"What?"
The sudden turn of events captured Dragon's attention to the maximum, and he immediately pressed for more information without the slightest hesitation.
Luo Yan was overjoyed inside. He had even made himself bleed to play the charlatan, and now he had finally seized the initiative. However, on the surface, he feigned confusion.
"I can't see Luffy clearly; I can only vaguely make out a few words."
"Tell me."
Dragon's expression grew more serious, and he made a gesture to listen. Luo Yan nodded, acting as if he was recalling and pondering.
"'Warrior of Freedom,' 'Drums of Liberation,' Joy Boy, and... Nika. This is what I saw. I can understand the first parts, but I don't currently know what Joy Boy and Nika mean. Do you have any answers?"
Of course, Luo Yan couldn't possibly not know what they meant, but he deliberately said so. He believed that Dragon, as the leader of the Revolutionary Army, would certainly know the name Joy Boy. And although Nika was intentionally obscured by the World Government, since Dragon was actively resisting the World Government, there was a chance he knew the meaning of the name "Nika."
Luo Yan's feigned ignorance made him seem even more like a charlatan.
Indeed, after hearing Luo Yan's words, Dragon's expression became extremely solemn, and for a moment, he even seemed lost in thought. The effect was far better than Luo Yan had anticipated.
"You seem to know something?"
Luo Yan pressed on while the iron was hot. Dragon snapped out of his daze and nodded slightly, confirming it. However, he had no intention of enlightening Luo Yan and instead changed the subject.
"You mentioned earlier that you wanted to express goodwill to the Revolutionary Army. What is that goodwill?"
Although Luo Yan had tried his best to disguise it, his eyes couldn't help but light up at this moment.
"Something that can significantly enhance the Revolutionary Army's combat strength in a short period."
"Then what is the price for this increase in power?"
Dragon was very calm. He knew very well that power needed to be earned through effort, and a significant increase in a short time couldn't be without a price. The most direct example was the devil fruit; ordinary people could greatly enhance their strength in a short time by eating a devil fruit, but then they had to bear the price of being hated by the sea.
"It seems you're very experienced. And yes, after all, devil fruit also fits what I just said. I can concoct something called 'potions.' Depending on the type of potion, drinking it grants different kinds of special abilities, like the wind and water control abilities I just demonstrated."
"Potions..."
Dragon murmured the name, searching his mind, confirming that he had never encountered anything similar.
"So what is the price?"
Dragon repeated his question. Luo Yan's expression remained unchanged as he continued to explain: "Naturally, there's a price. There's a risk of losing control and turning into a monster when drinking a potion, but at lower Sequences, this risk is very low. Oh! I forgot to mention, potions aren't like devil fruits where you can only drink them once. After a person digests a potion, they can drink another, but they must strictly follow the correct sequence and type, or they will lose control on the spot."
"Turn into a monster?"
Dragon narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Luo Yan, as if trying to see signs of a monster on him, but he saw no features that didn't belong to a human.
Luo Yan naturally knew what Dragon was thinking. He smiled, said nothing more, and continued to explain: "There are a total of twenty-two types of potions, and each type is divided into nine stages. I call them Sequences, from Sequence 9 to Sequence 1. Sequence 9 is the beginning, and Sequence 1 is the end."
Dragon had thought that the potions Luo Yan spoke of were only a few types, but then he mentioned twenty-two types, and the concept of Sequences. It sounded like a very complete and established system, not at all like something newly created, yet he had never heard of it.
"Are there that many?"
"That's right, but not all twenty-two types of potions are suitable for the Revolutionary Army. Some potions can make people very evil, and I imagine you wouldn't want to see anyone in the Revolutionary Army become like that."
"How can I believe what you just said?"
Even though Luo Yan's act as a charlatan had been very successful, and he had demonstrated his wind and water control abilities in front of Dragon, Dragon still didn't completely believe him. It sounded simply too incredible.
This was also an expected development for Luo Yan. If Dragon had believed him outright, he would have suspected Dragon had other motives.
"It's simple. You just need to have someone try it. I still have quite a few potions on hand."
Dragon fell silent, and after nearly a minute, he slowly nodded.
"Fifty nautical miles south, there's an uninhabited island. There's a Secrecy port of the Revolutionary Army there. Go there."
"No problem. So, are you taking my ship or...?"
"Heh heh, my ship is there. I'll just take your ship over."
Luo Yan said, his joy unconcealed: "Welcome!"
Luo Yan led the way, with Dragon following behind. The two walked through the streets of Loguetown without attracting anyone's attention. The earlier commotion had caused the residents to fear and hide in their homes, and the rain hadn't stopped, so not many people were out.
Luo Yan had expected to wait on the ship for his crew, as they had agreed to return before dark, and the three of them clearly wanted to have fun.
However, when Luo Yan returned to the port where his ship was docked, he found all three of them there, waiting by the shore of the port, and the atmosphere seemed a bit strange.
Xia Tali's expression was peculiar, even a little uncomfortable. Luo Ta and Mite were also eerily quiet, their gazes somewhat evasive.
"Ah! Captain is back!"
Xia Tali rushed towards Luo Yan as if seeing a savior. However, when she saw a seemingly very formidable person following behind Luo Yan, her surprised expression gradually faded, and her steps unconsciously slowed.
"Xia Tali, what's wrong with you all?"
"N-nothing."
Xia Tali glanced at Dragon without a trace and shook her head. Seeing this, Luo Yan didn't press further and pointed at Dragon.
"This is Dragon of the Revolutionary Army. We're heading to the Revolutionary Army's port next. Set sail!"
"Revolutionary Army?"
Xia Tali looked at Dragon with surprise and bewilderment. She hadn't expected Luo Yan to have a connection with the Revolutionary Army, as Luo Yan had previously said his goal was to be an Adventurer.
Dragon didn't mind Xia Tali's scrutiny. He scanned Xia Tali, then looked at Luo Ta and Mite behind her.
"Your companions seem quite good."
"Of course, they are my companions!"
Luo Yan's tone carried a hint of pride. However, he knew very well that Dragon was just being polite. Three Sequence 9s, how good could they be? But he couldn't show that; he still had to act proud, as if his companions truly were excellent.