After arriving at the dock, the crew encountered no problems, the harbor master barely giving their Going Merry a second glance amidst the bustling port traffic. With the ship secured, they quickly dispersed, each with their own mission. Zorro sought to replace his lost blades, Sanji went in search of rare East Blue spices, Nami headed for the clothing district with a determined glint in her eye, and Usopp needed specific components for his slingshot arsenal. Mario told them he just wanted to explore the city and gather general supplies.
But through Mario's mind ran a single, relentless thought: I need to find Monkey D. Dragon.
He knew the revolutionary was here, a shadow drawn by the fate of his son. It wasn't chance; it was a pivotal moment in the tapestry of this world.
But first, supplies. Mario moved with efficient purpose, his mental checklist a welcome distraction from the enormity of his true goal. He acquired rope, fresh water, ink and parchment for Nami, and a new whetstone for Zoro. With his mundane tasks complete, the real hunt began. The city was a teeming labyrinth of streets and alleys, filled with tourists gawking at the legacy of Gol D. Roger. Finding a man who was a legend of secrecy in such a place seemed impossible.
"The day is ending… and dark clouds are gathering," Mario murmured, looking up at the suddenly oppressive sky. "Dragon must be near. He has to be the one who saves Luffy at the execution stand. I need to go there."
He trusted the narrative enough to know that Luffy's encounter with Buggy and Alvida would resolve itself, precisely because Dragon was here. His intervention was the key. Mario needed a vantage point.
Better to get on the roofs… Soru!
With a burst of speed that would have been impossible a week ago, he kicked off the ground, a controlled explosion of motion that carried him high into the air. He landed softly on a tiled rooftop, the training with Zoro and Sanji paying off in his balance and control. From this new height, the city sprawled beneath him. And there, in the distance, a dark, cloaked figure stood silhouetted against the stormy sky on a watchtower, directly facing the infamous execution platform.
Monkey D. Dragon! It's him. I can feel it.
The aura of power emanating from the man was a physical pressure even from this distance. Mario approached with the utmost care, moving from roof to roof like a ghost. He had the distinct, chilling feeling that Dragon had sensed him the moment he landed on the first roof.
"You know that I am behind you!" Mario called out, his voice steady despite the tremor in his soul.
Dragon turned slowly, his face mostly hidden in the shadow of his hood. "Oh? I did not expect someone to find me here…" His voice was a low, rasping rumble, like distant thunder.
"Liar," Mario stated, his own courage surprising him. "You let me find you."
A low chuckle escaped Dragon's lips. "Heh heh heh. So you noticed?"
"Of course. If you wanted to stay hidden, I would never have found you. The question is, why did you let me?"
Dragon's smile was a subtle, dangerous curve in the shadows. "I had my sights on your crew since you arrived at the docks. But only you, after finishing your tasks, were looking for something… or someone." He paused, letting the weight of his observation settle. "And I noticed your… singular will… to find specifically… me. Now tell me, young man, why are you looking for me?"
Mario's mind raced. He had to choose his words with the precision of a surgeon. One wrong move, one revelation too many, and he could shatter the future irrevocably. He took a deep, steadying breath, the air crackling with nascent lightning.
"Vegapunk has the information you seek recorded...."
He never finished the sentence.
In an impossible burst of speed that made his own Soru look like a child's stumble, Dragon closed the distance. A hand of iron clamped around Mario's throat, lifting him off his feet. The air fled his lungs in a choked gasp.
"Ugh….."
Dragon's grip was absolute, and his Conqueror's Haki, though restrained, pressed down on Mario's very spirit, paralyzing him with its sheer, overwhelming pressure. The weather responded to the revolutionary's agitation; the wind howled, and thunder boomed directly overhead.
"You…" Dragon's whisper was colder than the gathering storm, his eyes gleaming from the shadows with an intensity that promised death. A violent shiver wracked Mario's body. "Who are you?"
CRASH!
