In an unnamed stretch of sea on the Grand Line stood a peculiar island. Its soil was entirely white, and its expanses of sand and scattered rocks gave it a desolate look.
This was Baltigo, the White Soil Island! It was also the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army!
The Revolutionary Army had people stationed all over the world, but this was where its principal officers gathered. Its supreme leader, the world's most heinous criminal, Monkey D. Dragon, was here as well.
After successfully obtaining the Cloth, Sabo and his companions had hurried back as quickly as possible. Now, they had finally returned to Baltigo.
Hearing that Sabo and the others were back, Dragon waited for them in his office.
Before long, Sabo and his companions arrived at Dragon's office with a bronze chest.
"Chief, we're back!"
"Thank you for your hard work. How did it go?"
"The trade went smoothly, but Mr. Su Yu made it clear that he doesn't want to join the Revolutionary Army."
"I see..."
Dragon was a little disappointed that Su Yu had no intention of joining the Revolutionary Army. Still, at least Su Yu wasn't hostile toward them. That counted as good news.
Sabo set the bronze chest on the floor and said, "This is the Cloth we've heard so much about!"
Dragon stepped forward and curiously ran his hand over the chest, but to his senses, it was just an ordinary chest.
According to the information they had gathered, the armored kid had a Cloth. Admiral Kizaru had also visited the bar earlier and reportedly left carrying a chest, which meant the Navy had one too. The one before him now was the third.
Following Sabo's instructions, he opened the chest.
The same dazzling effects appeared, except the light was teal rather than blue. It flared for an instant before quickly fading, revealing a winged dragon before them. Its entire body was teal, gleaming with a metallic sheen and radiating an air of mystery and nobility.
This was the Dragon God Cloth, one of the Cloths belonging to the five main heroes!
"Th-this is the Cloth we've heard about...?"
Koala couldn't help exclaiming in awe. The others were equally astonished.
Sabo couldn't resist reaching out to touch the Cloth, but the moment his fingertips touched the dragon's body, a flash of light burst from the Cloth and knocked his hand away.
"Sabo, are you all right?"
Everyone was startled. Koala hurriedly grabbed Sabo's hand and anxiously turned it over, checking for injuries.
"Don't worry. I'm completely fine!"
After his initial shock, Sabo had already calmed down. He really didn't seem to have suffered any harm, though that unexpected jolt had hurt quite a bit.
Only after confirming that Sabo was unharmed did Koala relax and release his hand. Then she said unhappily, "What's wrong with this Cloth? Did that owner do this on purpose?"
Dragon's eyes flickered. He had never met Su Yu in person, so it was hard to say what sort of man he was. Still, if he could create such a miraculous Cloth, surely he wouldn't pull a trick like this over a few Devil Fruits.
After a moment's thought, Dragon decided to try it himself. He coated his hand in Armament Haki and reached toward the Cloth.
Unexpectedly, the instant he touched it, the Cloth blazed with light, blinding everyone who had been staring intently at it. With their eyes stinging and watering, Dragon and the others certainly had no idea they weren't its first victims...
As the light dimmed, the wondrous dragon instantly separated into a full suit of armor. Each piece became a streak of light and flew toward Dragon's limbs, torso, and head while he was still blinking.
**Clang-clang-**the armor assembled itself in an instant. Dragon, who had originally looked like a supervillain, now looked astonishingly majestic in the Cloth. Like a dragon soaring through the heavens, his entire presence had undergone a complete transformation.
At that moment, the third Saint Seiya in the One Piece World finally appeared. He was the Dragon Bronze Saint Seiya, Monkey D. Dragon!
Sabo and his two companions stared blankly at the fully armored Dragon, while Dragon himself stared blankly at his hands. As the one experiencing it firsthand, he understood the changes far better. This wasn't simply a matter of putting on a Cloth. He could feel that his strength had increased! It wasn't limited to his Taijutsu, either. He felt a considerable improvement in both his control over his Devil Fruit and its power!
At his level, even the slightest increase in strength could prove decisive in a fight!
And the improvement he felt was definitely more than a sliver. It had to be at least five slivers! Perhaps even more!
Just then, a vision suddenly appeared in Dragon's mind without explanation.
It showed a long-haired man with bandages wrapped around both fists. He drew back his fist, gathered his strength, and punched. A dragon flew from his fist, baring its fangs and claws as it soared into the sky.
Then five large, boldly flowing characters appeared behind the man: [Rozan Shoryu-ha]!
With that, the vision ended.
"Rozan Shoryu-ha..." Dragon unconsciously repeated the words under his breath, feeling an unparalleled forcefulness in them.
"Chief, are you all right?"
Dragon had suddenly closed his eyes and gone still, leaving Sabo and the others a little frightened. Only when he finally opened his eyes did they breathe a small sigh of relief.
Seeing their worried gazes, Dragon shook his head to show that he was fine. Then he said with something like a sigh, "Only seven Zoan Devil Fruits for this Cloth. That's honestly a bargain..."
"Huh? A bargain? Seven Devil Fruits for a suit of armor, and you call that a bargain?" Koala was puzzled.
Dragon explained, "This isn't ordinary armor. I can clearly feel that my strength has increased considerably!"
His words stunned them. They knew just how powerful Dragon was. For someone at his level to feel a clear increase in strength simply by putting on this armor-how could they not be shocked?
In truth, they had all assumed this armor would only be useful to ordinary people. Even Dragon had thought so. Who could have known it would give them such a tremendous surprise?
Wearing this armor, Dragon even felt as though he could beat up his Pops!
Clearly, though, the sudden increase in power had gone to Dragon's head a little...
At the Sabaody Archipelago, Kizaru had already arrived to stand by. However, he hadn't gone to Red Tree No. 13, instead holing up at Abel's place. That experience had really left him scarred...
It had been a bright, sunny day, but suddenly, a mass of dark clouds came flying across the distant sky. They churned endlessly, as though some enormous, mysterious creature lurked within.
Kaido, who had set out for the Sabaody Archipelago three or four days earlier, was finally about to reach his destination...
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