Envoy

The day after the God Valley Incident.

Dragon suddenly jolted awake from his nightmare, his back soaked with cold sweat at some point. It felt as though the entire world was swaying.

Several seconds later, he recovered amid the sound of waves striking the hull and realized it was not the world that was swaying, but the cabin he was in.

Where am I...?

The dim surroundings prevented Dragon from making any immediate judgment. The only thing he could confirm was that someone had moved him onto this ship while he was unconscious.

Right, why had he fallen unconscious?

Dragon clutched his throbbing head and suddenly remembered. That was right! He had been saving a pair of pitiful babies!

Memories flashed through his mind, ending on the image of a beautiful golden-haired angel.

No, not an "angel"—a "pirate"! Lilith, the Enchanted Angel!

Dragon finally remembered who had knocked him out. He clenched his fists in anguish, his nails digging into his flesh without him noticing...

He could not even save a pair of babies! What else could he possibly do?

The dark room suddenly brightened as the sailor assigned to look after Dragon opened the door and entered, carrying a meal.

Seeing that Dragon had awakened, the sailor set down the food and hurried away, not giving Dragon any chance to question him.

"Seriously... where exactly is this?"

Dragon muttered, but his gaze drifted involuntarily toward the meal. Feeling his stomach growl, he was ultimately defeated by his appetite.

At the same time Dragon was wolfing down his food, Annus, having been alerted by a sailor, arrived at Dragon's cabin.

The instant Annus opened the door and stepped inside, Dragon's pupils shrank sharply. He hunched over like a startled leopard and assumed a guarded stance!

Clang!

The iron tray and its food spilled across the floor.

Annus glanced at the tray, then looked at Dragon's wary eyes and chuckled softly. "It seems you know who I am."

"Calamity Annus! The Enchanted Angel is one of your crew, isn't she? Where did those two babies go? Hand them over, now!"

"Don't be so tense, Dragon." Annus casually pulled over a chair and sat down.

"How do you know my name?!" Dragon was startled.

Why would the infamous Calamity know an insignificant nobody like him?

"I also know that your father is Garp," Annus said softly. "Relax. I'm not a bad person."

Yet Dragon did not dare lower his guard in response to Annus's friendly demeanor.

The man before him was a super-criminal with a bounty of several billion Berry. His notorious name struck fear into countless people. Any Marine who had encountered Calamity would tremble uncontrollably at the mere mention of that name!

"Stop talking to me like you're soothing a child! I'm not an idiot! Calamity isn't a bad person? The pirates would laugh their teeth out if they heard that!" Dragon said.

"That is merely a slight misunderstanding the world has about me. You witnessed the God Valley Incident from beginning to end—do you still believe in the 'world' others speak of? Just as the Marines do not represent 'justice,' pirates are not necessarily 'evil.'" Annus spread his hands.

Dragon was momentarily speechless, unable to refute Annus's words. Indeed, after this incident, he had begun to doubt the so-called justice preached by the Marines.

The higher-ups definitely know the truth behind the incident, yet they kept silent and even concealed it from the lower-ranking Marines!

The Marines' justice is not the people's justice at all. It is the Government's justice! The Celestial Dragons' justice!

Human Hunting... the very existence of that game revealed that the Celestial Dragons were nothing more than beasts wearing human skin!

As Dragon thought this, Annus continued on his own. "Those two babies are both alive and well. In the future, they will also grow up safely under my protection..."

"Grow up safely under a pirate's protection?" Dragon could not help laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Annus raised a brow. "Your prejudice against pirates runs too deep, Dragon. Looking at things from only one angle will never let you see the whole picture."

Dragon fell silent for a moment before saying, "Perhaps you're right, but I still can't trust you... And why did you save me? Your companion nearly killed me!"

No matter what Annus said, the fact remained that Lilith had nearly killed him. Why should he trust Annus, her accomplice?

Hearing this, Annus revealed a helpless expression, shook his head, and said, "Nothing similar will happen again...

As for why I saved you, the reason is simple.

I will soon return to my birthplace, Sky Island, located ten thousand meters in the sky, and lose contact with the Blue Sea. I saved you because I want to train you as my envoy in the Blue Sea."

Sky Island?

Dragon froze. The legendary island deep in the sky actually existed?

"You said you came from Sky Island? And... what does envoy mean?" Dragon asked.

Annus replied, "That's right. Sky Island truly exists, and many humans with wings like mine live there.

As for an envoy, it is similar to a spokesperson. The job is to carry out certain activities according to my instructions and relay recent news to me. Something like that."

Dragon immediately refused. "I will never work for a pirate!"

Annus sighed. "The Rocks Pirates have already disbanded. I am no longer a pirate, so you need not worry about that."

"Once a pirate, always a pirate! Do you think one sentence from you can erase the sins you committed in the past?!" Dragon said heatedly.

"You're being too emotional, Dragon. Think it over carefully before giving me an answer..."

Annus shook his head, deciding to give Dragon some time alone. There was still quite a distance before they reached Water 7.

He then headed for the door. Upon reaching it, he suddenly stopped, turned back, and left Dragon with these words.

"Of course, you may also refuse me. I'll drop you off at the nearest Marine branch. Given your identity, someone will likely take you back to headquarters soon enough. But if you do, you will lose your chance to change this world."

"What... do you mean?" Dragon's expression changed.

"Have you ever considered what this world would be like if the Celestial Dragons did not exist?"

Annus smiled and closed the door.

As the last trace of light vanished, darkness once more swallowed the unsettled Dragon.

Dragon slowly slid down the wall until he collapsed onto the floor.

Become... a pirate's envoy?

What exactly does this man want to do!

A world without Celestial Dragons... Could it be that he plans to kill every last Celestial Dragon?

After thinking for a long time, Dragon still found no answer. His mind was a complete mess, and his body was utterly exhausted. In the end, he fell into a deep sleep once more.