An invisible shockwave spread in an instant, and it felt as if even the sky and earth changed color with it.
Conqueror's Haki—no doubt about it.
But this Conqueror's Haki was still at a beginner stage.
At this level, resisting it was easy for both Roger and Rono.
"Conqueror's Haki? Young Marine—state your name!" Rono demanded.
After using his own Conqueror's Haki to push back the other's, a deeper interest flickered in Rono's eyes.
There weren't many people in the Marines who possessed Conqueror's Haki.
In Rono's memory, it seemed like only Sengoku had that kind of thing.
But the young man in front of him was clearly not Sengoku—and in the original story, Rono couldn't recall any matching figure either.
So who the hell was this Marine?!
"My name is Monkey D. Dragon! I swear I'll use the sword of justice in my heart to cut down all injustice beneath the heavens!" the young man answered, his words ringing like steel.
"Dragon!"
The moment Rono heard that name, he froze on the spot.
It was actually Dragon!
…The future leader of the Revolutionary Army—the world's most heinous criminal!
No wonder that ridiculous, chuunibyou aura was all over him. He really was Luffy's father.
So Dragon had been a Marine once?
Interesting. Very interesting.
From a Marine to the man who would one day try to overthrow the World Government… whatever happened to him later must've been one hell of a blow.
"Hahaha! Monkey D. Dragon—I'll remember it!" Roger laughed loudly from the side.
Chuunibyou energy really did attract chuunibyou energy.
Rono looked straight at Dragon. "Your name's noted, Dragon. Mine is Rono. If you ever get disappointed in the Marines one day… remember to come find me."
Rono didn't know what Dragon would go through to turn from a Marine into the Revolutionary Army's leader.
But one thing was certain:
Their goals were the same.
If Dragon could help him in the future, Rono would be one step closer to his own goal.
After all, the Revolutionary Army would become a massive force—one that wasn't even weaker than a Yonko crew.
And Dragon's strength… even if it hadn't fully been shown in the story, it was beyond doubt that he would be an Emperor-class powerhouse.
Plant a seed in the heart of a monster while he's young…
…and one day, what you get back won't be a sapling—it'll be a forest.
"Don't fantasize, Rono," Dragon said, jaw tight with conviction. "I'm a Marine. I will never, ever join pirates!"
His face was rigidly determined—the look of someone who'd just enlisted and hadn't been beaten by reality yet.
"Hahaha, fine," Rono said, laughing. "Then go ahead and try. Try changing the Marines."
PS (Author's Note from the RAW)
I've seen a bunch of people swearing up and down that Dragon used to be a Marine and that the original work mentioned it—then calling me a clueless fake. I really can't take it anymore.
First: the original never mentioned Dragon being a Marine. Not once.
If you disagree, then tell me which chapter—bring the evidence and slap me in the face with it. I'll apologize publicly on the spot.
Instead of just arguing for the sake of arguing.
"Who asserts, who proves"—everyone understands that logic.
Look at what the original actually says about Dragon.
Go read the Water 7 section where Garp meets Luffy and reveals his background.
Robin's original point was: the World Government knows nothing about his identity, his past, his experiences—he's a man wrapped in mystery.
See that?
They know nothing. Got it?!
I've seen too many people read too much fanfic and forget the difference between fanfic and canon.
A bunch of clueless loudmouths trying to show off—ruins my mood.
"Damn it—don't look down on me!" Dragon felt humiliated. He raised his recruit's short blade and rushed at Rono, like he wanted to prove he wasn't just empty talk.
Humm—!
Rono didn't even need to move.
One burst of Conqueror's Haki washed over Dragon again—and Dragon collapsed, knocked out cold.
"There are some decent seedlings in the Marines," Roger said with a grin as he looked at the fallen Dragon. "He'll definitely become an opponent one day."
"Maybe," Rono replied, almost like he was talking to himself.
He couldn't help wondering whether Dragon would change his stance before the God Valley battle.
With Dragon dealt with, the two of them continued deeper into the ship's interior.
When Rono pushed the door open, a vast sea of gold and jewels immediately flooded their vision—so bright it almost blinded them.
"WOW! Heavenly Tribute really is something else!" Roger was thrilled. "This much gold has to be worth hundreds of millions of Beli, right?"
"At least several billion—maybe even tens of billions," Rono said. He didn't know the exact value, but it was absolutely far more than "a few hundred million."
With wealth like this, you could wash your hands of piracy forever and go home—your family line could spend for generations and still not run out.
