That melancholic and heavy aura stood in stark contrast to the unrestrained atmosphere aboard Garp's warship.
Kane's curiosity was piqued. He picked up an expensive-looking bottle of liquor from a fallen Marine nearby and casually walked over.
"Drinking alone in the cold wind? Care for a drink?" Kane's voice was just loud enough to be heard.
The man slowly turned around at the sound.
When his face was fully revealed under the moonlight, Kane's pupils contracted sharply, his heart skipping a beat.
It was a young yet deeply storied face, with sharp features and eyes as profound as bottomless lakes.
Most striking was the fiery red tattoo burning like flames on his left cheek.
Monkey D. Dragon!
The future Revolutionary Army Commander-in-Chief, designated by the World Government as the "World's Worst Criminal," Garp's biological son, and Luffy's father!
Holy shit!
Kane's mind instantly erupted with turbulent thoughts.
What was he doing on this ship?!
According to the timeline, Dragon should indeed still be serving in the Marines during this period. However, due to his overly radical ideologies and deep disgust with the corruption within the Marines, he had been constantly frustrated and unfulfilled.
It was said he underwent a drastic personality change after the God Valley Incident, but Kane never expected to encounter this future superpower aboard Garp's ship!
Kane's heart pounded wildly—not from fear, but from extreme excitement.
Persuading Sakazuki only made his thoughts more extreme.
But if he could persuade this future leader of the Revolutionary Army... the Violation Value that would generate...
Instantly, Kane's face switched to his signature, sunnier-than-sunshine genuine smile.
He acted completely unfazed by the distinctive tattoo on the other's face, naturally offering the bottle in his hand.
"Don't misunderstand, I'm not here to check on you." Kane shook the bottle, the liquor inside making a crisp sound. "I just saw you standing here alone, looking like you have a lot on your mind. I'm new to this ship and wanted to chat, get to know a new colleague."
Dragon's eyes were filled with wariness and detachment.
He knew Kane.
Or rather, everyone at Marine Headquarters knew that name recently. The monstrous rookie who single-handedly swept through the entire Elite Camp, refused a top-tier Logia-type Devil Fruit, and then pulled off a house-raiding feat in the North Blue.
In Dragon's impression, such people were either ambitious schemers or outright madmen.
"I have nothing to talk about." Dragon's voice was low and hoarse, carrying an icy aloofness that kept others at bay, as he turned to leave.
"Is that so?"
Kane paid no mind, casually unscrewing the bottle cap himself. A rich aroma of liquor instantly filled the air.
"I thought it must be something truly serious to make the son of Vice Admiral Garp, the 'Marine Hero,' look so troubled."
Dragon's body stiffened abruptly, a sharp glint flashing in his deep eyes.
Although his identity was no secret within the Marines, few dared to point it out so directly to his face.
"You investigated me?" Dragon turned around, his tone icy.
Kane didn't respond, walking straight to the ship's railing and gazing at the churning black waves below. His voice suddenly grew distant.
"I heard Borsalino mention in passing that you've been to many Affiliated Countries on missions as an accompanying officer? Even... you were present at the God Valley Incident a few years ago?"
At the mention of "God Valley," Dragon's pupils contracted violently.
That was the beginning of his nightmare.
"What are you trying to say?" Dragon stared intently at Kane, his voice suppressing a rage on the verge of eruption.
"Don't be nervous."
Kane turned his head, leaning back against the railing, his gaze burning as he looked at Dragon.
"I was just wondering, why does someone like you, who has seen the truth of the world, still wear this coat that represents 'Justice'?"
This question tore open the long-bleeding wound in Dragon's heart.
He fell silent.
The sea wind howled, making the coat behind him flap loudly.
After a long while, Dragon finally spoke hoarsely, his tone thick with self-mockery. "You find it ridiculous too, don't you?"
He walked over to Kane, snatched the bottle of liquor, and without caring whether it was clean or not, tilted his head back and took a fierce gulp.
The pungent liquor burned all the way down his throat to his stomach, but it was nothing compared to the searing pain in his heart.
"I was born in the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue, a place called 'the most beautiful country.' But all I saw was the decadent extravagance of the nobles inside the high walls and the desperate struggle for survival of the commoners in the garbage mountains outside."
Dragon's fingers gripping the bottle turned white from the force.
"Later, I joined the Marines, thinking this place could change everything. But God Valley..." A flicker of painful memory passed through Dragon's eyes. "Those Celestial Dragons slaughtered the island's slaves at will for their so-called 'treasure hunt.'"
"We fought desperately to repel the Rocks Pirates and protect those so-called Celestial Dragons. And what was the result?"
"A young, injured Marine was executed on the spot because his blood splattered onto a Celestial Dragon's clothes!"
"And our Fleet Admiral, our government, told us to endure, saying it was to maintain the 'order' of the world!"
"How laughable!"
Dragon hurled the empty bottle violently into the sea, the sound of shattering glass swallowed by the waves.
"At that moment, I wondered, what are we fighting and risking our lives for every day to capture pirates? Just to protect these scum so they can rule over defenseless civilians?"
A decade's worth of pent-up resentment, pain, and confusion in Dragon's chest finally found an outlet at this moment, facing this seemingly frivolous young man.
"Kane, tell me, what exactly is the Justice we uphold? If the Justice of the Marines is to become the blade in the hands of the Celestial Dragons, to maintain this rotten order, then such Justice is better off abandoned!"
Here it comes!
Kane was ecstatic inside.
The fish has taken the bait! And it's an unprecedented big one!
On the system panel, notifications were frantically refreshing.
[Ding! You are currently engaging in a deep conversation with the world's key nodal figure, 'Monkey D. Dragon'!]
[Ding! The target's values are being influenced by you. Subversion Coefficient assessment in progress...]
[Warning! Every response you make may trigger drastic shifts in the worldline!]
Kane suppressed the urge to burst into laughter, instead forcing an expression of profound sorrow and empathy onto his face.
He had keenly detected an opportunity to score points.
Staring at the man before him—filled with doubts about the world and standing at the crossroads of an alternate path—Kane knew that every word he would speak next would serve as a tailored ideological imprint for this future leader of the Revolutionary Army.
He was about to deliver a modest yet mind-shattering ideological impact from another world to this future dragon-slayer.