Chapter Text
Raiding slave ships was one of the preferred tasks of the revolutionary army in its early days.
They still didn't have a base, since going to the Kamabakka kingdom was risking Ivankov's okamas, and Dragon least wanted to be caught in the crossfire.
So for now they relied on docking ships of noblemen who wanted to take slaves to Mary Geoise and returning them to their homeland.
They gained a reputation for it. Dragon's bounty was increasing so rapidly that he was certain his mother would give him something if she were still alive.
“If there’s one thing that attracts nobles more than anything else, it’s a powerful and famous slave,” Ginny said, reading from her research report. Ginny was incredibly skilled at investigations, so much so that Dragon was surprised to learn that the entire God Valley incident was practically her doing after she revealed it. “Especially when it comes to the Kuja.”
During his short time in the navy, Dragon learned who the Kuja were. A famous tribe of only women who were considered the most beautiful in the world.
"From what I've found out, they kidnapped the current empress, Tritoma," Ginny continued. "I don't know if they'll take her as their wife right away or use her as a prize in the next games the Celestial Dragons play, like they did with Shakuyaku."
"We don't have any information yet about the new location for the games," Kumma explained. "But it will be in a year or two, so that's plenty of time to keep her kidnapped."
“Where can we intercept them?”
"It depends on how much you move the ship with your wind by nightfall before they reach Sabaody," Ginny replied. Dragon nodded and stood up to go on deck and steer the Wind Granma towards Sabaody.
At dusk, a huge, stately ship was sighted. Ostentatious, forged by slaves in unsanitary conditions. This enraged Dragon.
"Get ready! Take up arms!" he ordered.
Soon, the enormous deck was filled with armed revolutionaries ready to board and do their job: liberate.
Dragon steered the ship and, using his haki, managed to knock down most of those on deck before they could call for help.
It wasn't going to be a silent encounter, but Dragon was trying to avoid any injuries.
After boarding and having the revolutionaries take charge of the deck, he gathered a small group and, using his observation Haki, searched for the dungeon where they kept the slaves.
There was a group of fifteen people gathered at the back and chained up when they opened the dungeon.
"We are the revolutionary army," Dragon told the slaves. "We came to liberate you."
He noticed relief and tears on people's faces. Two revolutionaries stood guard at the gate as the chains were broken. Then Dragon remembered what Ginny had said.
"Are there any other slaves who aren't here?" he asked. A woman, clearly pregnant, pointed to a door at the far end. It was secured with a heavy bolt.
"There's a woman there," he said. "She fought like a warrior, she looked like a pirate, but there were more of them. She's badly wounded. From what we've heard, she's the most valuable one."
Dragon approached the door and, using his Haki, destroyed the enormous padlock. The door squeaked open, and Dragon was paralyzed by what he saw.
It was an ostentatious cell, as if it were the exclusive property of a nobleman to keep a toy. And there, hanging by her arms on the wall, was a completely naked, unconscious girl.
She was on display, objectified to the point of dehumanization. She had bruises and welts all over her body, yet her face showed no signs of abuse, and she was made up. And this was how the nobles treated women.
Dragon felt disgusted.
He approached the girl, took his cloak, and covered her naked body. Using his Haki, he destroyed the chains and caught her before she fell to the ground.
He carried her in his arms. She was quite small and looked fragile, but she was a pirate and an empress, and Dragon was sure she put up a good fight.
The Kuja were to be feared.
He left the room just as his companions were escorting the slaves out of the dungeon. The ship was completely silent, demonstrating that the revolutionaries were now in control.
Another successful rescue.
.
The Wind Granma was designed for rescue, so it had a large enough infirmary and enough revolutionaries specializing in medicine to care for the wounded.
Ivankov was in charge of those in the worst condition, so he gave priority to the girl in Dragon's arms.
Three broken ribs, internal bleeding, and many bruises. Dragon admired how fiercely she defended herself, given that her position as empress would have prevented her from being harmed much more, for the simple reason that the less damage she sustained, the better the price she would fetch in Mary Geoise.
"I've always thought Kuja girls are incredibly beautiful," said Ginny as she wiped the makeup off the girl's face with a damp cloth.
"Would you have liked to be a Kuja, Ginny?" Dragon asked. Ginny frowned.
