Super Card System

Chapter 636: A Series of Connected Events

It was like a scene from a disaster movie. When those two giant waves crashed violently into the Golden City, the entire city’s dazzling lights were extinguished in an instant…

It felt as though the Golden City had been utterly destroyed in that moment… Well, in truth, it practically had been.

As Ian and the others watched, the massive body of the Gran Tesoro sank sharply under the impact of the powerful waves. If the ship hadn’t been so large, with enough buoyancy to eventually bounce back up to the surface, Ian and the others might have witnessed it being driven straight to the seafloor.

Most of the people in the Golden City had already fled by ship due to the earlier chaos. Those still in the city were likely Tesoros’ subordinates and World Government agents. Perhaps a few greedy pirates had stayed behind, continuing to loot the city. Now, with the onslaught of these massive waves, they were finally getting their comeuppance…

Everyone watched with trepidation. Only those who have sailed the seas can truly understand the terror of the ocean, especially when faced with a tsunami like this! Imagining those waves crashing down on their own ship—what would happen then?

This kind of power was especially terrifying for Devil Fruit users, who knew that being dragged to the depths by a tsunami would almost certainly be the end for them.

Ian turned to Aokiji and asked, “Was this caused by Dragon? What kind of Devil Fruit user is he?”

However, Aokiji gave Ian a strange look before responding, “I… I don’t know!”

“Huh!?” Upon hearing Aokiji’s response, not only Ian but everyone on the ship was stunned.

Since Aokiji had been the one to warn everyone to steer the ship away from the Gran Tesoro, they had assumed he was familiar with Dragon’s abilities. But now, when asked directly, he admitted he didn’t know!?

Everyone looked at Aokiji as if to say, “Are you messing with us?”

“It’s true!” Aokiji shook his head. “I really don’t know what Dragon’s Devil Fruit ability is. In fact, I haven’t seen Dragon in over 20 years!”

“What!?” Tashigi was shocked when she heard this and blurted out, “Aokiji, you… you know Dragon!?”

“Of course!” Aokiji nodded. “He was once a Marine, just like me, and we were both Vice Admirals at the same time.”

Tashigi, Smoker, and Kuina were all taken aback when they heard this. Although they often heard about Dragon in the Navy, they knew nothing about his past. So hearing Aokiji personally confirm that Dragon had once been a Marine left them in shock.

However, Aokiji noticed that Ian didn’t seem surprised and paused for a moment before realizing the reason. He then asked Ian, “It seems like Old Man Garp might have mentioned this to you?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Ian nodded. In fact, it was Shanks who had told him that Dragon used to be a Marine, but Ian didn’t feel the need to clarify that to Aokiji, as it would only lead to a more complicated conversation.

“If that’s the case, then why don’t you know what his ability is?” Ian asked Aokiji.

Aokiji shook his head and explained, “Even though we were peers, we had different mentors. My mentor was Admiral Zephyr, while Dragon was trained directly by Vice Admiral Garp! So most of the time, we didn’t train together, and Dragon was a very reserved person, quiet and not one to speak much. As a result, he didn’t have many friends in the Navy, and we knew very little about him.”

“Even if you didn’t know much about him, you must have known something, right?” Ian pressed.

“Of course!” Aokiji nodded. “While we don’t know the specifics of his Devil Fruit ability, we do know some of his powers. He seems to have control over storms and rain. He demonstrated this ability a few times while on missions. That’s why, when I sensed that strange hurricane earlier, I immediately thought of him…”

“He had reached the rank of Vice Admiral, so why did he suddenly leave the Navy?” Smoker, chewing on his cigar, asked with some confusion.

“Well…” Aokiji hesitated, finding it difficult to explain. “There was an incident…”

However, before Aokiji could finish, Robin suddenly became emotional and shouted, “Why won’t you just say it!? Does the Navy intend to cover up this incident forever!?”

Everyone looked at Robin in surprise, unable to understand why she had suddenly become so agitated. Only Ian knew why Robin had lost control of her emotions, so he stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder.

Robin, overwhelmed, suddenly broke down in tears, crying uncontrollably as she leaned into Ian’s chest.

