The rain never stopped on Baltigo.
It came in slow curtains of mist that clung to the red cliffs and metal scaffolds, seeping into every crevice of the Revolutionaries' hidden base. Steam rose from the vents of their underground forges, and the sound of hammering echoed like a heartbeat beneath the storm.
Inside the central command hall, Monkey D. Dragon stood alone before a circular table of stone, maps and coded transmissions scattered like fallen leaves. His cloak hung heavy on his shoulders, still damp from the storm. The air smelled faintly of iron and salt.
The Den Den Mushi on the table twitched. Its tiny receiver horns began to rotate, static breaking through.
Dragon's hand hovered above it for a heartbeat before he pressed the line open.
"…Dragon. It's Vegapunk."
The voice was soft but edged with calculation — the kind of tone that always made even the most composed men tense.
Dragon's eyes narrowed. "You're not supposed to contact me directly."
"I wouldn't, if it weren't important," Vegapunk replied. "I had a visitor today — or rather, the visitor came to me."
Dragon said nothing. But his silence said enough.
"Nyx D. Ada."
The room seemed to still. Even the rain outside faltered in its rhythm, like the island itself was listening.
Vegapunk continued. "She came to Egghead. With her crew. We discussed the Mother Flame project. And in that discussion…" He paused, as if even his genius mind couldn't quite find the words. "She told me something… peculiar."
Dragon's jaw tightened. "Go on."
"She said the world is sinking."
The words hung in the air like thunder with no lightning.
Dragon didn't move. The only sound was the Den Den Mushi's rhythmic click, mimicking his slow breathing.
Vegapunk continued, his voice lower now. "You were the one who gave me her contact, Dragon. You said she could offer 'perspective.' I didn't expect prophecy."
Dragon turned away from the table, walking toward the rain-streaked window overlooking Baltigo's cliffs. "She doesn't speak idly," he said at last. "If she says the world is sinking, then there's a reason."
"Then tell me," Vegapunk pressed, curiosity breaking through his composure. "What does she know that I don't?"
Dragon's expression hardened. "More than anyone alive."
A pause.
"You're protecting her," Vegapunk realized quietly.
Dragon's gaze stayed fixed on the horizon. "No. I'm protecting the truth she carries."
"I asked her why Roger started the Great Pirate Era," Vegapunk murmured. "She said it was because the world was sinking. What did she mean?"
Dragon's answer came like a shadow of thunder. "Find out for yourself, Doctor. You're the world's smartest man, aren't you?"
"Heh… you always did hate giving answers." Vegapunk sighed, the sound of gears whirring faintly behind him. "Still, I thought you should know. Your 'old friend' is stirring the seas again. Even Lilith seems… changed since joining her crew."
Dragon's brow furrowed. "Lilith?"
"Yes. I allowed her to accompany Ada for the sake of research. But there's something in her tone — admiration, even awe. If Ada truly believes the world is in danger, she may inspire others to follow her… including your people."
Dragon closed the line without another word.
He stood in silence for a moment, the static fading into the patter of rain. His gloved hand tightened around the edge of the table until the stone cracked beneath his grip.
From the doorway, Ivankov leaned casually against the frame, their enormous hair defying gravity as always. "Ooooh, someone's in a mood again~," they sang, voice echoing through the hall. "What's got you glum, Dragon? Another government dog sniffin' at your tail?"
Dragon didn't answer immediately. He turned, eyes hidden beneath his hood.
Ivankov strutted closer, high heels clicking. "You know, every time you get that look, something big happens. Care to share with dear Ivankov~?"
Dragon exhaled slowly. "Vegapunk called."
Ivankov froze. "The brain himself? Don't tell me he's joinin' the Revolution!"
"Hardly." Dragon's voice was low, steady. "He wanted to talk about Ada."
That caught even Ivankov off guard. "Ohhh~? The great Emperor of the Sea herself? Didn't think you two still kept in touch." They grinned, teasing. "Old flame, perhaps?"
Dragon ignored the jab, though the faintest flicker of memory crossed his eyes — a moonlit shore, a quiet laugh, a promise whispered beneath the wind. "She met with him. Told him the world is sinking."
Ivankov's grin faded. "Sinking? As in… the oceans risin'?"
Dragon shook his head. "No. Something deeper. Something she's known since Roger's time."
Ivankov folded their arms, unusually serious. "You believe her?"
"I always have."
The words were simple, but they carried a weight that silenced even the flamboyant revolutionary.
For a long moment, neither spoke. The sound of thunder rolled over the horizon, and the command hall dimmed under the storm's shadow.
Finally, Ivankov broke the silence. "So, what're you gonna do, Dragon? If she's right, and the world is sinkin', then everything we're fightin' for might be pointless."
Dragon looked out the window again — toward the endless storm, toward the world that didn't yet know its own doom.
"No," he said quietly. "It means what we're fighting for matters more than ever."
Ivankov tilted their head. "You plannin' to reach out to her?"
Dragon's fingers drummed against the table. "No. Not yet. She's safer if they think we're apart."
Ivankov smirked. "You mean safer for her, or for you?"
Dragon shot them a look sharp enough to cut steel, but Ivankov just laughed — a booming, carefree sound that somehow lightened the air. "Don't get your cloak in a twist, darling! I'm just sayin'… you're actin' more human lately. I kinda like it~."
Dragon didn't reply, but as Ivankov turned to leave, a small, rare smile ghosted across his lips.
That night, alone in his quarters, Dragon stood before a flickering candle. On the desk lay an old, worn vivre card — edges singed, corners torn.
He held it between his fingers, watching it tremble ever so slightly, the tiny piece of paper pulling faintly east — toward the New World.
He spoke softly, almost to himself.
"…Ada. What are you planning now?"
He remembered her words, not from Vegapunk's report but from their last night together.
"If the seas rise, it means the world's heart is drowning. Someone has to keep it beating."
Dragon closed his hand around the vivre card and blew out the candle. Darkness swallowed the room, leaving only the distant thunder — and the faint pull of destiny toward the east.
———————-
Elsewhere — at the edge of the New World
The wind howled as the Oro Jackson cut through the waves. Inside the captain's quarters, Ada sat by the window, watching the lightning crawl across the clouds like veins of light.
Her mind wandered — to Egghead, to Vegapunk's eyes when she'd told him the truth, and to a man with a dragon tattoo who had once promised her the world would change.
She traced a finger over the edge of an old vivre card — the twin to the one Dragon held miles away.
"The world is sinking, Dragon," she murmured. "And so are we."
Behind her, Lilith burst into the room carrying a mess of wires and a sparking gadget. "Captain! Look what I made!"
Ada smiled faintly, the stormlight glinting in her eyes. "Be careful not to burn my ship, Lilith."
Mihawk, sitting at the table polishing his blade, sighed. "She already tried."
Lilith pouted. "It's called innovation, you fossil."
Ada laughed quietly — a sound rare enough that Mihawk glanced up, almost surprised.
"Let her," Ada said softly. "A little chaos keeps the world alive."
Outside, thunder rolled again — the sea echoing the steady, invisible heartbeat between two people across the world.
—————-
And far away in the shadows of Baltigo, Dragon looked east once more.
"Soon," he murmured. "Soon, I'll see you again."
The candle flickered back to life on its own — a spark refusing to die.