"What's wrong with Hermes?"
When the ship arrived at Delta Island, Amphitrite noticed that the usually energetic Hermes looked utterly dejected, draped over Nanamo's shoulder like a scarf, wearing an expression as if life had lost all meaning.
"Nothing much. Maybe it's just questioning its own intelligence. You were meditating in the cabin the whole time, so you didn't see what it just did."
Meditation was essentially a way of seeking a state of calm and focus. It was somewhat helpful for training Observation Haki. After getting a beginner's grasp of it through taking hits, practicing through meditation could improve the accuracy of one's Observation Haki perception.
"This island is safe, and the people you'll meet here can be trusted. However, there are ferocious wild beasts in the mountains. Just like Sea Beasts, they're dangerous animals. You are not allowed to leave your team on your own.
Follow the teams we assigned earlier and move with the teacher leading your group."
The dry land gave many of them a strange sensation. Whether Fish-Men or Mermaids, they all harbored a certain longing for land, especially for the Bubble Park of Sabaody Archipelago.
Many of their dreams were simply to go there and play once, yet most of them only dared to watch it from afar in the sea.
Although there was no amusement park on Delta Island, it could still offer them a completely different experience.
With the islanders' preparations, the resettlement went smoothly. Some people were settled on Delta Island, while others were to be sent back to their hometowns along the way. The troublesome ones were the pirate slaves.
Though they were all speaking of repaying the favor now, a pirate's character had always been an unknown variable. Pirates who could truly be trusted were exceedingly rare.
Alliances and betrayals were common among pirates. Simply settling them on Delta Island made Nereus uneasy.
Treating them the same way as the slaves from the auction house before was also inappropriate. After all, these people had been rescued from Mariejois; they certainly couldn't be sent back. Yet letting them leave on their own would be a waste of fighting power. These people did have some strength.
"As for a place to send them… there actually is one…"
After some thought, Nereus came up with somewhere to arrange them.
Not long ago, in East Blue, in an unremarkable port city—
On a barren hill by the sea, a man sat on a bare rock, gazing toward the distant docks, which were crowded with all kinds of people.
They weren't working, however. They were being treated like merchandise, observed and selected.
"Mr. Dragon, according to the intelligence we've gathered, these workers were forcibly conscripted from all over the kingdom. After the new king ascended the throne, his extravagant spending squandered the Heavenly Tribute that was originally meant for the World Government.
Now he has sold half of the nation's territory to a neighboring country, reducing the portion of Heavenly Tribute he needs to pay. And the people who originally lived there have been turned into slaves, used to fill the shortfall in Heavenly Tribute."
"We… should take action as well. That man accomplished something unprecedented at Mariejois. I don't have his strength, but I want to do something too."
The death of the Marine Fleet Admiral and the complete liberation of the slaves in Mariejois; these were heroic feats in Dragon's eyes.
He knew Salazar as well. While he wouldn't go so far as to applaud Salazar's death, after the God Valley Incident, Dragon absolutely did not believe that, as Fleet Admiral, Salazar had known nothing about it.
Therefore, he felt no particular regret over Salazar's death. What truly pained him was that among the fallen soldiers were those who had genuinely joined the Marines for the sake of justice, only to die in a place they never should have been.
[Was Mr. Nereus at fault? Or the officer who ordered them to carry out the mission? No… neither of them was wrong. The one at fault… is the World Government itself, the root of it all.]
Whoosh!
The sky began to darken. The once calm sea churned with rising waves, and the fierce wind forced the port guards to shut their eyes.
Amid the raging gale, the flag that once belonged to that kingdom was torn to shreds…
If Dragon had been left to develop on his own, although he had already gathered some followers at this time, his main activities involved staging protests in various places without any conflicts breaking out.
It wasn't until the Ohara incident and the Buster Call that armed clashes began under the name of the Freedom Fighters. The Revolutionary Army would be born even later.
Now, however, Dragon was taking much larger strides. The neighboring kingdom had already set out to attend the Levely, and the surrounding Marines were escorting that kingdom's king. Seizing this opportunity, Dragon launched his operation in the country.
Compared to two years ago, when his fighting strength relied solely on the firearms in his hands, Dragon had grown by leaps and bounds. He was no longer the same Marine soldier from the God Valley.
On one hand, he had obtained a Devil Fruit. On the other, the God Valley Incident seemed to have made him come to terms with certain things.
Garp had laid a solid foundation for his body and passed on some combat training insights. With the added power of the Devil Fruit, Dragon's strength advanced at an astonishing rate. At the very least, in East Blue, he could already be considered a strong figure.
As long as it was a decent combat-type Devil Fruit, reaching this level in the Four Seas was basically achievable.
In just half a day, the royal family's rule came to an end, and the king fled in panic.
The ships that had originally been used to transport slaves instead became vessels Dragon could use to evacuate the citizens.
He knew he couldn't leave the people there. Under normal circumstances, this kind of action would be defined as rebellion, and the World Government might send Marines to help that king reclaim his throne.
Dragon didn't have the ability to wage a prolonged defensive war there. In the end, he could only take those willing to follow him and set out on a journey across the sea.
East Blue was vast. Finding a place to settle down was still possible.
Just as Dragon was considering where to head next, a Den Den Mushi on his person suddenly began to ring.
"Dragon, you still remember who I am, don't you?"
"Of course… Mr. Nereus."
This Den Den Mushi had been given to him by Nereus back then. Even without looking at the Den Den Mushi's mimicked face, Dragon knew exactly who was on the other end.
"I saw in the newspaper before that there were occasional large-scale protests in the Four Seas. You were the one leading them, right?"
"Yes. But now I understand. Fists… are more useful than slogans."
"It sounds like you've grown much stronger. From the sound of the waves around you… you're at sea, aren't you? If you trust me, once you've settled down, give me a location. I have some manpower here.
I won't hide it from you, these people were once slaves of the Celestial Dragons, but they were also pirates. I don't have a suitable place to arrange them. If your strength has increased enough to keep them in line, perhaps you could make use of them."
"I see… I understand. Thank you for the help. I happen to be short on manpower right now."
Opponents in the Four Seas were indeed relatively weak, but that also meant it wasn't easy to find reliable officers here.
If they shared the same hatred toward the Celestial Dragons, they could at least be considered comrades.
"My subordinate will deliver them on my behalf. I'll have him test your strength as well."
"Mm. Thank you."
Please support on pat*eon for extra chapters; there is date to date subscription enabled on patreon. [There is a 7-day trial version availabe on patreon.]
https://www.pat*eon.com/dmtranslations
You can read ahead upto 25 chapters on my pa*reon.
Tiers-
1$- 10 chapters of OPUK
3$- 12 chapters
5$- 15 chapters
10$- 25 chapters