West Blue, a silent island.
The island was completely quiet. Within the dense forest, it seemed as though a beast lurked, one so terrifying that all living creatures feared it. Its presence far surpassed that of ordinary predators; its oppressive aura made every bird and animal tremble, not daring to make a sound.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar shattered the silence.
"ROOOAR!!"
The rolling sound waves kicked up sand and stones, whipping up fierce winds. A visible shockwave spread outward, sending dust flying and startling flocks of birds into panicked flight.
"Quiet down, what are you yelling for?"
But right after that earth-shaking roar, an impatient voice rang out.
"RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!"
Heavy vibrations echoed as, deep within the forest, a massive figure gradually emerged, hundreds of meters tall. With every step it took, the entire island trembled.
It possessed enormous wings spanning nearly three hundred meters. Its black sinew and skin were tougher than steel. Its huge claws were like small mountains, with razor-sharp talons comparable to blades. From its lizard-like head, scorching breath poured out, each exhale releasing bursts of flame.
From afar, its sheer size rivaled nearly one-fifth of the island. Standing there, it was like a towering mountain, majestic and imposing.
If any human were present, they would surely cry out one word:
Dragon.
Because this gigantic creature looked exactly like a dragon.
It was a real, living dragon that existed in this world.
"Gabriels, shrink down a bit. How are we supposed to leave like this?"
A voice suddenly came from the dragon's right shoulder. Looking closer, there stood a towering man about 3.5 meters tall. His thick arms bulged with veins, his muscles harder than granite. Anyone's first impression of him would be one word: powerful.
His entire body seemed to roar with strength.
"ROAR!"
Gabriels let out an angry roar, but under the man's command, its body began to shrink.
After four or five breaths, it reduced to about thirty meters in height, with a wingspan of around one hundred meters.
"Good. That's much better." The man nodded in satisfaction.
"Jason, don't push your luck! I only formed a contract with you!" Gabriels roared angrily.
This dragon could actually speak human language, an astonishing sight. But Jason wasn't surprised at all. Instead, he smiled.
"Gabriels, according to your clan's traditions, I defeated you. That makes me your master now, you'll obey me."
"Otherwise, I'll shove your head into your own filth and show you what cruelty really means."
Gabriels grew even angrier, roaring repeatedly.
"Despicable human!"
"Enough howling! Hurry up and fly. I've already had enough of being stuck here with 'father' for four years!"
Jason shouted.
At the moment, he wasn't even wearing proper clothes, just rough animal hide tied around his waist for modesty.
"In my inherited memories, the outside world is dangerous. Mother doesn't allow me to go out!"
Gabriels roared.
"I'm not going!"
Jason's face darkened with exasperation.
"Stop talking nonsense and fly! Always 'Mother, Mother', what are you, a mama's little dragon? I'm your master now!"
"Besides, haven't you always wanted to see the outside world?"
Gabriels hesitated for a long while, but under Jason's persuasion, it finally spread its wings and took to the sky.
Just as the man and dragon rose into the air, a news bird suddenly flew over, dropping a newspaper and a wanted poster from its claws.
Jason raised his hand and caught them, then, sitting atop Gabriels, unfolded the wanted poster and looked at it.
"This is, ?!"
The moment he clearly saw the person on the poster, Jason's pupils suddenly contracted.
At the Sabaody Archipelago, inside the Shakky's Rip-off Bar,
"That kid really gave me quite a surprise."
Silvers Rayleigh adjusted his glasses and gently placed the newspaper on the bar counter.
"Oh, Rojen? That energetic youngster actually made it out of Impel Down."
Shakuyaku said in surprise.
"Yeah, the outside world is going crazy over it right now," Silvers Rayleigh sighed.
"And those six?" Shakuyaku asked again.
"The moment they heard about Rojen, they nearly lost their minds, shouting and insisting on going to West Blue," Rayleigh said, rubbing his head in frustration.
"Haha, that doesn't surprise me. But under your training, how have they turned out?" Shakky asked.
Holding his head, Rayleigh looked helpless.
"It's been four years. Their talent really isn't great, but by now, they should at least be able to handle the first half of the Grand Line without too many problems."
"Hah, then let them go. I've fed them for four years, I can't afford it anymore. When the time comes, don't forget to make Rojen pay for four years of lodging and food," Shakky said, carefully calculating a long list of expenses.
"I won't forget," Rayleigh replied with a bitter smile.
As they were talking, six people rushed over, crying and full of excitement.
"Rayleigh, I'm going to West Blue!"
"Yeah! We're all going, we're going to find our captain!"
"He must've suffered a lot in Impel Down these past four years. We're going to protect him and take care of him!"
"Wuuu… It's so moving… to think we can see Captain again in this lifetime!"
"Hurry and let us go, or we'll keep making a scene!"
Rayleigh looked at the six of them, his headache worsening. He could only wave his hand dismissively.
"Get lost already, you're annoying to look at!"
Hearing that, the six shouted in joy and instantly ran off without a trace.
In the first half of the Grand Line, at Alabasta,
This was Rojen's first stop upon entering the Grand Line, and also where he had encountered Crocodile.
At this moment, in the port of Nanohana, a burly man with an ugly face and a scar across it stood quietly smoking a cigar.
"Phew…"
He exhaled a ring of smoke. His gaze drifted, as if lost in memories.
"Mr. 0, everything is ready. As long as you give the order, the infiltration of Alabasta can begin."
A cold-looking man wearing sunglasses approached and spoke in a low voice.
"Phew…"
Staring out at the sea, the scarred man exhaled again. Then he said something that shocked the man beside him:
"Prepare a ship for me. I'm going to West Blue."
"What?!" The man was stunned, unable to understand. "What about Alabasta?"
"I don't want it anymore." The scarred man smiled.
That smile made the other man even more incredulous, because ever since he had known him, this man had never smiled before.
"Are you joking?!"
"I'm not joking. Prepare a ship, I'm going to West Blue."
"Since he's back, whether I take this country or not… doesn't matter anymore!"
The scarred man revealed a ferocious smile, filled with excitement and longing.
"I, Crocodile, am forever just a member of the Nether Soul Pirates."
"That's all there is to it!"
(End Of This Chapter)
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