The street was dead silent, with only the faint rustling of the wind against tattered flags.
Most of the onlookers had already fled, leaving only the tavern owner, who was hiding behind a broken window frame, staring wide-eyed at the ruins and Smoker in the deep pit.
"Did... did he win?" he murmured to himself.
Cheng Xiaoyu turned and walked towards the tavern, brushing off the dust from his clothes, and went straight to the counter.
"Owner, are all the wines I ordered ready? I want to pack them all up and take them with me today."
The owner snapped out of his daze and quickly bowed, "Ready, ready! All my wines are in the cellar, you can come and pick them up anytime."
Cheng Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow, "Lead the way."
The owner nervously led Cheng Xiaoyu to the cellar, not daring to breathe the entire way.
The cellar was dark and damp, filled with the strong aroma of wine.
Cheng Xiaoyu looked around, nodding with satisfaction.
"Not bad, all these wines are mine."
In the tavern's cellar, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.
Cheng Xiaoyu carried the last barrel of wine to the cellar entrance, but before he could move it onto the street, a low voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"Young man, could you spare me some?"
The voice was calm but carried an irresistible deterrent.
Cheng Xiaoyu was slightly startled, turning to see a man in a green cloak leaning against the cellar doorframe with his arms crossed in the dim light, staring at him indifferently.
Cheng Xiaoyu's gaze lingered on the man's face for a moment, and his brow instantly twitched slightly.
That green cloak, the mark on his face, and those sharp, eagle-like eyes—he recognized him.
Although most people had only seen him on wanted posters and in intelligence reports, this face was truly impactful.
The leader of the Revolutionary Army, the World Government's biggest headache, Luffy's father—Monkey D. Dragon!
"Dragon?!" The tavern owner, hiding behind a pillar, his eyes wide as saucers, his voice trembling so much it almost slipped, "The... the renowned... leader of the Revolutionary Army?"
Cheng Xiaoyu calmly adjusted his shadow to be in front of him, but his expression remained unchanged.
He raised the wine barrel in his hand, his voice still lazy, "This is my wine, no one can take it away, I've already paid for it."
Upon hearing this, Monkey D. Dragon revealed a slightly playful smile and slowly walked down the steps.
He patted his green cloak and casually sat on the steps, looking like a harmless traveler, but the air around him seemed to grow much heavier because of his presence.
"Hahaha, an interesting kid," he laughed, looking at Cheng Xiaoyu with an inquisitive gaze.
"Someone actually dares to talk to me like this. You're very greedy, hogging so much good wine, not even willing to share a single sip?"
"The esteemed leader of the Revolutionary Army, stealing wine from a rookie pirate, don't you think that's beneath you?" Cheng Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow, his tone calm, showing no fear in the face of this Revolutionary Army big-shot.
The tavern owner's legs were almost jelly, squatting in the corner, not daring to breathe.
He glanced at the street, which was still full of battle marks, then secretly peeked at Monkey D. Dragon, his heart already churning with shock.
That was Monkey D. Dragon! The World Government's thorn in the side, an existence even the Four Emperors had to be wary of!
And this newly emerging, incredibly arrogant young pirate actually dared to speak to him in such a tone?! Was he insane?!
Dragon, however, was not angry. He quietly watched Cheng Xiaoyu for a moment, then suddenly a corner of his mouth lifted, and he slowly said, "Of course, I don't need to steal this wine. But if I did, who could stop me?"
His voice was not loud, but it contained immense oppressive power.
In an instant, a sudden gust of wind swept through the entire airtight cellar passage!
In the dark space, the low rumble of rolling wine barrels sounded like the prelude to a hurricane about to erupt from the depths of the sea.
Seeing this, Cheng Xiaoyu casually put down the wine barrel. A wise man knows when to cut his losses.
"We have an old saying where I'm from: 'A wise man submits to circumstances!'"
He patted the dust off the barrel lid with his hand and coldly smiled, "Is it true that you 'D' family members are all so unreasonable in your actions? But indeed, the strong can take everything."
This remark was like a bucket of cold water thrown into a fire, making Monkey D. Dragon stare at the young man in front of him with great interest.
He narrowed his eyes, revealing a smile that was half-real, half-feigned.
"Interesting kid, you're quite sharp," his tone softened slightly, "However, I'm not here to cause trouble. I just smelled the wine and wanted to sit down and have a couple of drinks."
Cheng Xiaoyu was not surprised at all why the famous Dragon would appear here.
He was just here to see his son officially set sail. Now that Smoker had been dealt with by himself, he had time to sit down and have a drink.
Cheng Xiaoyu snorted lightly, reaching out to pat the wine barrel, "I must take these wines with me, but—before I leave, treating you to a couple of drinks is no problem!"
Dragon paused, then burst out laughing, "Hahahaha, I also wanted to chat with you."
So the two moved the wine to the tavern hall, sat down quietly, and each poured a glass.
Although Cheng Xiaoyu did not show reverence, his gaze remained on Dragon, his expression wary but not stiff.
Dragon took a sip of wine and sighed contentedly, "Good, it is indeed good wine."
"Why did you form the Revolutionary Army?" Cheng Xiaoyu suddenly asked, his attitude direct.
"I'm not asking this question because I admire you, but because I dislike arrogant people."
Dragon raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Very good. Precisely because you dislike arrogant people, you should understand my original intention—the World Government and the Celestial Dragons are the most arrogant things in the world."
Cheng Xiaoyu paused, then said coldly, "I dislike the Celestial Dragons too."
Dragon gently put down his wine glass, giving him a meaningful look, "It seems we have a little common ground. Young man, as long as you dislike the Celestial Dragons, we are friends."
"Friends?" Cheng Xiaoyu smiled, a hint of mockery in his tone, "The enemy of my enemy is naturally my friend, isn't it?"
"Hahahaha! Exactly, you're right!" Dragon threw his head back and laughed, seemingly truly agreeing with that statement.
Dragon put down his wine glass, his gaze fixed intently on Cheng Xiaoyu. After a moment of contemplation, he posed an unexpected question:
"Are you interested in joining the Revolutionary Army?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiaoyu scoffed, picked up his wine glass, and drained it.
"I think not. I prefer freedom, being unrestrained."
"However, at least until the Celestial Dragons are all dead, we won't be enemies."
Dragon also nodded, a flicker of appreciation in his eyes.
"I was right about you, kid. You have courage and spirit."
He refilled two glasses of wine, pushing one towards Cheng Xiaoyu, "Come, to our common enemy, a toast!"
Cheng Xiaoyu raised his glass, clinked it with Dragon's, and they both drank it down.
After putting down his glass, he suddenly seemed to remember something and asked meaningfully, "By the way, you must be here today to see Luffy off on his journey, right?"
"That kid Luffy has been wild and untamed since he was young, always wanting to become the Pirate King." A complex emotion flickered in Dragon's eyes, a mix of relief and worry.
"The path he has chosen is destined to be full of hardship and danger. Originally, I shouldn't interfere too much, but as his father, I still wanted to see him."
"Haha, that's just human nature! Perfectly understandable!"
The two chatted back and forth, intending to have just two drinks but unknowingly finishing an entire barrel!
The tavern owner watched, dumbfounded. He never imagined that this seemingly cold rookie pirate could get along so well with the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
It seemed he would have to delay his retirement.
From now on, he would have new stories to brag about...
Just then, there was a hurried sound of footsteps at the door.
"Hurry and watch the excitement! I heard Straw Hat Luffy, with a bounty of 30 million Berries, is going to be executed!"
"It... it's happening this afternoon! At the execution platform in Loguetown!"