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Chapter: The Dragon's Intervention
Although Monkey D. Dragon had entrusted his son to Garp to raise since childhood, Luffy barely remembered what his own father even looked like.
Dragon's reason, however, wasn't neglect. The work of the Revolutionary Army was far too dangerous. To protect his son and avoid suspicion, he deliberately kept his distance.
It was a far cry from the likes of Roger, Shanks, or Yasopp—men who willingly abandoned their families for the sea.
From the moment Dragon personally saw Luffy off in Loguetown, he'd secretly sent Revolutionary cadres to guard his son from the shadows. Even from afar, his concern was clear.
Compared to Roger, who'd left his infant to fate, Dragon's love was genuine—a father's love restrained by duty.
But that love might soon become his greatest burden.
Because Dragon knew his son's heart too well.
If Nami and Robin remained aboard Uchiha Rin's ship, then when the two years of training passed—the promised "3D2Y"—Luffy would surely come looking for them.
And having observed Uchiha Rin's ruthless methods, Dragon would rather see his son clash with Admiral Kizaru than cross paths with that man.
Uchiha Rin wasn't playing pirate games.
Once he marked someone as an enemy, he'd destroy them without hesitation.
So Dragon made his decision.
He would use this rare opportunity to take Nami and Robin away—no matter the risk.
Rin would likely come after them, but the world was vast. It wouldn't be easy to find them again. Better that than letting Luffy walk straight into death's door.
---
"Mr. Dragon—what's going on?!"
"W–Wait! Wasn't that storm supposed to blow us away?!"
"Am I… dreaming?"
Kerra, Nami, and Robin all looked around in confusion.
They were standing on the grassy deck of the Sunny.
But that was impossible. Moments ago, they'd been swept hundreds of meters into the sky by Dragon's gale. How could they be back on the ship already?
Dragon himself froze in disbelief. His eyes darted toward the deck—and then he saw him.
Uchiha Rin sat casually on a bench beside the mast, one leg crossed over the other, smiling as if watching a show.
Nami, who'd spent the most time with Rin, wasn't even surprised anymore. She'd witnessed too many impossible feats from this man.
From the look on Konan's and Killer Bee's faces, even they didn't understand what had happened.
A bead of sweat slid down Dragon's temple.
Unwilling to accept it, he summoned the wind again, lifting himself and the others high into the sky like martial arts heroes escaping on a gust.
But in the next instant—
They were right back where they started.
The same deck. The same sunlight. The same Uchiha Rin smiling mockingly from his bench.
"This… what kind of ability is this?" Dragon muttered, shaken to the core.
He wasn't panicking because of Rin's power—he was panicking because he couldn't even comprehend what had happened.
And that was far more terrifying.
Rin ignored his question. He rose slowly from the bench, smiling.
"Is that the Wind-Wind Fruit? Or perhaps some Weather Fruit that manipulates the climate?" he mused. "Either way, a very impressive ability."
Before Dragon could reply, a deep rumble echoed from behind them.
Two massive ships—each made from interlocked logs—were slicing through the sea toward them.
"That's… the Saber of Xebec!" Kerra gasped.
The Blackbeard Pirates.
Aside from Rin's crew, they were the only ones who treated piracy like war instead of play. For the past two years, the Revolutionaries had clashed with them repeatedly.
"So, you did make a deal with Blackbeard," Dragon said coldly.
He'd already suspected it—ever since Rin handed the corpse of Green Bull to Shiryu of the Rain. That kind of favor never came without a price.
Rin's smile didn't falter. "Red," he said casually, turning to the girl standing behind him, "you know what to do with your Devil Fruit."
Kerra's face drained of color.
Everyone in the world knew the Blackbeard crew as the Ability Hunters. And now they were here—at Rin's side.
She didn't even need to ask what he intended.
"Stop! He's Luffy's father!" Nami shouted desperately.
Rin tilted his head, unfazed.
"I already killed Usopp's old man," he said flatly. "Why would Luffy's father be any different?"
Then, almost as an afterthought, he added,
"Though for the record—Jesus Burgess was killed by Hachi. I just supplied the weapons."
Dragon's expression hardened. His body blurred, transforming into swirling emerald wind—elemental form!
Kerra stepped beside him, taking a martial stance, left hand forward, right hand back—Fishman Karate ready to strike.
"Stay out of this, big-eyed girl," Rin warned with a smirk. "I like your selfless nature. As long as you don't move, I won't hurt you."
In the next instant, both Rin and Dragon vanished.
Their fists met in midair—wind and black flame colliding in a roaring explosion.
"The Sunny—it'll be destroyed!" Nami screamed.
But before the shockwave could hit, the ship suddenly lifted off the sea.
It hovered, then shot backward like a cannonball.
Nami turned, wide-eyed, to see Konan holding her hand aloft.
Of course—the Float-Float Fruit.
She'd almost forgotten that ability in all the chaos.
Below, storm and fire clashed again and again. Waves rose like mountains.
---
"Hey, hey! What's going on over there?!"
On the approaching Saber of Xebec, Blackbeard peered into the distance.
His navigator, Lafitte, lifted his telescope. "The combatants are Uchiha Rin and Monkey D. Dragon," he reported.
Blackbeard grinned, showing his teeth. "Ohh~ the leader of the Revolutionary Army himself, huh? Fine ability he's got. Think we could recruit him?"
"Don't," Shiryu of the Rain said flatly, cigar between his lips. "You don't want to interfere with Rin's prey. You remember what happened to Green Bull, don't you?"
"Thief–hahaha! I was just joking!" Blackbeard chuckled.
He wasn't stupid. He knew when to stay out of a monster's way.
After hearing what Shiryu had seen in Gran Tesoro, Blackbeard had felt both fear and excitement.
Another contender for the throne had appeared.
And that only made the game more thrilling.
"Should we move, Captain?" Lafitte asked. "We did strike a deal with Rin's crew…"
"Not yet," Blackbeard said after a moment's thought. "Let's watch first. If they both bleed, we take everything."
That was his style—wait, watch, and steal the spoils.
---
"Dragon Claw Hurricane Flurry!"
Dragon's fingers curled into a claw, emerald wind condensing between them. The air itself screamed as he struck.
His movements revealed the origin of Sabo's martial arts—refined, disciplined, deadly. Only stronger.
He was the ultimate version of Sabo, the storm itself made flesh.
But even the top version of Sabo—or even Whitebeard—wouldn't be safe today.
Because Uchiha Rin had already drawn his power.
Silver-white ribs of a skeletal guardian—Susanoo—formed around him. A massive bone hand gripped a chakra blade, slamming into Dragon's claws.
The impact shook the sea. Waves towering dozens of meters high slammed into the Saber of Xebec.
"Thief—hahaha!" Blackbeard laughed as he countered the shockwave with a quake of his own.
Even from a distance, the clash of gods made the world tremble.
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