The silence in the tavern wasn't the peaceful kind; it was the heavy, suffocating silence that precedes a storm. The stranger sitting across from Reda didn't move, but the very air around him seemed to vibrate with a suppressed power. Reda could feel the sweat beginning to form at the nape of his neck, but he kept his hand steady on the manuscript.
[System Warning: Extreme Spiritual Pressure Detected!]
[Observation Haki Level: Unknown]
[Recommendation: Do not show hostility. Maintain the 'Author' persona.]
"You're calm," the stranger remarked, his voice like grinding stones. He reached out a hand—thick, scarred, and calloused—and tapped the drawing of the execution platform at Marineford. "Most men would be screaming or reaching for a blade if they felt a fraction of what I'm radiating. But you... you're just looking at me like I'm a character in one of your panels."
Reda forced a small, confident smirk. "In a way, everyone is. The world is just one big story, and most people are too busy playing their roles to realize someone is holding the pen."
The stranger chuckled, a low, dangerous sound. He pulled back his hood just enough to reveal a glimpse of a sharp eye and a familiar scar. The tension in the room spiked. It was a face that had haunted the Navy's nightmares for decades.
"The World Government is terrified, Scholar," the man whispered. "They've suppressed the 'Void Century' for eight hundred years. They've burned islands and erased civilizations to keep the past buried. And here you are, selling the 'truth' for a few silver coins in a backwater pub. Do you have any idea what happens when a legend becomes common knowledge?"
Reda leaned forward, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird, but his voice remained cold. "I know exactly what happens. Chaos. Revolution. A world that can no longer be controlled by shadows. Isn't that what you want... Dragon?"
The name hung in the air like a lightning bolt. The surrounding pirates, who had been eavesdropping, suddenly fell off their stools. The most wanted man in the world, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, was sitting in a dusty tavern in the middle of nowhere.
[System Notification: Major Plot Milestone Achieved!]
[Influence Points: +50,000!]
[New Skill Unlocked: 'Author's Protection' – Briefly nullifies Haki pressure within a 3-meter radius.]
Dragon didn't confirm or deny his identity. Instead, he stared at the sketches of Luffy. "My son... you write about him as if you've watched him grow. You know his dreams, his idiocy, and the people he hasn't even met yet. Tell me, Scholar... is this a prophecy, or are you creating the future as you go?"
Reda took a slow sip of his drink, his mind racing. This was the moment. If he played his cards right, he wouldn't just survive; he'd gain the ultimate patron.
"It's neither," Reda replied, sliding the next batch of papers across the table. These weren't just manga pages; they were detailed blueprints of Navy communication arrays and the secret routes of the Celestial Dragons' tribute ships. "It's information. I call it 'Entertainment,' but for you, it's a map to the downfall of the Gorosei."
Dragon looked at the papers, his eyes widening for the first time. The detail was surgical. It was information that even the best Revolutionary scouts couldn't gather in a decade.
"What do you want in exchange for this?" Dragon asked, his tone shifting from threatening to transactional.
Reda stood up, gathering his bag. The System was screaming at him that an Admiral-level signature was approaching the island. He didn't have much time.
"I don't want Berries," Reda said, looking Dragon straight in the eye. "I want protection. I'm going to keep publishing. I'm going to draw the final war, the secret of Mariejois, and the true face of Imu. And while I do that, the world is going to hunt me. I need the Revolutionary Army to be my 'Editors'... the ones who make sure the Author doesn't die before the final chapter."
Outside, the sky began to darken, but it wasn't clouds. It was the golden, shimmering light of Kizaru's lasers descending from the atmosphere.
"A bold request," Dragon stood up, his cloak billowing despite the lack of wind. "But your story is too interesting to let it end here. Come. The Navy is here to 'censor' your work, but they'll find that the Revolutionary Army is quite fond of literature."
[QUEST ACTIVATED: The Great Escape!]
[Objective: Reach the 'Wind Granma' ship without being captured by Kizaru.]
[Reward: Legendary Grade Ink & 'Sabo' as a temporary bodyguard.]
As the tavern door exploded inward in a flash of blinding light, Reda grabbed his pen. The real story was just beginning.