Ian comforted her softly, saying, “It’s okay now. It’s all in the past…”

The strange behavior of the two left the others feeling bewildered. Most of them had been too drunk to remember when Shanks had talked to Ian about the past, so only Ian and Robin knew about the events that had transpired in Ohara.

Ian turned his head, his gaze cold as he addressed Aokiji, “Why won’t you speak up? You’ve already left the Navy—do you still need to cover up their scandals?”

Aokiji remained silent, not responding.

“What scandal?” Smoker now had a growing sense of unease.

“If you won’t say it, then I will!” Ian, seeing Robin crying uncontrollably, knew that this painful memory had stirred up her recollections of Ohara. His own anger flared as well, and he couldn’t hold back from revealing the truth himself.

The result was that everyone on the ship was left utterly stunned.

“So… you’re saying that during that time, the tragedy that struck wasn’t limited to Ohara, but also happened to Banbanrol?” Crocodile asked in shock.

“That’s right!” Ian nodded. “Around the same time, both Ohara and Banbanrol disappeared from the world, and all of it was done with the help of the marines!”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Aokiji, especially Tashigi and Smoker, who were particularly shaken by what they had just heard.

“No wonder you were looking for maps of the South Sea from over twenty years ago in the records room back in Loguetown…” Smoker recalled. “So, you knew about this even then?”

“No!” Ian shook his head. “I only learned about it later when someone told me.”

Aokiji then looked up at the sky and sighed, “Is this fate? Ohara had a survivor, Nico Robin, and Banbanrol had you, Ian. And now, you two have come together…”

Everyone fell silent. They finally understood why the World Government and the Navy had gained such a formidable enemy as Dragon. For a moment, they shared Aokiji’s sense of the overwhelming force of destiny.

Imagine it—survivors from two different places, twenty years apart, reuniting and becoming comrades. At this moment, it was as if everyone could feel the presence of fate itself, as though this ethereal force truly existed.

Aokiji sat down on the deck and said to Ian, “You know more than I ever expected. Now I understand why you harbor such deep hatred for the Celestial Dragons. However, there’s something you might not be aware of…”

“What is it?” Ian asked coldly.

“Dragon is not just targeted by the World Government because he leads the Revolutionary Army,” Aokiji explained. “It’s also because, after the Banbanrol incident, he once launched an attack on Mary Geoise!”

“What!?” Everyone was stunned. “Dragon also attacked Mary Geoise!?”

“Yes!” Aokiji nodded. “And he did it alone. However, his reason for attacking Mary Geoise was different from yours. It seemed he was searching for something there.”

“Searching for something?” Ian rubbed his chin, frowning in thought. “Did he find what he was looking for? When exactly did this happen?”

“It was a year after the incidents at Ohara and Banbanrol,” Aokiji explained. “I remember it clearly because it happened around the time when Akainu, Kizaru, and I were on a mission together. We didn’t witness it ourselves, so we made inquiries afterward. Dragon secretly infiltrated Mary Geoise, but he didn’t alert anyone. No one knows what he was searching for in Mary Geoise. However, when his presence was eventually discovered, he fought off the guards and left without any trouble.”

Aokiji glanced at Ian and continued, “It’s said that during that incident, Dragon fully unleashed his Devil Fruit powers. But unfortunately, those who witnessed it firsthand have kept their lips sealed.”

“Why?” Ian asked, puzzled.

“No one knows!” Aokiji shook his head. “But after that incident, Dr. Vegapunk, under the direction of the World Government, began researching artificial Devil Fruits. It’s said that the Celestial Dragons specifically funded the project…”

“Hmm!?” Ian’s thoughts were suddenly stirred.

The Celestial Dragons specifically funded the World Government to have Vegapunk research artificial Devil Fruits? Something about this…

Thinking it over, Ian suddenly asked, “The artificial Devil Fruit that Dr. Vegapunk was researching—didn’t it fail?”

“How did you know that?” Aokiji was equally surprised and, after a moment of hesitation, asked in return.

Ian couldn’t help but smack his forehead. It seemed his hunch was right!

He realized it now—the artificial Devil Fruit that the Celestial Dragons had Vegapunk research must be that failed prototype stored away on Punk Hazard!

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