staring. That's your dad."
Luffy's jaw dropped. He pointed a finger at his own nose. "My dad? I have a dad?"
Ace and Sabo stared at Luffy like he was an absolute idiot.
Blake couldn't be bothered with the three brats' family drama. He turned and walked back into the main lobby of the tavern. A major client had arrived; it was time to play host.
Inside the bustling tavern lobby, the rowdy pirates instantly quieted down the moment Dragon and Kuma walked in. Even Kizaru, who was sipping tea in a dim corner, lowered his cup.
"Oohhh, if it isn't the Revolutionary Army's most wanted man," Kizaru drawled. "To think you'd swagger right in front of a Marine Admiral so boldly."
Despite his words, Kizaru didn't show the slightest intention of getting up from his chair. Armed with his [Optical Camouflage Ghillie Suit], he just wanted to quietly slack off in peace.
Dragon didn't even spare Kizaru a glance. He walked straight up to the bar.
Kuma let go of Bonney's hand. Under the shocked gazes of everyone present, the towering, nearly seven-meter-tall behemoth dropped to one knee before Blake. His movements were incredibly reverent, as if he were bowing before a true god.
"Lord Blake. Thank you for the power you have bestowed upon us." Kuma's voice trembled slightly.
Bonney mimicked her father's posture. She lifted the edges of her little pink dress and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for curing my sickness, Big Brother Blake!" The little girl's voice was crisp and sweet.
The pirates in the tavern exchanged bewildered looks. They all knew Bartholomew Kuma the Tyrant was a ruthless, emotionless cyborg. Who was this man kneeling and offering thanks with a face full of fatherly warmth?
Leaning against the edge of the bar, Blake looked at the fully recovered Bonney and nodded in satisfaction. "You paid for a service, and I delivered. Fair and square. Besides, you cured her with the rewards you risked your life for in the dungeon. There's no need to thank me."
Blake raised a hand in a gentle lifting motion. A soft current of Anemo energy caught Kuma's massive frame, effortlessly raising him back to his feet.
Dragon stepped forward. He pulled a black storage scroll from beneath his cloak—a sealing ninjutsu item he had acquired from the Naruto dungeon. He placed it squarely on the bar.
"Lord Blake," Dragon said, his voice steady. "Here lies half of the Goa Kingdom's national treasury. I wish to purchase some tickets for my comrades."
Blake's eyes glinted. He loved these high-rolling clients who brought the wealth of entire nations to spend. He tapped a finger against the scroll, and the system instantly calculated its exact value.
"Two billion, two hundred and fifty million Beri," Blake announced.
A collective gasp echoed through the tavern. Over two billion in liquid cash was an astronomical fortune in the pirate world. Even Sengoku, sitting off to the side, couldn't help but adjust his glasses. The annual military budget of Marine Headquarters was massive, but they couldn't just throw it around like the Revolutionary Army.
Blake pulled out a stack of black VIP prepaid cards. "The high-tier dungeon is still on a half-month cooldown. You can only buy mid-tier or low-tier tickets right now. How do you want to allocate this?"
Dragon glanced back at Ivankov and the several Revolutionary Army commanders standing behind him. "Give me twenty mid-tier tickets. Convert the rest to low-tier tickets."
Dragon's decision was decisive. He intended to rapidly elevate the overall combat strength of the Revolutionary Army's mid-to-high command.
Working swiftly, Blake deducted the balance and pushed a thick stack of tickets across the counter. "Pleasure doing business. There are dedicated dungeon teleportation private rooms on the second floor. You can head up and pick whichever worlds you prefer."
Dragon gathered the tickets. He cast a brief glance toward Garp, who was sitting a short distance away. Noticing his son's gaze, Garp let out a loud harrumph, aggressively crunched down on his rice cracker, and turned his head away.
Ignoring his father's attitude, Dragon handed a low-tier ticket to Ivankov. "Ivankov, you go test it out first."
"Hee-haw!" Ivankov snatched the ticket with thrilling excitement, swaying his hips and clicking his heels as he marched toward the second floor. "I wonder what kind of miraculous world is waiting for me!"
Just as the Revolutionary Army was gearing up to farm dungeons en masse, the tavern doors were suddenly kicked open.
A little boy wearing a straw hat dashed in, panting heavily. Luffy ran straight up to Dragon, throwing his head back to look at him, his large eyes brimming with curiosity.
"Hey, mister. Blake says you're my dad. Is that true?"
The entire tavern plunged into a dead, suffocating silence. Even the teacup in Kizaru's hand nearly slipped and shattered on the floor.
Sengoku snapped his head around to stare at Garp. With a sharp crack, the rice cracker in Garp's hand was crushed into fine powder.
Dragon looked down at the son who barely reached his thigh. A rare, fleeting softness flashed through his cold eyes. He crouched down, placing his large, calloused hand firmly on Luffy's straw hat.
"You've grown, Luffy."
Luffy broke into a wide, beaming grin. "So I really do have a dad! Hey mister, are you rich? Can I borrow a million Beri to buy a low-tier ticket?"
Dragon froze. He never imagined that the very first words of their touching father-son reunion would be his kid asking for a loan to buy a dungeon ticket.
Behind the bar, Blake nearly burst out laughing. That is so Luffy.
Dragon stood up, pulled a low-tier ticket from his pocket, and handed it to Luffy. "Take it. Go see how vast the world outside really is."
Luffy let out a victorious cheer. Clutching the ticket, he spun around and sprinted back outside. "Ace! Sabo! I got a ticket! We don't have to go fight pirates for a fruit anymore!"
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