Translator: PapaSmurf0700
As another island materialized from the dense fog, slowly drifting toward them, the appetites of the Straw Hat Pirates vanished. Only Luffy, oblivious as ever, continued to eat. The rest were rigid with tension, their eyes fixed on the approaching landmass, wondering who would emerge next.
The arrival was far more subtle than Garp's thunderous appearance. A single figure stood on the shore, shrouded entirely in a dark green cloak, their face and form hidden in shadow. Nami and the others leaned forward, straining to see.
Their answer came not from sight, but from a familiar, furious roar.
"Taste my Fist of Love, you damn brat!"
With a sound like cracking stone, Garp stomped the ground, shattering it beneath his feet, and launched himself forward like a cannonball. He was a blur of motion, disappearing from his spot and reappearing in the air directly above the cloaked figure, his fist raised high.
Just as he was about to strike, a sudden gust of wind—seemingly from nowhere—whipped the cloak upward, forming a barrier. The fabric billowed out, meeting Garp's fist. It was not enough to stop the Vice-Admiral's power, and the cloak was torn to shreds by the force of the blow, but the attack missed its target. The figure was gone.
"He... he turned into wind?" Usopp stammered, his eyes wide.
"A Logia-type," Zoro muttered, his hand on his sword. "Like Aokiji's."
As the crew tried to process what they'd seen, a breeze swirled beside Bai Ye, coalescing into the shape of a man. He stood tall and slender, wearing a dark green coat over a severe, composed expression. His hair was short and black, and a strange, crimson tattoo marked the left side of his face.
"Still have the same temper, old man," the man said, his voice calm and deep.
Garp landed heavily, not attacking again, but his fury hadn't subsided. "You insolent whelp! Is that any way to greet your father?"
There was no doubt left. This was him. The final guest. The leader of the Revolutionary Army, son of the Marine Hero, father of the future Pirate King. The world's most wanted man.
Monkey D. Dragon.
-----
"FATHER?!!!"
The familiar, synchronized shout of disbelief erupted from the Straw Hat crew. They stared at Dragon, then their gazes all snapped in unison toward Luffy, who was still chewing on a piece of meat.
If this man is Garp's son... then that means he's Luffy's—
"My father?" Luffy tilted his head, looking at Dragon with simple curiosity.
"It's been a long time, Luffy," Dragon said, his tone softening almost imperceptibly. "You've certainly caused quite a stir on your journey."
"Hmph. Your son is a pirate," Garp grumbled, crossing his arms.
"Are not all who sail the seas free from the control of the World Government considered pirates?" Dragon countered smoothly. "I told you long ago. True freedom can only be achieved by overthrowing the corrupt system that governs this world... isn't that right, father?"
Dragon hesitated on the final word, as if the title felt foreign on his tongue.
Garp's expression tightened. "And have your revolutions brought peace? How many kingdoms have you 'liberated' only for them to descend into endless war and chaos? Is inciting conflict the only answer you have?"
The word "father" had clearly struck a chord with Garp, but he met his son's ideology with fierce opposition. For a moment, Dragon was silent, the weight of the accusation hanging in the air.
"That is why I am here," he said finally, his gaze shifting to Bai Ye, who had been observing the family drama intently. "I am looking for a different answer."
He addressed the Priest directly. "Sabo told me of your philosophy. I have also read your analysis of the World Government's structure."
This was only their second meeting, but Dragon felt a strange kinship with the man. Perhaps it was because he was the one person in the world who seemed to truly understand his goals, or perhaps the Revolutionary Army had simply been studying the Straw Hats for so long. Whatever the reason, Dragon spoke without reservation.
"Sabo believes you can guide the future of our cause. He said you could show us a new path. I came to see if he was right."
The declaration stunned everyone present. These words, spoken by the world's most dangerous criminal, carried immense weight.
Faced with such expectation, Bai Ye remained calm, though his mind was racing. Are these three really related? Did Garp's 'fist of love' create that tattoo on Dragon's face? Also...
For some reason, Bai Ye's thoughtful gaze seemed to make Dragon uncomfortable.
"Ahem." Bai Ye cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "Now that our final guest has arrived, perhaps we should all sit down. We have much to discuss, and a meal to share. After all," he added with a meaningful look, "we all have a very busy five months ahead of us."
-----
In a lavishly decorated room high in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the Shichibukai summoned for the coming war were being housed. In one of these chambers, a group of men plotted, their laughter echoing off the gilded walls. These were the architects of the conflict, the very men who had set the world on its current course.
The Blackbeard Pirates. The crew who had defeated Fire Fist Ace and handed him to the World Government in exchange for a Warlord title.
"Captain, the world is shifting in a most interesting way," Laffitte observed, his every movement laced with a performer's elegance.
"Zehahahahaha! You're damn right it is!" Marshall D. Teach roared, his wild laughter unhindered by the gaps in his teeth. "Straw Hat Luffy and that Priest, Bai Ye, actually declared war on the whole world! Zehahaha!"
"It seems to work in our favor, however," Van Augur, the "Supersonic" sniper, said coolly as he polished his rifle. "The World Government and the Navy will be stretched thin. They won't be able to spare forces to watch us."
"It is all the work of fate," rasped Doc Q, the ship's doctor, looking as if he might collapse at any moment. "The captain is truly fate's chosen."
Blackbeard's grin widened. "Zehahaha! Once our plan succeeds, my place among the Four Emperors will be secured! Zehahahaha!"
-----
In a dimly lit chamber, high above the world on his floating island, a man with golden hair like a lion's mane, so long it pooled on the floor, roared with laughter as he read the newspaper.
"Shishishishi! To think there are still pirates with such guts in this day and age!"
The most startling thing about him wasn't his hair, but the ship's rudder impaled in his skull.
"So what if it's the World Government? I broke into Marineford all by myself once! Shishishishi!"
This was Shiki the Golden Lion, one of the three legendary pirates of the old era, a rival to both Roger and Whitebeard. He was the only man to have ever escaped the great prison of Impel Down.
His laughter faded, and he stared down at the newspaper, a glint in his eye.
"So," he murmured to himself, "it all goes down in one month?"