"Hahaha! Then let's go buy booze!" Roger flopped right into the pile of gold, looking blissful.
"…There are more rooms in here?" Rono frowned.
He'd noticed something: deeper inside, there were additional doors. More treasure?
BANG.
Rono shoved a door open.
The room beyond was dark and damp, and the air carried a foul, stinging stink.
In the center was a huge iron cage, crammed full of people—that stench came from here.
A slave room.
They were mostly ordinary people, though there were also a few stunningly beautiful women among them.
When they saw Rono enter, the slaves fell unnaturally silent. Their eyes were full of terror, and they backed away on instinct.
They thought Rono was one of the World Government's people.
They were already this frightened just from seeing someone walk in…
You didn't even need to imagine what kind of inhuman torment they suffered every day.
Looking at these innocent people and the fear carved into their faces—this was all Celestial Dragon sin.
"You're free," Rono said.
He tore the heavy lock off the cage in one pull.
The slaves stared, stunned—so disbelieving that for a long moment none of them even dared to believe it was real.
Only when Rono walked straight into the next room did everyone finally snap out of it.
"We're free!"
"Free!"
The slaves surged out like a flood. Like headless flies, some ran out—then turned back again, rushing to Rono to thank him in a panic before fleeing.
The next room was also filled with slaves… but it was much larger.
Because these weren't ordinary slaves.
They were special races.
Longarm Tribe. Longleg Tribe. Merfolk. Snake-headed people. Rono even saw Minks.
That wasn't the most shocking part—he even saw members of the Oni-like horned tribe.
Celestial Dragons really did have "connections."
These races were rare, but the Celestial Dragons captured them by the cage.
When those slaves saw Rono, their reactions were the same as the humans': disgust mixed with fear. Some merfolk even looked openly desperate.
Merfolk were strikingly beautiful by nature—some human beauties couldn't compare.
Which meant what they endured was likely even worse than what ordinary human slaves suffered.
"Go," Rono said quietly. "…You're free."
BOOM!
He smashed the massive iron cage open with a single punch.
Just like the humans before them, these different races stared at the broken cage in disbelief, hardly daring to trust their eyes.
"R-really…?"
One Mink, a little braver than the others, stepped out cautiously. When Rono didn't move to stop him, the Mink sprinted out.
A minute later, the Mink came running back, practically vibrating with excitement.
"It's real! The Marines outside—and the World Government people—are all knocked out! Hurry! Leave now!"
With a wave of the Mink's hand, people of every race moved at once, overjoyed, rushing out as fast as they could.
In the chaos, a red-skinned fishman suddenly stepped up to Rono—then dropped to his knees.
"M-may I ask… benefactor… your honored name?"
The red fishman's voice trembled with respect.
At that, the slaves who'd been running all stopped.
They all wanted to know the name of the person who saved them.
"Rono," Rono answered.
As he spoke, he studied the red fishman carefully.
This guy looked familiar—like Rono had seen him somewhere before.
That bright red skin…
If he remembered right, this was the future fishman hero—Fisher Tiger.
But right now, Tiger was only in his twenties. He looked too different from the original story.
If it weren't for that unmistakable red skin, Rono wouldn't have recognized him at all.
"Your great恩… your kindness—Tiger will never forget it as long as he lives!" Tiger said, solemn and fierce.
Tiger lowered his head and knocked several loud bows on the deck, then gathered his fellow fishmen and left with them.
If it weren't for Rono, he—and those fishmen—would've been shipped to the Holy Land…
…and no one knew what kind of inhuman abuse they would've suffered there.
"Rono…" Other slaves repeated the name too, engraving their savior into memory.
Some copied Tiger and bowed as well.
"I didn't expect Tiger to get caught this early," Rono muttered.
He truly hadn't expected to meet the future fishman hero Fisher Tiger here.
Tiger wasn't particularly strong, but his influence among fishmen was enormous—comparable to Princess Otohime.
And Tiger's influence didn't stop at fishmen. Among those who had been slaves to the Celestial Dragons, his influence was massive.
After all, people called him 'Hero' Tiger.
After releasing those slaves, Rono continued toward the deepest room.
He had to admit—the ship's interior was enormous. How much money would it take to build a giant sailing ship like this?
When he opened the final door—
Rono's eyes sharpened.
What lay inside… was what interested him the most.
The room was lavish, elegant, drenched in noble luxury.
And in the center were several glass display cases.
Inside those cases…
were Devil Fruits.
Bathed in warm light, the Devil Fruits gleamed—strangely beautiful.