“I’m happy to be who I am,” the girl replied. “But I confess I would have preferred to have been born into a different world than a slave. What difference does it make, though? Kuja are constantly pursued by nobles for their beauty. They want them as prizes, as slaves, as wives. What’s the point of being free if some horrible noble decides to take a fancy to you and suddenly wants to take your freedom away?”
"That's why we fight the way we do, Ginny," Dragon said, crossing his arms. "We experienced hell from different angles in God Valley, and it opened our eyes to the damage in the world. To how rotten it is."
Ginny nodded, and they remained silent. Then she left to find food for the sleeping woman when she awoke.
Dragon stayed to look after her so that she wouldn't feel overwhelmed when she woke up in an unfamiliar room.
Except that he didn't count on something important.
The trauma of a woman enslaved upon waking up and seeing a man in the same room where she was.
So Dragon didn't have time to react, not even with his Haki, when she opened her eyes and saw him. He moved so fast that he didn't anticipate the moment her foot slammed into his face, sending him flying several meters and breaking his nose instantly.
When Dragon was able to react, she was wearing her cloak and covering her nakedness, in an attack position with the intention of hitting him again.
Dragon's blood vibrated as he felt his chin stained with the blood that came out of his nose, totally surprised because no one had ever been able to hit him before, much less leave him with a headache.
"Who are you?" the woman exclaimed. "Where am I?" Dragon started to stand up and immediately sensed what was coming.
He turned his head and, brushing past his ear, passed a syringe that he must have taken from the trash can.
"Stay seated there," she ordered. Dragon looked at her and noticed she had more syringes in her hand, preparing to throw them. "I'll say it again, all you have to do is speak: Where am I?"
"You're in the custody of the revolutionary army," Dragon replied, his voice sounding strange due to the undoubtedly odd position of his nose. She frowned.
“Revolutionary army? I've heard of you.”
"We freed the slaves from the ship you were on. You can let your guard down; you're out of danger. My doctor treated all your wounds. You're safe."
The syringes fell from the girl's hand, and then she trembled, pulling Dragon's cloak tighter around her as if it offered her some shelter. Her knees hit the ground with a sound that made her wince at the pain she must have felt.
He went to get up, intending to go and comfort her, when she shouted at him:
"Don't come any closer!" Tears covered her beautiful face as she tried to cover every bit of skin.
This was normal for those who had been slaves. It was a response to the abuse, to having been touched against their will; it was how they felt their own bodies belonged to them again.
Dragon wanted to do something for her, but he knew he couldn't. Only a woman could do anything, and he scolded himself for not thinking of leaving Ginny.
The infirmary door opened, and the woman jumped. Luckily, it was Ivankov in his female form who entered.
"Oh, you're awake, cupcake," she greeted her in a cloying voice. Kuja looked at her in surprise, her face covered in tears.
"She's our head doctor," Dragon replied to the unspoken question. "She treated your wounds."
Ivankov looked at him and let out a scandalous laugh.
"I see you two already had quite an encounter, Dragon," she said, approaching Dragon and offering him a handkerchief. Dragon wiped the blood from his nose, and then, thanks to Ivankov, it was restored to its place.
When he stood up, he saw the woman; she was very red-faced and looking away.
"Ivankov will check on your injuries," he told her. "Ginny will bring you some food and some clothes. Welcome."
And he walked away knowing that she was now safe.
.
The revolutionary's gentle hands took her arms and guided her back to the bed. There, she asked her to remove her cloak so she could see her wounds.
Tritoma obeyed, as she had stopped doing since taking command of her tribe. She still remembered the man's bleeding face. But what she remembered most was his name.
Dragon.
Of course she recognized that name.
He was the supreme commander of the revolutionaries.
And she had kicked him in the face and broken his nose.
"I hit your leader," Tritoma said to Ivankov. "Why are you being nice to me?" The Kuja would never do that. They defended their empress tooth and nail from a very young age. Since she was twelve, Tritoma had been defending Gloriosa from the Marines and other pirates alongside her companions.
"Ha! You were scared. He's not vindictive unless it's an injustice. I've never seen anyone capable of bypassing Dragon Haki."
"We Kujas are masters of Haki," she revealed.
“That makes perfect sense. Okay, cupcake, what's your name?”
“Tritoma.”
"The Empress?" She nodded. She stroked her ears, feeling the snake earrings that identified her as the current sovereign. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" The door opened again, and a pink-haired girl entered with a tray of food. She looked at her and smiled.
“You woke up!”
