Dragon's First Experience of the Sorbet Kingdom

When Monkey D. Dragon stepped out of the cabin, he happened to see the bustling cityscape of the Sorbet Kingdom. He rubbed his head, weary from the long journey, then glanced back into the cabin.

"Sorry, Dragon. We even made you give us a ride." A gentle voice rang out from inside the cabin.

Then, a brown-haired woman emerged from the cabin with a child in her arms, smiling brightly.

Dragon said solemnly, "We were headed to the same place. It was no trouble."

Dragon and the woman disembarked from the warship, then followed the information they had through the lively streets straight toward the Marine base.

There were many shops along both sides of the street, selling plenty of things they had never seen before. Still, they did not stop; those things were not particularly appealing to them.

After passing through several streets, the clearly more luxurious Marine base appeared before them. There were also noticeably more Marines on the streets, though most hurried along.

From time to time, gazes lingered on Dragon. Most belonged to young girls, and the occasional sweet giggle drifted over, brimming with youth and vitality.

It was clear that even in the prosperous Sorbet Kingdom, handsome men like Dragon were rare.

Dragon paid little attention to those looks. His face remained cold from beginning to end, his black eyes like a deep abyss. Though he was not very old, he carried himself with a maturity beyond his years.

"Dragon, quite a few young girls are looking at you rather interestingly." Zephyr's wife covered her mouth with one hand and chuckled.

Hearing that, Dragon could no longer keep his expression steady. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "I'm still young..."

"Hehehe, I was joking. Look at that reaction of yours." The woman burst out laughing without a care for her image.

Sometimes, Dragon really wanted to cry. Every one of his elders was more unreliable than the last. None of them acted their age at all...

Suddenly, a commotion broke out on the street ahead. Everyone scattered in every direction as a group of armored soldiers marched in neat formation toward the harbor.

"This country's armed forces seem decent, but why are people so afraid of them?" Dragon felt there had to be something suspicious going on.

"You're from outside, aren't you?" A sweet-looking girl nearby noticed Dragon's confusion and lowered her voice. "This is actually one of the current king's usual antics. You don't need to take it to heart."

"Could you tell us what's going on?" Zephyr's wife's curiosity was piqued.

The girl looked around. When she saw that no one was paying attention, she explained to Dragon and the others, "Over the past two years, the seas have become much calmer under Colonel Jin An's governance, and people have grown increasingly admiring and reverent toward him."

"Mm, I'd always heard Jin An was beloved by the people. I didn't expect him to have done so well. This should have been a joy for everyone in your country." Dragon nodded, deeply approving of Jin An's actions.

"That's where you're wrong. Perhaps the king felt his authority was being threatened, so he added a lot of unnecessary drills." The girl sighed.

When immortals fought, mortals suffered. The king wanted to show his people that his army could protect the country too, but the people were deeply disgusted by his actions.

It severely affected their lives, yet they dared not voice their anger...

"This king is going too far!" Dragon said angrily. "Isn't anyone going to do something about him?"

"..."

The girl looked at Dragon as if asking whether he was stupid.

"What? Was I wrong?" Dragon asked, confused.

Zephyr's wife looked at the young man who had always focused solely on catching pirates. "Dragon... who do you think holds the greatest power in a country?"

"Of course it's the ki... ng?!" Dragon blurted out.

The girl spread her hands. "See? You know it too..."

"I... you... him!" Dragon was stunned by his own stupidity. "How can this king be so ridiculous? He's practically inhuman."

"Colonel Jin An even went to speak with the king in person, but unfortunately, nothing could be changed in the end." Mentioning Jin An improved the girl's mood somewhat.

The king managed every matter large and small in the entire country, and no one could oppose him. The Marines were only responsible for maintaining security and had no right to hold the king accountable.

The king could even order the Marines of his own country to work for him.

"But it's not too bad. You only see something like this a few times a year. Did that old emperor suffer some kind of shock? It hasn't even been that long since the last time." The girl had a good attitude and was only slightly dissatisfied with her current life.

Dragon pressed his lips together slightly. If someone familiar had been beside him and seen that gesture, they would have known he was angry.

"I have things to do, so I'll be leaving first. Be careful to avoid the king's soldiers." Seeing that the soldiers had disappeared from sight, the girl bid Dragon and the others farewell and left.

Zephyr's wife looked calmly at Dragon. "Doesn't it feel absurd? Just because of a decision made by the king, people can only silently endure things that could have been avoided."

"..."

"There are countless things like this in the world. While you focus on catching pirates, you should also take a look at what this world is really like."

Karp had always protected his son very well, which was why Dragon's experience of the world was still too limited.

Perhaps Karp had realized this, which was why Dragon had appeared here now.

"Come on. Let's first see what Jin An, whom Karp keeps praising, actually looks like." The woman walked ahead with the child in her arms.

For the first time, Dragon felt the helplessness of being a Marine. He began to doubt the justice he had always believed in.

"The Marines... the Marines..."

Dragon's mind drifted elsewhere as his feet moved lightly, following the woman's pace.

In the first-floor lobby of the Marine base, the staff member responsible for receiving guests wore a helpless expression. Every time someone came looking for Colonel Jin An, he was never around.

"We've already called to notify Colonel Jin An." The receptionist estimated the time. "Please wait a while. He went to deal with something and will need some time before he returns."

"Go ahead with your work. We'll just wait here."

Zephyr's wife did not mind. She knew that the closer one was to the lower levels, the more matters there were to handle, so being busy was perfectly normal.

Originally, she had not needed to wait here with Dragon. But after what had happened earlier, she had become very curious about what kind of person Jin An was.

"..."

"Kid, you'd better behave yourself! Do you think you're still one of those high and mighty World Nobles?"

"Under me, a Dragon has to coil and a tiger has to lie down! Give me that look again, and I'll spank your ass!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Donquixote Doflamingo was dragged into the Marine base by Jin An, who held him by the collar.