At that moment, in the quiet backyard in Shimotsuki Village, Lorne held a teacup as he looked at Monkey D. Dragon before him.
Steam curled up from the cup, blurring their view of each other.
Dragon raised his right hand and pulled back his hood, revealing his face with its strange red tattoo.
He looked at Lorne and slowly spoke. "Rear Admiral Lorne, you know who I am, yet you can still sit here drinking tea so calmly. Your courage truly exceeds my expectations."
Lorne leaned back in the stone chair, perfectly composed. "Mr. Dragon, countless people die on the seas every day. Some are killed by pirates, some are tormented to death by hunger, and others are driven to their deaths by the Celestial Dragons' heavenly tribute."
"By comparison, you, the world's most heinous criminal, don't seem so frightening."
Dragon's gaze sharpened slightly. He sighed, his voice low. "You're right. These seas are sick, and the sickness is terminal."
Lorne raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then what exactly do you think ails these seas, Mr. Dragon?"
Dragon rose and walked over to the old tree in the backyard, raising a hand to stroke its rough bark.
He looked at the distant sky. "The sickness lies with the Celestial Dragons and the tyranny of the World Government."
At that, Dragon turned to face Lorne.
"I've traveled to many places."
"In the South Blue, I saw commoners in affiliated nations forced to sell their own children to the Slave Traders to scrape together the heavenly tribute."
"On the Grand Line, I saw non-affiliated nations that couldn't pay the heavenly tribute treated as lawless lands by the Marines and pirates, subjected to wanton slaughter and plunder."
Lorne said nothing, merely listening quietly.
Dragon's hands tightened slightly, and his voice gained strength. "Those Celestial