"And he broke Dragon's nose," Ivankov mocked. Ginny laughed. The whole situation had truly surprised her. The Kuja would never tolerate disrespect from their crew toward their empress.
"How long ago was the rescue?" she asked.
“Yesterday,” Ginny said, placing the food tray on the bed. A bowl of cream with bread, and Tritoma’s stomach growled. They had kept her without food, believing it would make her more docile. Without shame, she began to eat as Ginny explained the rescue. “Dragon said they had you in a different room.”
“They were going to take me as the wife of a celestial dragon,” Tritoma replied. “Garling, I heard. The man had wanted to take Shakky as his wife, and since he couldn’t, he’s been looking for other kujas. Another empress was valuable to him.”
He noticed Ivankov and Ginny looking at each other but said nothing.
"Did they touch you?" Ginny asked. "You were naked."
"Not that I know of," she revealed, frowning and clutching her cloak. "Nudity meant humiliation. Besides, the buyer had to get a good look at the merchandise."
She remembered that clearly. The video den den mushi captured every shot of her naked body.
And then the calls. They would leave her alone in the room with a Den Den Mushi, through which she could hear moans from the other end; the man, her buyer, was clearly touching himself while watching images of her body.
Did they touch her? No.
But they found other ways to abuse her.
She wrapped her cloak more tightly around herself. It had a comforting scent of rain and forest.
"Dragon found you," Ivankov said, and Tritoma trembled. "The first thing he did was cover you with his cloak and get you out of there."
Was that his cloak? That cloak had a strange, homey scent.
"Is there a bathroom where I can take a bath?" Tritoma asked. "And some clothes."
"Sure," Ginny said, standing up and gesturing to her. Tritoma followed her.
They soon arrived at a bathroom where there was still fog due to the heat.
"I'll get you some clothes," Ginny said, and Tritoma nodded. When the girl left, she filled the bathtub and dropped the cloak on the floor.
She looked at herself in the mirror. Her body had only light bruises, and her ribs were visible due to lack of food. She ran her fingers over her skin.
She was free.
Her body was hers again.
And nobody else's.
.
A successful robbery, people-free, and he could rest.
Although Dragon knew very well that liberation never rested.
With a smile, he looked at his new wanted poster. He wondered what his father would say about it.
The door to his office rang.
“Come in.” The door opened, and Tritoma entered. She was wearing one of the revolutionary army uniforms, as it was the only clothing available, and her snake earrings.
“Miss…”
"Only Tritoma," she interrupted.
“Tritoma.”
"Dragon..." She glanced around and focused her gaze on the reward poster. She smiled. "200,000,000? Nice."
“I suppose a pirate empress is more of a danger than a freedom fighter just starting out.” She smiled at him. “Were you able to speak with Ivankov?”
"A little. I'm better, if that's your question... How's your nose?" Dragon wrinkled his nose, though without any pain.
"Okay," he signaled for her to sit down, and she hesitated a little, then decided to do it.
“I wanted to apologize for that.”
"You don't need to apologize... That was a good kick," he said. Tritoma chuckled.
"I've read about you and the trouble you've been causing in the government," the woman said suddenly. "However, may I ask, why a revolutionary? Why not be a pirate if you're going against the government anyway?"
"I'm not just trying to oppose the government," Dragon replied. "I'm seeking its reform: the liberation of slaves, the overthrow of the monarchy, and free peoples."
“That’s… brilliant,” she smiled. “We Kuja have been persecuted by the government for years, and not just for being pirates. If it weren’t for where it is, Amazon Lily would have been invaded long ago. The government wants control of us, of our beauty, of our bodies.” She shook her head. “Shakky and I haven’t been the only ones kidnapped. Throughout the centuries, they’ve boarded our ships to take our daughters and carry them off. Because our bloodline is highly valued. That’s why Kuja doesn’t leave the heart of the island. Only the fittest, the strongest.”
Dragon remembered the words his mother used to say. About her culture, about how she had to hide her wings, and that she came from a sky island.
"Even though it pains me that you don't have wings, Dragon," she had once said, when Dragon asked her why she was hiding her wings, "I'm glad you don't have them." The blue sea is dangerous for a sky tribe.”
He stroked his arm, where the tattoo was.
"I have a Den Den Mushi that has a device that prevents interference," Dragon said. "So you can contact your crew."
She smiled at him in gratitude, taking the snail.
“If you need us to take you somewhere to meet them, let me know. We plan to leave many of the former slaves in their homelands.”
