"Bastard! Get the hell out of here!"
"And you, you freak! No matter what methods you use to interrogate me, I, Belo Betty, will never join the Beasts Pirates!"
"Kaido! Keep dreaming! You're just another ruthless pirate. Did you really think I'd stoop so low as to ally with the likes of you?"
"Don't make me laugh!"
Despite being covered in wounds, Betty's defiance burned as fiercely as ever, as if even a raging inferno couldn't break her spirit.
King put away the whip, crossing his arms over his chest. His gaze carried a hint of admiration.
"Impressive. You're a woman, but stronger than most men."
"You're worth me using my real methods."
"Let me show you my collection."
As soon as King finished speaking, Kaido, who had been drinking in silence, stood up and left without a word. Jack looked confused, but King had already opened the hidden chamber in the room.
Clank...
Dozens of bizarre, cruel-looking torture devices lined the walls. Jack stared at them in silence for a moment—then, without hesitation, turned and walked out.
"Hey! You bastards! Don't leave me alone with this freak!"
"Oi! Oi!"
Betty's voice carried a trembling edge, nearly breaking into sobs. It seemed that her stubborn defiance was finally wavering.
By the time Jack and the others left, Betty had already begun to soften her stance. Kaido even debated with her, trying to convince her that his ideology was different from Dragon's. After all, her Devil Fruit ability was extremely useful, and Kaido had taken an interest in her talent.
But Betty refused. So, Kaido left her to King.
It probably wouldn't take long before she changed her mind.
...
On an unknown island in the New World, Dragon and several of his comrades sat around a campfire in heavy silence.
"Hic... Betty..."
Bang! Bang!
Morley sat beneath a tree, wiping away tears, while Sabo, his head wrapped in bandages, pounded his fists against the trunk. His hands were already bleeding, but he showed no signs of stopping.
"Stop, Sabo!"
"This isn't your fault!"
Dragon stood up, grabbed Sabo's wrist, and said firmly,
"I was the one who made this plan."
"You don't have to blame yourselves."
"I didn't anticipate that the Beasts Pirates' reinforcements would arrive so quickly!"
"That's why so many of our people died. That's why Betty was captured!"
"I will find a way to get her back..."
"Leader!"
Before Dragon could finish, Karasu stood up abruptly, cutting him off.
"We all agreed on this plan!"
"No one could've predicted that Jack could fly, nor that Kaido, who never leaves Onigashima, would suddenly set out!"
"The Beasts Pirates are no joke. Kaido, Jack, and that guy King—they can all fly. If they had cornered you, Leader..."
"The Revolutionary Army can't take that kind of risk!"
"As for Betty..."
Karasu fell silent for a moment before shouting,
"Revolution requires sacrifice! Whether it's Betty, or us, or even you, Leader—we all knew what we signed up for!"
"So let's stop wallowing in self-pity!"
"Sabo! Use this failure as motivation to grow stronger!"
"Hic..."
After Karasu's outburst, Sabo collapsed onto the ground, sobbing.
"It's all my fault! If only I were stronger...!"
Dragon gazed out at the sea, his face troubled. He had thought that by luring Jack away, Karasu and the others would be able to rescue Betty quickly. But he never expected Yamato to be so powerful. She knocked out the reckless Sabo with a single strike, and even Karasu was no match for her.
And then there was Jack...
To wield Armament Haki at that level—besides himself, Dragon had only seen his own father reach such mastery.
Flying, unparalleled endurance, insane recovery—Jack's title as one of the Four Emperors' top commanders was more than well-earned.
And then there was Kaido, an Emperor in his own right...
The Beasts Pirates might very well be the strongest among the Four Emperors' crews.
He never should have come.
He never should have let greed cloud his judgment.
Betty was lost because of it.
Now, he had to find a replacement for her as a commander—and solve the Revolutionary Army's financial problems.
As for Betty...
I'm sorry. Revolution demands sacrifices...
...
Since a merchant ship was headed for Onigashima, Kaido and his crew didn't fly back, opting instead to return with the ship.
On the journey, Jack brought up Dragon in conversation, and Kaido's response left him stunned.
"What?! Dragon is Garp's son?!"
"You've gotta be kidding me, Kaido-san!"
"Garp is the Marine Hero! I don't know why he never took the position of Admiral, but his reputation alone is greater than even the Fleet Admiral's!"
"If Dragon is his son, then isn't he basically a privileged noble?"
"So why the hell is he leading a revolution?"
"Wait... Garp's full name is Monkey D...."
"Holy shit! It's true!"
"What's his deal?! His dad works for the World Government, and he's leading a rebellion against them? He's literally fighting his own old man!"
"Heh..."
Kaido shook his head and said in a low voice,
"That guy used to be an Admiral candidate."
"They called him the most talented Marine monster, the Hero's successor."
"But he couldn't stand the Celestial Dragons' corruption, so he quit."
"He was the first Admiral candidate in history to resign."
"Because of Garp's status as a Marine Hero, the World Government let him go quietly."
"The Marines covered it up to save face and banned any mention of him."
"But who would've thought that not long after leaving, he'd establish the Revolutionary Army?"
"Now, he's a full-blown traitor to the Marines, and his past has become a stain on their record."
"I actually wanted to recruit him back then... but our ideologies were too different."
After hearing Dragon's past, Jack couldn't help but sigh.
Damn. Garp really is something else.
His son straight-up raised a banner against the World Government, and yet Garp remains untouched—still a Marine Hero.
Well, with his strength, the World Government would be idiots to push him to the enemy's side.
A father and son, divided by ideals, now enemies on the battlefield...
I wonder... does Dragon have a son?
If he does, will he become a Marine or a revolutionary?
Or maybe... a pirate? Now that would be interesting.
Either way, I guess I've made an enemy of the Monkey D. family now...
D. Clan, huh?
I've heard of them before... What do they really stand for?
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg