"The North Blue is my territory, after all."
Under the shade of the trees, the Commodore's voice carried a faint smile, yet it exuded overwhelming confidence and determination.
Dragon was momentarily stunned, then couldn't help but laugh.
"Right, I almost forgot—you're the world-famous 'King of the North Blue'."
Maybe it was just his imagination, but the moment he saw Daren standing before him, the anxiety and confusion in Dragon's heart instantly faded. It was the kind of relief one might feel in the face of death or despair, when a trusted friend arrives just in time—deep, genuine comfort from the soul.
Seeing Daren travel-worn and still carrying fatigue on his face, Dragon couldn't help but wonder just how far he had come to get here ahead of everyone else.
His smile grew even brighter.
The tree's shade swayed gently in the damp breeze, casting dappled light and shadow across the ground.
The two of them sat across from each other at a wine table, silent for a while.
It stood in stark contrast to the lively bustle of the streets and the crowd around them.
"Quit grinning like an idiot."
Daren suddenly snapped.
He pushed a full glass of wine toward Dragon, then picked up his own, took a sip, and let it soothe the dryness and fatigue from the long journey.
"You shouldn't have been so reckless."
Dragon's smile disappeared instantly.
Seeing this, Daren sighed.
"One of us had to bring it up."
Dragon was silent for a moment. He pursed his lips, lowered his gaze to his bloodstained hands, and said softly,
"I couldn't stop myself."
After murmuring those words, a deep, unspeakable bitterness filled his eyes.
"How bad is it?"
"Very bad."
Daren shook his head and said bluntly, "Vice Admiral Garp is now forbidden from leaving headquarters. Marineford's port has been completely sealed."
"The higher-ups have issued an absolute order to capture you—dead or alive."
"Besides me, Sakazuki and Borusarino have both already set sail. It won't be long before they find this place."
Boom!!
Thunder rumbled from afar.
A strong wind swept through the streets, dark clouds gathering quickly overhead.
Leaves fluttered down in the gusts. Pedestrians picked up their pace.
The sunlight dimmed. The sky turned gray.
Rain was coming.
Dragon pressed his chapped lips together even tighter.
Daren didn't rush him. He just waited quietly.
"That was a child."
After a long pause, Dragon finally spoke, his hoarse voice low and heavy, filled with sorrow and helplessness. It echoed faintly at the street corner where people hurried by.
"His kite had accidentally landed on a Celestial Dragon's mount. The kite string scratched his robe."
"It barely tore the edge. At most, it should've called for an apology and compensation. But the Celestial Dragon wanted his life."
"The boy's parents knelt down, begging desperately, their heads bloodied from kowtowing."
"But it didn't matter."
"I just happened to be there."
"Until then, I had never actually encountered a Celestial Dragon, though I'd heard plenty of the awful rumors. Still, I didn't really believe it... No matter how cruel a person is, how bad could they be?"
"So I stepped forward, identified myself, and offered to apologize on the boy's behalf."
"It should've been nothing—at least that's what I thought."
"But I was wrong. I was unbelievably wrong."
"I completely underestimated their evil. There really are devils in this world."
He let out a self-mocking chuckle.
"When that Celestial Dragon heard who I was, he didn't back down. Instead, he flew into a rage, grinning madly as he ordered the entire family killed."
"Daren, I just don't get it…"
"Why did he insist on taking their lives over something so trivial?"
Dragon looked up, eyes filled with confusion, and stared at Daren.
Daren said nothing.
He pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and took a drag.
Happy families are all alike; and every unfortunate family is unfortunate in its own way.
That's how the world works.
But the cruel irony is that, in the face of the so-called "supreme" Celestial Dragons, all unfortunate families meet the same end.
...
"For some people, hurting others—even taking lives—is how they show their power."
Daren's calm gaze pierced through the drifting smoke as he looked at Dragon and said quietly,
"So you killed him."
Dragon nodded with difficulty.
"Yes, I killed him."
"It was the only way to stop it all from happening."
His expression kept shifting, his breathing growing erratic, as if the shock from killing a Celestial Dragon hadn't fully faded.
"I couldn't let myself hesitate, not even for a second. I knew that if I did, I'd lose the courage to go through with it."
"At that moment, my mind went completely blank. All I could feel was this searing heat in my chest, like something was about to explode—I had to let it out."
"...By the time I came to, everything around me was in chaos."
"People were screaming, running, some passed out from fear... and that guy who called himself 'God'? His head was already crushed in my hands."
"It was as easy as smashing a watermelon... I could hardly believe it—Celestial Dragons can actually die."
He smiled, not sure if it was out of mockery or disbelief.
"So even gods can die."
"But you know what, Daren? Before I did it, I was terrified."
"Really, truly terrified..."
"I knew I was a Marine. I wasn't allowed to touch a Celestial Dragon."
"The moment I made a move, everything I had would be gone."
Daren raised an eyebrow.
"You regret it?"
"No."
Dragon grinned.
"Because the second I crushed that Celestial Dragon's head, my mind cleared."
"With blood spraying through the air, a rush I'd never felt before surged through me."
"That feeling... it was exhilarating. You get it, Daren?"
Daren was silent for a moment, then slowly said,
"I get it..."
"No! You don't get it!"
Dragon cut him off.
"And I hope you never do."
Daren thought, I really do get it.
But before he could say anything, Dragon suddenly raised his bloodstained right hand.
His fingers curled slightly—index and middle fingers pressed together, ring and pinky fingers together—forming a three-fingered dragon claw.
"Remember this move?"
Daren nodded.
"Ryusoken."
Dragon's eyes lit up, a smile spreading across his face.
"That's right, Ryusoken!"
"You gave me that reminder back then—that's what led me to create this technique."
"But you know what? Ever since that day, I kept working on ways to push it further, to make it stronger. But no matter what I did, something always felt off..."
"But right when I attacked that Celestial Dragon, I used it without even thinking—and in that moment, I finally found what Ryusoken had been missing all along."
He drew a deep breath.
"It was soul!"
"It was will!"
"Ryusoken isn't just about finger strength—it's about the strength of the 'claw' itself!"
"These are the claws forged to tear through oppressive power!"
As his words fell, thunder cracked across the sky filled with heavy clouds.
A pale bolt of lightning briefly lit up the darkness.
The pitch-black Dragon Claw, coated in Armament Haki, glinted with a cold, overwhelming aura under the flash of lightning.