"I won't let you into Amazon Lily," she growled, frowning. Dragon chuckled.
“I would never ask you to, but I can drop you off nearby and wait for your colleagues to arrive.”
"Could you take me to Rusukaina?" she asked. "It's a deserted island in the Calm Belt. I know it's difficult..."
"I can handle the boat in the calm belt," Dragon said. "The wind is never a problem."
She smiled at him.
.
She heard crying and more crying through the den den mushi from her crew, who had been searching for her and had planned an attack on Sabaody when the ship that had kidnapped her arrived.
“I'm glad you're alright, Tritoma-sama!" Hancock exclaimed, one of the younger crew members who had decided to leave the comfort of the island and go to sea with her sisters. The girls were so full of life.
"See you in Rusukaina," Tritoma said. "It's safer there, since the ship that rescued me will be taking me, than if they know the location of Amazon Lily."
“Yes, ma'am!” And without further ado, she hung up. She went back into Dragon's office, where he was sitting reading some reports. She placed the Den Den Mushi on the desk.
“Thanks, I owe you one.”
"You don't owe me anything," Dragon said. "We'll be there in a week because of the coordinates you gave me. You can do whatever you want on the ship; Ginny will tell you where the cabins are."
Somehow, Tritoma wanted to stay there with him. She liked the way he spoke; she liked his ideals.
However, she didn't want to upset him. She nodded and left the offices. She headed off in search of Ginny but stopped when she saw her singing and laughing with a huge man. There was a lot of chemistry between them, and she found it charming.
The Kuja didn't think about love, even though both Gloriosa and Shakky had abdicated their positions as empresses because of it. But she couldn't allow it; she had girls to guide and a people to lead. And love only made you weak.
She remembered how Gloriosa, someone she greatly admired, abandoned her rank to succumb to the callousness of love and ultimately betray her own people for a man. And how did she end up? Alone, on the outskirts of Amazon Lily, with a dead man.
The same goes for Shakky. Just as Tritoma adored her, only to end up leaving them alone, leaving her with so little experience but being the most experienced, a pair of snake earrings, and a rushed coronation because she wanted to retire.
She frowned, leaving the couple alone and returning to the infirmary. She would find the cabins herself later.
.
They brought her dinner to the infirmary, and Ginny told her that if she wanted privacy, she could sleep there.
Tritoma accepted without looking her in the eye. Not because she disliked her, but because she had thought many negative things about her simply because she was seemingly in love, and Tritoma was frustrated by everything that men and love had taken from her and her people.
Ginny sat in a chair next to her, talking a mile a minute while Tritoma ate quietly and listened to her.
"Ginny…" she interrupted. "I was looking for you this afternoon and I accidentally saw you with a man… I'm sorry."
"Kumachi?" she asked, smiling. "Okay!"
"Is he your boyfriend?" At the question, Ginny turned so red that her freckles stood out even more. She giggled.
"No. He's my soulmate," she replied.
“What isn't the same thing?”
“Your soulmate is the person you connect with most. Kumachi and I have been through a lot of really tough times. I want us to be a couple, on my end. I love him, he loves me… But it's difficult.
"Your work is dangerous," Tritoma said. "Love is dangerous. We Kuja don't fall in love, at least not normally."
“Not normally?”
"The disease of love," the woman said. "You fall so deeply in love that it can kill you."
“Excuse me for asking, but how do you reproduce? I mean, I assume you somehow have sex and get pregnant.”
“Of course,” Tritoma said. “But we don’t fall in love. And the only ones who do are those who decide to go out to sea. We decide it’s time to get pregnant. Men are easy to fall for: they’re only useful, and we go back to the island with the girls.”
“And what if you have boys?”
"We Kuja never have sons. Our will is so strong that we only give birth to daughters. I know, the world is cruel to women, Ginny. That's why our island is hidden; you can't imagine what the government would do to us if they could get their hands on us. You have the strength and courage of a Kuja; if you ever decide, you can join my crew."
Ginny laughed.
“Thank you, but no. I like being a revolutionary, I like Kumachi, and I like loving him even though he never reciprocates, saying it's for my own good. I like that feeling.”
Tritoma smiled at her.
“That's lovely.”
.
During the night, Tritoma couldn't sleep. So, embracing the freedom so championed by the revolutionaries, she took Dragon's green cloak, put it on, and went out into the cold night.
The deck was calm; the sky was full of stars that shone even in the light of the full moon.
