Dragon's Name
In the strategy room at Revolutionary Army Headquarters, everyone froze.
The paper and pen in Sabo's hands fell to the floor. His lips moved several times, but he couldn't get out a complete syllable.
"Dragon, Mr. Dragon?"
His voice trembled. The young man had just run off, full of excitement, to summon the staff officers, but now his legs felt like lead.
Dragon didn't answer him.
He stood in the wind, his coat rising and falling in the sea breeze. He was like a flagpole planted in rock, straight and silent, but the air around him was warping at a visible rate.
The golden letters on the Sky Screen hung clearly in the sky, every stroke neat and precise.
[Ten Great War Criminals, third place]
[Monkey D. Dragon]
The reaction around the world was more chaotic than ever before.
For the vast majority of civilians, the name Monkey D. Dragon was only a vague shadow, a symbol on a Marine wanted poster, a phantom known as the world's worst criminal.
No one had seen his real face.
No one knew what he was doing.
No one knew exactly how powerful he was.
But everyone knew he was dangerous.
"Monkey D. Dragon? The leader of the Revolutionary Army?"
"He took part in the Paramount War too?"
"That can't be right. I never heard of the Revolutionary Army showing up at Marineford."
"Then why is he the third-ranked war criminal?"
In the Sabaody Archipelago, Luffy froze when he heard the name on the Sky Screen.
"Dragon?"
He tilted his head, a complicated expression on his face, so complicated that even Zoro, standing beside him, could tell something was wrong.
"Luffy, what's wrong?"
"That Dragon is my dad."
Luffy said it in a flat tone, as casually as if he were talking about what he'd eaten that day.
But Zoro had known Luffy for too long. He could hear what lay beneath that flatness.
"Your dad."
Zoro repeated the words, shifting his gaze to the Sky Screen.
"First, Garp was your grandpa, and he got Ace killed."
"Now your dad's on the war criminal list too."
"Does your family get on this list wholesale or something?"
Luffy didn't laugh. He just looked up at the name on the Sky Screen, his fists slowly clenching.
"I don't know him."
"Grandpa Garp never talks to me about him."
"But if he's one of the people who got Ace killed too..."
Luffy's voice stopped for a moment, then grew very quiet.
"I want to know why."
The question had already appeared on the Sky Screen.
[Question: What did Revolutionary Army leader Monkey D. Dragon do during the Paramount War?]
Four options appeared one after another.
[A. Led the Revolutionary Army into the war in secret, but was driven back due to insufficient strength]
[B. Reached a secret agreement with the World Government, securing the Revolutionary Army's safety in exchange for staying out of the war]
[C. Had the power to intervene in the war, but chose to stand by and did nothing to help his biological son, Monkey D. Luffy]
[D. Learned of the war only after it ended and was unable to arrive in time]
As soon as the four options appeared, the volume of discussion around the world increased more than tenfold.
The wording of option C was simply too harsh.
"He had the power but stood by and did nothing?"
"He's Luffy's biological father?"
"Wait, Monkey D. Luffy, Monkey D. Dragon, Monkey D. Garp. All three generations are Monkey D.?"
"The grandpa's a Marine hero, the son's the leader of the Revolutionary Army, and the grandson's a pirate. What kind of family is that?"
At Marine Headquarters, when Sengoku heard the contents of option C, he finally lifted his head from the shadow of his own punishment, if only for a moment.
"That man Dragon really didn't show up at Marineford."
He spoke to Vice Admiral Tsuru beside him.
"With his strength and the size of the Revolutionary Army, the course of the war would certainly have changed if he'd chosen to join the fighting."
Tsuru looked at the Sky Screen, her expression calm, but she spoke a beat slower than usual.
"So what this livestream wants to ask is why he didn't come."
"A father watched his son charge into hell to save someone, while he stood at a distance and watched."
"What do you call that?"
Sengoku was silent for a while.
"The same as Garp, only worse."
"At least Garp was on the battlefield. Even if he made the wrong choice, he was there."
"But Dragon never showed up, from beginning to end."
"Not a word of explanation."
Tsuru pressed a finger lightly against the tabletop.
"Are you gloating?"
"No."
Sengoku shook his head.
"I was just wondering why this livestream keeps tearing open those bright, polished surfaces to expose the ugliest truths underneath."
"It's true of the Marines' justice."
"And it's true of the Revolutionary Army's ideals."
"None of them are clean."
Tsuru didn't respond.
At Revolutionary Army Headquarters, Sabo finally picked up the scattered paper and pen from the floor. His fingers were still trembling, but his mind had already begun racing.
"Mr. Dragon, is option C true?"
He asked the question he least wanted to ask.
Dragon stood with his back to him, so still it was almost abnormal.
"What do you think?"
Dragon didn't turn around.
"You've followed me for so many years. Do you think what option C describes is something I'd do?"
Sabo's lips moved.
He wanted to say no.
But he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Because he knew Dragon too well.
This man had dedicated everything to the revolution, compressing all his feelings into a cold rationality.
He fought for the freedom of the entire world, but the price was abandoning every one of his duties as a father.
Throughout his childhood, Luffy had seen his father's face only a handful of times.
What had Dragon been doing when the news of Ace's execution spread across the world?
Sabo thought back to that time.
Dragon had been directing the Revolutionary Army's fleet to transfer supplies toward the East Blue.
He had known the Paramount War was about to break out.
He had chosen not to go.
"Option C is true."
Sabo closed his eyes, his voice barely above a whisper.
Dragon finally turned around.
There was no guilt on his face, no attempt to defend himself, only a calm worn by years and choices until it was almost cold.
"A revolutionary cannot let personal feelings shake his strategy, Sabo."
"If I had taken the Revolutionary Army to Marineford, the World Government would have had a chance to wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates and the Revolutionary Army at the same time."
"That wouldn't have been saving anyone. It would have been throwing our lives away."
Sabo opened his eyes and looked at Dragon.
"I understand all that."
"But Luffy is your son."
"Ace was my brother."
His voice changed, taking on something he had suppressed for a long time.
"You could have sent at least one person, even if it was only one."
"You didn't do anything."
Dragon looked into Sabo's eyes and remained silent for a long time.
The wind blew in through the window, stirring the Revolutionary Army flag on the table.
"You're right."
Dragon said those words, then walked back to the window and looked at the countdown on the Sky Screen.
"I didn't do anything."
Foosha Village, East Blue.
Lin Qi sat in the tavern with his legs crossed, watching the emotional data for the various characters on the screen, his face full of interest.
"Dragon's characterization is incredible."
He popped a peanut into his mouth and muttered as he chewed.
"The world's worst criminal, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Luffy's biological father."
"Put those three identities together, and whatever he does is wrong."
"If he goes to save Luffy, the Revolutionary Army might be wiped out."
"If he doesn't, he's unfit to be a father."
"A no-win choice. Game writers love this kind of setup."
He glanced at the countdown. Thirty seconds remained.
"But knowing how this game operates, the answer's definitely C."
"Because option C is the one that hurts most."
The countdown on the Sky Screen ticked through its final few seconds.
Voices from around the world converged into a vast torrent, but the moment the answer appeared in the golden light, every voice fell silent.
[Correct answer: C]