"Dragon, what exactly are you thinking? Why did you leave the Navy?"
Marshal Kong's question brought a sudden silence to the office. The CP0 agent, who had brought Dragon here, stood motionless, even though his task should have been completed. However, at this moment, all attention was focused on Dragon, and no one paid him any mind.
At that moment, Dragon, who had been silent with his head lowered, slowly raised his gaze and looked directly at the old Marshal of the Marine Headquarters. His eyes were filled with unwavering determination.
"I once believed that the Navy was a force of justice, maintaining order on the seas and protecting the safety of the people. But over the years, what I've seen and heard, aside from fighting pirates, has had nothing to do with justice. The greatest evil is the Celestial Dragons, whom the Navy protects, and the utterly corrupt World Government!"
Throughout his years in the Navy, Dragon had witnessed slave ships filled with civilians from all over, boldly sailing past naval vessels. The cries for help and wails carried by the sea breeze felt like scalding oil poured over his heart.
He had questioned the ship's captain at the time, asking why they let them go when the World Government had long since outlawed the slave trade! But the captain's response was that since the ship wasn't flying a pirate flag and there were no wanted criminals on board, it wasn't their responsibility. The World Government had its own specialized units to handle such matters, and he was told not to meddle.
This attitude doused Dragon's passion like a bucket of ice water.
Later, he saw many small nations unable to pay the Heavenly Tribute on time, leading to their entire populations being rounded up by large contingents of the Army. The Navy, where he served, was responsible for escorting them to the "Bridge Country" in the East Blue.
Dragon wondered, what had they done wrong? Wasn't the real fault with the World Government, which imposed excessive Heavenly Tribute on them? Even he knew that different countries had different economic capabilities.
How could they demand the same amount from everyone? Didn't the World Government understand that?
What harm would it do to levy less from these smaller nations?
These questions, directed at the World Government in his heart, fueled his growing dissatisfaction. Even the way he looked at his father grew colder.
A hero of the Navy?
What kind of hero could the Navy be, protecting such a World Government?
The final blow to Dragon's faith came two years ago, when he was part of a unit assigned to guard a Celestial Dragon. He witnessed a child, forced by his father to kneel on the ground, complain just once. The Celestial Dragon, passing by, shot the child dead on the spot for "disrespect," then casually continued on to a slave auction. Dragon's fingers turned white from clenching his fists in rage. He was filled with despair—despair for the Navy, for the World Government, and for the Celestial Dragons. This world shouldn't be like this.
Perhaps fate was on his side. By chance, he obtained the Logia-type Hurricane Fruit. With it, he had a strong chance of escaping the pursuit of the Navy and the World Government.
Fate played another trick on him; as soon as he stepped out, he was cornered by CP0! Hearing Dragon's resentful words, Garp fell silent, unsure of what to say. Sengoku also furrowed his brows. Of course, he knew these were facts, but as a soldier, obeying government orders was a given. What else could he do? "Dragon, have you ever thought about what the world and the seas would become if the World Government ceased to exist and there was no Navy? A place where everyone governs themselves, with no order at all?"
Marshal Kong finally spoke up. Without waiting for Dragon's response, he continued.
"War! The entire world would turn into a battlefield, an expanded version of the 'Land of Never-Ending War.'"
"Chaos! The seas would be filled with plunder and slaughter, with far more pirates and slave-hunting gangs than now, attacking every inhabited island."
"Dragon, why do you only see the dark side? What about the peaceful lives of people in various countries, maintained through the efforts of our Navy? Do you not care about them at all?"
Dragon stared back expressionlessly and said, "Justice should be maintained where it exists, but darkness cannot be ignored. If we can do better, why not?"
"Corruption, rotten laws, slavery, the Heavenly Tribute, and the Celestial Dragons—they should all be eradicated, one by one!"
Speaking such scathing words against the World Government and the Celestial Dragons in front of CP0 clearly showed he was prepared to die, without a trace of fear.
"Outrageous!"
Sengoku could no longer stand it and roared, "Eradicate? How do you propose to do that?"
"We are the Navy. We don't have the authority to deal with these issues. What you're talking about should be discussed and handled by the kings attending the Levely!"
"For the military to interfere in politics—do you think that's right?"
"Order, order—what is order? Order is rules. If even we in the Navy don't follow the rules, wouldn't everything fall into chaos?"
Dragon opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to respond.
Indeed, if the Navy started acting recklessly, meddling in such matters, they would become a disorderly force, rebels, and the world would truly descend into chaos, with countless innocent civilians losing their lives.
Even he had to admit that the Navy was indeed the last line of defense for the world's order.
This point was acknowledged even in the original timeline, where Dragon admitted that the Revolutionary Army's enemy was not the Navy or the World Government, but the Celestial Dragons.
This showed that he understood the distinction between right and wrong.
To put it bluntly, even if the Revolutionary Army succeeded in overthrowing the Celestial Dragons, the World Government and the Navy would still need to exist. For the civilization of this planet, they were essential.
As for the Heavenly Tribute, it was essentially a membership fee, a source of funding to ensure the World Government and the Navy could operate normally. The only issue was that the current amount collected was excessive and unreasonable.
"Are you done?"
At this moment, the CP0 agent, who had been silently listening, finally spoke. Seeing the four of them turn their gazes toward him, he said, "Then let me speak now. You listen."
As soon as he finished speaking, he took out a white envelope from the pocket of his white suit and handed it to Dragon.
"Take a look at this first. It's a letter from the Five Elders, which they ordered me to deliver to you. After you've read it, I'll relay the message they wanted to convey."
Dragon took the envelope with a look of suspicion. Why would the Five Elders write to him? He was just a lowly rear admiral, and even being Garp's son shouldn't warrant such attention. Five minutes later, after finishing the letter, his expression of resentment had turned into sheer astonishment. His widened eyes trembled with disbelief.
Dragon could hardly believe what he had just read.
"Now, I'll relay the message from the elders. Listen carefully, as I'll only say it once."
The CP0 agent spoke coldly, completely ignoring the gazes of the three other high-ranking Navy officials.
"Dragon, we are well aware of the many issues within the World Government. Starting from this year's Levely, we will gradually address and resolve these problems."
"During this process, you can either observe or participate. If there's anything you feel compelled to ask, you can write a letter and pass it to the CP0 agents around you to communicate with us."
"However, there's one thing you must understand: the Celestial Dragons are untouchable. This is the World Government's bottom line."
"Whoever dares to touch them, dies!"
"Additionally, due to your recent reckless actions, two CP0 agents will be assigned to follow you at all times. If you attempt to escape again, they will shoot you on the spot!"
With that, he took out a key and removed the Sea Stone Handcuffs from Dragon.
Dragon stared at him in disbelief, completely stunned. It took him a while to process what had just happened before he finally asked softly, "Aren't you afraid I might run away?"
"If you manage to escape, we'll atone with our lives. Feel free to try," the CP0 agent replied nonchalantly.