Chapter 128: Your Old Man Sold You Out
"Perhaps I should thank you for your trust, Mr. Sebastian. In this situation, you actually don't suspect that I have connections with the Marines?"
Encountering the Marines suddenly during a rendezvous, coupled with the fact that the two sides weren't very familiar with each other, it was somewhat surprising to Dragon that Sebastian didn't suspect him.
"Trust? Kid, I'm not trusting you; I'm trusting Big Bro's judgment. Since Big Bro thinks you can be trusted, I won't doubt you.
In all these years, Big Bro has never misjudged a person.
Besides, so what if it's a Marine Admiral? They are indeed monsters among the Marines, and I'm no match for them in a head-on fight. But if I want to leave, they can't stop me.
Need me to take you and run?"
This wasn't some deserted island far inland; it was still on the sea. Even if they were close to the island, it didn't have much impact.
"No need. If you trust me, Mr. Sebastian, please wait nearby for a moment. If the person who came is Zephyr... I think I probably know how he found me."
Over the past two years, Dragon hadn't been doing nothing. He now carried crimes designated by the World Government, such as orchestrating a coup in a certain kingdom in the East Blue.
But such matters were not worth deploying a Marine Admiral.
Having previously served in the Marines, Dragon was very clear about their procedures and even more familiar with their reconnaissance methods. He was quite adept at counter-reconnaissance.
So far, the Marines in the East Blue had no way of dealing with him and simply couldn't find his traces.
The situation of the people under Dragon's command was even worse than his own. If they betrayed Dragon, Dragon might be fine, but they themselves would be far more likely to face a reckoning from the World Government.
Besides these insiders, only two people currently knew Dragon's location: one was Nereus, and the other was Garp.
The father and son currently had severe ideological differences, but it couldn't be called a complete rupture; they still maintained a certain level of communication.
This was also true in the original timeline; Dragon would even find time to drop his child off for Garp to raise.
If Zephyr's target was truly himself, Dragon believed this matter definitely had something to do with Garp.
When it came to understanding Garp, Dragon still had confidence.
Meanwhile, on the nearby warships.
Actually, the information reported by Dragon's subordinates wasn't entirely accurate. It wasn't a single warship, but a fleet.
There were quite a few Kings of East Blue kingdoms on the nearby ships. With the Reverie concluded, these Kings needed to return to their countries, and Zephyr was there to escort them.
His main task was to safely escort these ships through the Calm Belt. Without a powerhouse to escort them through that sea area, they would have to rely on luck.
If a pirate fleet barged in and lost eighty or ninety percent of its ships, it didn't matter. But if eighty or ninety percent of the Kings died on their way back, that would be terrible.
Originally, Zephyr's mission would be considered complete the moment they left the Calm Belt, but due to some personal matters, he escorted them a bit further.
The Kings naturally had no objections to this; having such a powerhouse accompany them made their safety more guaranteed.
After arriving nearby, Zephyr had the other Marines continue the escort mission, while he temporarily separated from the warship.
"Dragon, you really are here."
"I'm guessing my old man gave you my information."
"You really do understand that guy Garp. I have some things I want to talk to you about. You should have a suitable place to talk here, right? I don't have much time; we need to hurry."
The autonomy of a Marine Admiral actually wasn't as high as that of a Vice Admiral. Because many missions strictly required an Admiral to handle them, the three Admirals of the Marines were very busy most of the time.
Especially now, during this phase where the number of pirates was increasing and the Admiral positions were not fully staffed.
"This is a deserted island; anywhere is fine, really. As long as you can be sure there's no one eavesdropping around us, Uncle Zephyr. The wind tells me... there is no one."
Dragon knew very well that in terms of strength, Zephyr was much stronger than him. Dragon could rely on his Fruit ability to use the power of the wind to perceive his surroundings.
As for Zephyr, he could directly use Observation Haki to confirm this. Both methods had their pros and cons; using them simultaneously was always safer.
"Don't rely too much on your ability. That thing is not bad, but Haki and physical training cannot be neglected either. I'm not here for anything else. In that operation in the West Blue over two years ago... what exactly did you see?"
"Uncle Zephyr, you came here... just for this matter?"
"That's right. I won't hide it from you. After being promoted to Admiral, I investigated this matter. But even with the authority of an Admiral of Headquarters, I actually couldn't find the record of the Marines' operation back then. It was completely sealed by Headquarters as a top secret.
That guy Garp should know something, but he has always been vague. Although I already have a general conclusion... without completely confirming this... my heart cannot find peace."
"...I saw... Hell."
After a long silence, Dragon gave his answer.
Garp hadn't given a direct answer, but in the end, when Zephyr asked for Dragon's location, he didn't hide it.
Because Garp didn't know exactly what Zephyr was thinking.
If Zephyr was merely curious, knowing about this matter was meaningless and might even endanger himself.
But if Zephyr genuinely wanted to know the truth and was willing to travel all the way to the East Blue to investigate this matter, it meant he was already prepared.
With Zephyr in this state, knowing about this matter was no big deal anymore.
"That bastard... was actually telling the truth..."
"Uncle Zephyr, are you willing to come help me? What we need is a true army—an army that truly fights for justice and for the common people of the sea, not an accomplice of the Celestial Dragons.
Only by bringing down those guys can the World Government become what a World Government should be."
Dragon extended his invitation to Zephyr. He didn't have many capable hands here, and how outstanding Zephyr's ability to lead recruits was, was widely known throughout the Marines.
Among the current high-ranking generals, he was already the one best at leading troops.
If Zephyr could come help him, they would definitely get on the right track much faster.
"No, Dragon. There are people in the Marines who truly fight for justice. Among the recruits joining the Marines, there are also many who hold justice in their hearts. They need someone to guide them, not to be completely assimilated by the World Government.
Besides, in the current situation, me joining you would not be a good thing."
With Dragon stirring up trouble here alone, the World Government wouldn't care too much. In the early stages, they would just treat Dragon as an ordinary pirate or mountain bandit.
But if an active-duty Admiral like Zephyr defected...
There had been Admirals who died in battle, but never one who defected.
Currently, the Great Pirate Era hadn't officially begun, leaving the Marines overwhelmed. Dragon's side couldn't be considered a powerful faction either. If Zephyr really came here, it would only cause the World Government to heavily target this place.
"Let's leave it at that. I've gotten what I wanted. Perhaps in the future, people I introduce will come to your side."
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