Down in the square, the confrontation had begun. Buggy's manic laughter echoed, and Alvida's shrill voice cut through the wind. They had Luffy pinned on the execution platform, the blade raised high.
"Please....Listen..." Mario choked out, his vision spotting. "I mean you no harm….. Who or what I am is of no importance… The only thing you need to remember… Vegapunk... Lulusia….. and…. the name IMU!…..."
He was rapidly losing strength, the edges of his consciousness darkening. He could see the calculation in Dragon's narrowed eyes—the debate on whether to drag this mysterious informant to a hidden base and tear the secrets from him.
"I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BE PIRATE KING!!!!!!" a scream teared through the square.
"You…. Need…. To…. Save…. Luffy!" Mario forced out the words with the last of his breath, his eyes pleading as he gestured weakly toward the stand.
Dragon's gaze snapped toward the platform, where Buggy's sword began its descent. A flicker of something—paternal instinct, fate, acceptance of Mario's plea—crossed his face. He released his grip on Mario's throat and simply raised a finger, first to the sky, then pointing directly down at the execution stand.
A thick, blinding fork of lightning, summoned from the heart of the storm, tore through the heavens.
BOOOM!
The world turned white. The sound was deafening. The platform exploded into splinters.
Mario collapsed to the wet roof tiles, gasping and clutching his bruised throat, drawing in ragged, precious breaths of the storm-charged air. He had done it. He had planted the seeds. Now, he could only pray they would grow in the mind of the world's most dangerous revolutionary.
As soon as he could draw a full breath, Mario pushed off the rain-slicked tiles.
Soru!
The world blurred as he descended, not with the grace of Sanji or the raw power of Zoro, but with a desperate, functional speed that landed him squarely in the chaos-choked streets. The heavens had opened, and rain fell in thick, blinding sheets, turning the cobblestones into a treacherous mirror reflecting the panic.
The square was a maelstrom of violence. Marines and pirates clashed in the downpour, their shouts and the clang of steel swallowed by the roar of the storm.
Mario moved like a ghost through the fray, his newly honed footwork allowing him to slip between grappling combatants, his body still aching from Dragon's crushing grip. He ducked under a wild swing, sidestepped a charging marine, and kept running, his lungs burning as he fought to regain his wind.
He spotted them up ahead—three familiar figures carving a path through the chaos. Luffy's rubbery limbs snapped out like whips, Zorro's newly acquired swords were a whirlwind of steel, and Sanji's legs were a blur of precise, devastating kicks.
Mario pushed harder, finally reaching their defensive perimeter just as a marine tried to take advantage of his approach.
As soon as Luffy noticed him, his face split into a wide, rain-soaked grin.
"OI, MARIO! Where were you?" Without even looking, Luffy's arm elongated, and a Gomu Gomu no Pistol slammed into the marine sneaking up behind Mario, sending the man flying into a stack of crates.
Mario leaned over, hands on his knees, sucking in the wet air.
"Nowhere," he coughed out, the lie coming easily amidst the adrenaline.
"Just had a nice conversation with a nice old man."
They fell into a rhythm, a well-oiled machine of destruction and retreat, moving as a unit down the street toward the docks.
"Old man?" Luffy asked, genuinely puzzled as he casually clotheslined two marines with a stretched arm.
"Man, I hoped you were into… you know… women." Sanji wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Mario couldn't help but laugh, the sound strange and freeing in the midst of the battle.
"Nah. This old man was just… worried about his son. Really worried."
Luffy's expression shifted instantly to one of genuine, simple empathy. "Poor guy," he said, his voice softening. "Should we help him?"
A marine lieutenant chose that moment to leap in front of them, only to be simultaneously disarmed by Zorro and kicked into a wall by Sanji.
"Do you not see the marines chasing behind us?!"
Luffy blinked, the moment of compassion replaced by the immediate, thrilling reality of their escape. He glanced back at the horde of white uniforms giving chase, a wide, exhilarated grin spreading across his face.
"Ah, you're right!" he declared, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "ESCAPE FIRST!"