With a loud bang, Dragon slammed both hands onto the desk and shot to his feet.
“I can tolerate someone like Sakazuki sacrificing everything to complete a mission!”
“But I can’t tolerate living inside the conspiracy of a massive organization!”
“It feels as though only the member nations are entitled to enjoy all the benefits handed out by the World Government…”
“Meanwhile, the non-member nations are left to endure wars worse than hell year after year.
Why?
There has to be a reason.”
“And I’m certain it has something to do with the Celestial Dragons!”
“I already know that six years ago, the old man became a hero because he protected the Celestial Dragons at God Valley in the West Blue.”
“And now he calls them nothing but beasts…
scum.”
“Do you understand how I feel, Karasu?”
Dragon, desperate to uncover the truth and understand what justice truly meant within the Marines, finally let all of his bottled-up frustration explode.
Since following Dragon from the North Blue, Karasu had never seen him this furious.
It was as though he had reached the limits of his patience.
He wanted answers.
Who started the wars in the non-member nations?
Who sold them the weapons?
Dragon wanted to know it all.
Just then, as he stood there in silence, he noticed a figure outside the office window.
“Who’s there?” Dragon called sharply.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
“It’s me, Colonel ,” Arthur answered from outside.
“Come in.”
Arthur entered with Cooper at his side, glancing around the office.
“Arthur,” Dragon asked seriously, “did you hear everything just now?”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Arthur wore his usual relaxed expression.
It was completely different from the person he became in battle.
“Yeah, I heard it.”
“But I doubt that’s why you called me here, Colonel .”
Arthur answered honestly.
He had never seen Dragon this angry before.
“The prison transport ship carrying Apollo sent us a report,” Dragon said.
“Apollo and his first mate, Lake…
both died while receiving emergency treatment.”
Arthur’s expression remained completely calm.
“Did someone kill them?”
“No.”
“They died from their injuries.”
Dragon watched Arthur closely.
“I guess they still needed to toughen up,” Arthur replied matter-of-factly.
He knew perfectly well what had happened.
After losing the ability to fight back, Apollo had still taken dozens of Arthur’s full-powered punches.
If that hadn’t killed him…
He would have been a monster.
Dragon continued,
“Lake died because of the wound through his neck.”
“Apollo succumbed to the massive internal injuries after taking repeated blows.”
“He died before the doctors could save him.”
“So they’re dead.”
Arthur shrugged.
“Are you planning to plead their case, Colonel ?”
This had been the first time Arthur had ever killed another person.
Oddly enough…
It didn’t feel much different from hunting wild animals.
He felt no emotional turmoil whatsoever.
Instead, he asked another question.
“Were their bounties actually proportional to their strength?”
“Or were they mostly inflated because of their crimes and the reputation of their pirate crew?”
Dragon thought for a moment before answering.
“A pirate’s bounty isn’t determined by strength alone.”
“The Marines consider many different factors.”
“But for the most part…”
“It’s determined by how dangerous they are to the world, along with their actual strength.”
“I see.”
Arthur nodded.
Since joining the Marines, he had never received any formal instruction about how the organization worked.
There were still countless things he didn’t know.
Dragon found it remarkable.
Arthur had just killed a pirate worth over 300 million Berries—a former member of the Rocks Pirates—and yet he remained astonishingly composed.
To Dragon…
That level of calm suggested someone capable of achieving great things.
“The Marines are an enormous organization, Arthur.”
“What you overheard earlier…”
“I’m trying to figure out what it truly means to remain part of it.”
After discussing Apollo and Lake’s deaths, Dragon returned to the previous topic.
“Oh?”
“I’m not sure I understand, Colonel .”
Arthur feigned ignorance.
In reality…
He understood exactly what kind of organization the Marines were.
Karasu stepped in to explain.
“Colonel Dragon believes the Marines have become the Celestial Dragons’ instrument of violence.”
“They sell weapons to non-member nations across the world, fueling endless wars.”