On a night like this, the Kuja might be on a small island making a bonfire. Entertaining each other, playing with the little ones, and doting on the two babies who were on board, whose mothers didn't want to stay on the island because, just as they loved their daughters, they loved the sea itself.
She missed her girls.
"Can't you sleep?" a voice beside her asked, making her jump, scolding herself for not having noticed it before.
"You scared me," she scolded, frowning. Dragon laughed, and the sound tickled her ears.
"Sorry, I've gotten used to being quiet," the man said.
“I suppose all this revolutionary stuff teaches you not to make others follow in your footsteps.”
"On the contrary, the more you show yourself, the more dangerous they consider you, and that's the idea," she laughed.
“Is your goal to be a silent hero or a danger to the government?”
"I'm not trying to be a hero," Dragon said.
“I've heard enough people today from those you rescued say you're their hero to know you won't achieve your goal.”
“I seek to correct this world.”
"But you know you'll become a hero as you continue liberating villages, right?" she said. "Your army will keep growing, and you'll become more and more dangerous." She smiled at him, resting her cheek on her hand. "I like that, don't you?"
“Is it more dangerous?”
"Isn't that what you want? To be a danger to the government?" Dragon smiled and looked at the moon.
"I want to make them tremble. I want them to pay for all their crimes," she laughed.
“Your eyes shine when you talk about your convictions; you have a very strong will.”
“I guess…”
They remained silent for a moment.
"Are the Kuja empresses retiring?" Dragon suddenly asked. Tritoma looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“You have the soul of a revolutionary. If you ever decide to retire, you could join us.”
She smiled at him.
"It's difficult. I was born a Kuja, and I'll die one. I'm a pirate, and I'll never stop being one. But perhaps, when you decide to burn Mary Geoise, call me and I'll be happy to accompany you."
.
Dragon was surrounded by stunning women. Ginny, Betty, and his mother when she was alive.
And none had impressed him as much as Tritoma.
That was everything anyone knew about a pirate. Aggressive and decisive, she put her crew and her people first. Dragon had never met an empress, someone who was supposed to be part of the "monarchy" who praised her people as much as she did.
During the week she was on her way to Rusukaina, she befriended Ginny, taught the principles of haki to some of his revolutionaries, and helped deliver a baby to one of the former slaves that Dragon had freed.
She was a healthy girl, and she, as empress of the Kuja, gave the little girl the blessing of the goddess of the Amazons.
Dragon felt ambivalent about all of this. He rejoiced at the nascent life but considered it cruel to bring a child into this rotten world. But sometimes he reminded himself that he was doing this for them, for the next generation; these children would be born into the world Dragon was creating for them.
The revolutionaries weren't throwing parties, but the citizens were. And they were celebrating the joy of a new life. So Dragon decided that for a moment, he could relax and watch people enjoy themselves.
He sat on the deck of the ship, watching the rescued people dance and sing alongside their saviors, when he felt a body sit down next to him.
"Is this what pirate parties are like?" Dragon asked. She smiled at him.
“We Kuja can celebrate for days,” she replied with a bright smile that Dragon suddenly felt was the sun itself. “Forgive me if my pirate soul bothers your revolutionary spirit.” Dragon laughed and looked at her. She was flushed from the alcohol in her system. She looked so beautiful. “You’re too serious, Dragon,” she said, making an adorable pout. “I like hearing you laugh.”
"I've always been like this," he replied. "Even though my father is always laughing at even his superiors, I've always been a serious soul."
"I see that," she said, watching the people celebrate. "It's not a bad idea to let yourself go once in a while," she said in a tone that stirred something inside him.
"It's not bad to celebrate once in a while," Dragon agreed, trying to deflect the feeling. "Especially if there's something to be happy about."
“A birth is very important.”
“Not when it's in this rotten world.”
“But that's what we're here for, isn't it? To change things and make a better world for them.”
"You're right," Dragon smiled. "The new generation will grow up in a free world."
They remained silent for a while longer, watching the people dance. Intending to cheer the children up, Kuma began to do a little dance, which the little ones imitated.
"The god Nika," Dragon said, noticing the confusion in Tritoma's eyes. "The god of the sun. He has always been the hope for slaves."
“I suppose hardship makes you a believer” said Tritoma.
“What are you talking about? “
“We choose what to believe depending on our needs. And beliefs are so strong that they become reality.”
"Like Devil Fruits," Dragon said. "They arise from people's desires."
