Three days later.
East Blue.
Goa Kingdom – Foosha Village.
The skies were bright, the breeze gentle.
Morning sunlight spilled across the simple village, where humble villagers had already begun their daily work, lively and bustling.
Five kilometers off the village port—
The endless sea lay calm, reflecting the drifting clouds above.
A small merchant ship slowly sailed forward, slicing through the tranquil waters.
On deck stood only a handful of figures, each cloaked in deep brown robes, concealing both their features and builds from prying eyes.
At the head was a tall, lean man.
His hood cast shadow over a stern, tattooed face. A scar-like ink pattern stretched across one side of his face, devoid of eyebrows, giving his sharp features a cold, ruthless edge. His piercing eyes burned with ambition—an ambition vast enough to embrace the world itself.
This was the kind of face one could never forget after a single glance.
This man was none other than Monkey D. Dragon.
The founder and supreme leader of the Revolutionary Army.
The man the World Government had labeled the most dangerous criminal in the world.
Even Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King himself, had never posed such a threat.
For pirates were mere marauders of the seas—
but Dragon sought to topple the very rule of the World Government itself.
And for that, his existence was far more terrifying.
For years, the Marines had failed to capture him despite countless efforts. That fact alone spoke volumes of his terrifying strength.
As leader of the Revolutionary Army, his power was undoubtedly among the very pinnacle of this ocean.
Yet now, something had disturbed him.
These past few days, the Marines had gone berserk—launching sudden, ruthless assaults on Revolutionary bases across the seas.
The dragon frowned deeply.
"Have we uncovered the reason for the Marines' madness these past few days?"
The massive, heavyset woman beside him—her face painted, eyes dramatic—turned her head.
She was none other than Emporio Ivankov, King of the Kamabakka Kingdom, one of Dragon's earliest and most trusted commanders.
Her expression was serious.
"We've discovered the cause," she said.
"All the reports point to a single reason."
"Because of a single person."
Dragon's frown deepened.
"…One person? You mean to tell me the Marines would risk open war against us, just because of one man?"
Ivankov nodded gravely.
"In truth, Dragon… the Marines' purpose is not just to strike at our bases."
"They're trying to stop you."
"…Stop me? From what?" Dragon's voice lowered.
Ivankov drew in a deep breath.
"They're trying to prevent you from returning home… from reuniting with your son in Foosha Village."
The dragon froze.
"…My son?"
"That's right. The boy you left in Foosha four years ago—Kai."
Her voice trembled slightly with the weight of the words.
"The Marines are desperately trying to stop father and son from meeting. They've gone so far as to ravage our bases, all to prevent that reunion."
Dragon's brows furrowed.
"…And why would they go to such extremes?"
Ivankov's voice dropped, heavy with awe.
"Because your son is a genius—a monster of talent. Sengoku the Buddha himself has declared him 'a once-in-a-century prodigy.'"
"More than that—when he was only three years old, he awakened the Conqueror's Haki!"
"The Marines fear that if you and your son meet, such a prodigy will fall under the banner of the Revolutionary Army. They fear what the future would hold if that happened."
"That is why the Marines are panicking. That is why they are trying everything to stop you."
Her voice carried disbelief even as she spoke it.
"The Marines—an entire world-spanning military force—has been shaken to its core… by a four-year-old child."
"What kind of monster must he be, for the Navy itself to tremble before him?"
Dragon stood silently, the sea breeze brushing against his cloak.
At last, he murmured, almost to himself:
"…Three years old… and he awakened the Conqueror's Haki?"
His eyes widened slightly.
"So my son… is actually this talented?"
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