“The Celestial Dragons profit enormously from those conflicts.”
“They don’t care how many people die.”
“And when those countries are destroyed…”
“The news never reports the truth.”
Arthur listened without much reaction.
At his current level of strength, matters between nations felt far beyond his reach.
Those were not things he intended to involve himself in.
“There’s more,” Dragon continued, his expression growing solemn once again.
“During my investigation…”
“I discovered another atrocity.”
“Every three years, the Celestial Dragons seem to…”
His voice trailed off.
Everything beyond that point was still only speculation.
He couldn’t prove it.
Arthur calmly finished the sentence for him.
“They choose a non-member nation they consider worthless…”
“…and slaughter everyone there as part of a game.”
Dragon stared at him.
“If what you said is true…”
Arthur asked quietly,
“…what will you do?”
“I’ll leave the Marines.”
“I’ll save this sea from It’s suffering.”
“I’ll overthrow the World Government!”
Dragon answered without the slightest hesitation.
His voice was filled with conviction…
And boundless fury.
“I can’t accept being an accomplice to an organization like this.”
“When I see the old man again…”
“I’m going to demand the truth from him.”
It sounded as though Dragon had already made up his mind.
So this really is why he left the Marines…
Arthur thought silently.
Then Punk Hazard must be where Dragon first meets Dr.
Vegapunk.
Dragon had shared all of this because he was already preparing for the road ahead.
If he uncovered the truth…
He would begin gathering allies.
Among all the people he had met…
Arthur was the one he understood the least.
On Lionheart Island, Dragon had witnessed a boy who never feared death.
Someone whose only thought during battle was defeating his enemy.
“Arthur.”
Dragon suddenly looked at him as though he were some kind of monster.
“Do you know what Headquarters would do if they discovered someone like you?”
Arthur blinked.
“What would they do?”
“They’d force you into the Marines.”
“If necessary…”
“They’d slaughter everyone in your village.”
“They’d threaten you.”
“Coerce you.”
“Manipulate you.”
“They’d do whatever it took to make you become a powerful Marine and serve them.”
“Hahaha…”
Arthur poked his own cheek and burst into laughter.
“They’ll never be able to threaten us.”
“Right, Cooper?”
Cooper nodded with complete seriousness.
“Cooper!”
(Because we don’t have anyone we care about enough to be used against us!)
“Hahahaha!”
“Not a chance.”
Dragon had intended to explain the darkness lurking within the World Government and the Marines.
Instead…
Arthur and Cooper suddenly started laughing like maniacs.
“Are you two insane?!”
“No, Colonel .”
Arthur instantly regained his usual calm demeanor and saluted.
Beside him, Cooper copied the salute perfectly with one wing.
“Get out.”
“You’re still just a kid.”
“You need a lot more experience.”
Boom!
The next instant, both Arthur and Cooper were thrown out of the office and landed in the narrow corridor.
Bang!
The cabin door slammed shut behind them.
Sitting up in the dim hallway, Arthur grinned.
“We’re undocumented people anyway.”
“Who’s going to threaten us, Cooper?”
“Cooper.”
(I’m a bird.
I don’t even have a human identity.)
“Hahahaha!”
Arthur had no interest in politics.
He treasured his freedom.
He wanted to cast off all those heavy burdens.
The battle in the Aivor Sea had changed his outlook considerably.
He had witnessed the world’s cruelty firsthand.
And he had gradually realized…
If everyone else could ignore those horrors…
Why should he be the one carrying them?
Just then, Dragon’s voice came from inside the office.
“Oh, one more thing, Arthur.”
“The World Military Draft is about to begin.”
“After the Punk Hazard mission, you’ll be heading back to participate.”
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
“The World Military Draft?”
“A worldwide recruitment campaign to find powerful new Marines.”
“If you perform well…”
“You could be promoted directly.”
“Who knows?”
“You might even end up with the same rank as me.”