She smiled, nodded, and drank from the glass she held in her hand.
"I think I'll go rest," she said. She started to get up, but perhaps because she'd drunk so much, she tripped. Dragon caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her into his lap.
Their eyes met, and she blushed even more.
"Thank you," she said.
"Okay," Dragon replied, helping her up. "Shall I accompany you to…?"
"I'm fine," the woman grumbled, averting her gaze from Dragon. "I just tripped."
And she hurried to the infirmary.
Dragon looked at her back, not understanding her.
.
Dragon had told him that the ship was too big for him to steer alone through the calm belt. So, they took a small boat, one that was easy to handle, while the revolutionary army's ship drifted, guarded by the rest of the crew.
"Feel free to enter the room," Dragon said as he raised the candle.
"You'll need me in front of you," Tritoma said coldly. "My Haki will frighten the sea kings."
“I have Haki too…”
"Stop treating me like I'm weak," she growled, baring her teeth. Dragon froze, as if no one had ever dared to stand up to him.
But it wasn't that Tritoma was confronting him. She wanted to calm the frustration she felt and her heart, which was racing at the mere thought of leaving the revolutionary.
She shouldn't feel like this. She should be happy to be going home.
So why did she feel like she was making a bad decision?
Dragon looked like a kicked puppy.
“I was trying…”
"Don't try," she shook her head. "I'm sorry, okay? I just... want to go home." Dragon gave her a small, sad smile.
“I understand.”
“Don't feel sorry for me now.”
“I won't. Sorry, Trip.”
Trip?
Where the hell did that come from?
Tritoma felt her ears turn red. Dragon was also paralyzed, as if that had come out of his mouth without warning.
"Where did that come from?" Tritoma asked.
“Can't I give a friend a nickname?”
My ass, my friend.
“I've never heard you call Ivankov, or Kuma, or Ginny that.”
“They are my commanders…”
"Are you going to keep fighting, or are you going to leave?" they heard from above. They both looked up at the ship; Ginny and Ivankov were on the edge of the deck watching them with mischievous smiles.
Tritoma didn't remember that they hadn't even left.
"Don't you like it?" Dragon asked.
“Since when do you care?”
“You matter to me.”
Tritoma felt like her heart was going to jump out.
She had to get out of there as quickly as possible.
“Let's go.”
Dragon nodded and raised his hand. A strong wind stirred, filling the sails.
"Hold on," Dragon told her, and she did. The ship flew off.
.
Dragon was used to his father's conqueror's Haki power.
When he showed it to him, taking him deep into the forest, Dragon felt like he would faint from the enormous power.
Tritoma had told him that the Kujas were masters of Haki, but he had never witnessed hers before.
It was incredible; she had impressive strength and a mastery of it that showed Dragon much more training than perhaps he could have had.
“We Kuja train in the basics of Haki from the age of ten,” Tritoma said when he asked her. “We live in Calm Belt; the sea kings are our daily reality. From there, depending on your chosen profession, you'll be taught more: farmers don't need much. Fisherwomen are somewhere in between, and pirates are the experts. Of course, the one with the best Haki control is the one who trains to become empress.”
“Since when are you an empress?”
“For twenty years, since I was fourteen,” she replied wistfully. “Although my coronation was rushed because Shakky was eager to retire.” Dragon noticed something different in her voice, as if there were a hint of resentment. But he said nothing. “I’ve found my successor, little Hancock, but I haven’t started training her yet because she’s only twelve. I’m not going to give the responsibility of an entire village to a child.”
"Like they did to you," Dragon understood.
"I don't blame Shakky for leaving," Tritoma said. "I blame the cause, which was external to her."
Dragon didn't want to question or ask, because the subject seemed to deeply trouble her. She looked again toward the horizon, at the great blue expanse that stretched out before them.
The sun shone directly on her face, making her brown eyes appear lighter. And her dark hair swirled around her face.
He turned his gaze forward, noticing the landmass ahead. Dragon stopped the ship a few meters from the island and lowered the anchor. Then, without Tritoma expecting it, he scooped her up in his arms and flew straight to the island.
They descended and touched land, and the island reminded her of the forests of the Kingdom of Goa. She descended, feeling as if a thorn had been mercilessly pulled out as she lost her warmth.
"Do you want to explore the island?" she asked, nodding towards the forest. Dragon nodded and followed her.
Tritoma told him the story of the island, how it had been a part of Amazon Lily but 800 years ago it completely separated from it.
As she spoke, Dragon noticed the animals moving away from them. It was as if the Haki imprint on both of them was so strong that it kept the animals at bay.
"I come from the Kingdom of Goa," Dragon said when she fell silent. "The forests are very similar to these. When I was a child, my father would throw me into the forest to help me develop my own character." Tritoma chuckled.
"I see why you're not smiling," she said. Dragon chuckled. He went over to a tree and picked a beetle to show the woman.
"I was always a fan of beetles. I would catch them, classify them, and study them. And Dad thought it was a silly obsession."
"I find it interesting," she said, smiling.
“I suppose the world forces you to toughen up, so much so that I was forced to enlist to make my father proud” nshe looked at him with her large doe eyes.
“Were you a Marine?”
"All the way to God Valley. Ever since I saw the horrors the government could inflict, I decided to fight for my own justice," she smiled. Dragon found it incredible how she could go from being a harsh empress to the gentlest woman in the world.
"I like your sense of justice," she said, turning away and looking up at the sky. "We should go back to the shore. It's getting dark."
Dragon nodded, setting the insect aside and following her to the shore. He saw her gathering branches and wood to light a fire and create some light for them.
They sat down in front of the campfire, and Dragon put his coat over her shoulders.
“Stop treating me like that…”
"Please accept it. Just accept it," Dragon pleaded. He could see her cheeks flush as she wrapped her cloak around him, shielding herself from the cold. They talked for a while. Dragon told her some stories from his childhood, stories he hadn't even told his companions.
Ivankov didn't even know where he came from.
And there she was, knowing almost everything about him. Because out of nowhere, Dragon felt a blind trust in her. They talked and talked all night.
Until they knew when sleep had fallen upon them.
.
Tritoma felt the warmth of the sun on her face and leaned further back on the soft but firm pillow on which her head rested.
She couldn't remember where she was. It wasn't until she felt the breath beneath her or the hand taking her shoulder in a gentle, peaceful grip.
Tritoma's hand gently touched where she was lying, and it didn't take her long to realize that she was on a male chest.
She opened her eyes, paralyzed. Feeling Dragon's breathing and his heartbeat in her ears. She didn't know how to move. She didn't know if she should breathe because she was too afraid to lift him.
The man's calm breathing gave her a good feeling. There was peace, and she remembered not having felt him so calm at any time during her time on board.
She smiled. He trusted her enough to let his guard down and sleep soundly, as if Tritoma wouldn't be capable of cutting off his head and taking it to the government.
She laughed; perhaps he knew her too well to know that she would never do that.
Her laughter must have been loud, because she felt him stir, and the hand that was resting on her shoulder moved down until it was positioned on her waist.
And Tritoma's skin burned through contact despite the layers of clothing.
“Trip? Are you awake?”
And oh, how cute that nickname sounded in his voice.
"Yes," she said, getting up and placing her hand on her strong chest. She sat up and cleared the sleep from her mind.
Dragon beside her also stood up, pushing his long hair back and removing the sand from it.
She was watching him when she immediately heard the noise coming from the sea. Both she and Dragon became alert when she noticed the Kuja ship in the distance.
Something swam from the sea at a speed that Tritoma immediately recognized. She placed her hand on Dragon's arm to calm him. From the water emerged an enormous snake that lunged at her and coiled around her body, making her laugh.
"I missed you too, Pearl," Tritoma said. Pearl stopped showering him with affection and looked at Dragon, hissing. "Shhh, girl. He's a friend."
"Tritoma-sama!" she heard several of her girls call as they approached in a boat, some with tears streaming down their cheeks. Tritoma stood up, and the girls rushed towards her, showering her with hugs. "We missed you!" they exclaimed.
Tritoma laughed, hugging her girls. She had missed them too.
After exchanging hugs and tears, she ordered them to return to the boat while she approached Dragon to say goodbye to him.
She went to untie her coat when he stopped her.
"Keep it," he told her. "Besides..." He handed her a Den Den Mushi. "The Revolutionary Army doesn't ally itself with pirates, but if you need anything, any help... I'm not saying you're weak or anything..."
"Dragon," she interrupted, closing her hand around the snail. "I understand."
"See you," she smiled at him.
“See you.”
She walked away from him and boarded the boat with the other Kuja. As she sailed away from the island, she could see him standing there, watching her go, hoping they would meet again.