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Dragon felt sick once he woke up, he had known he had been in the ocean the last time he checked. He and a small group of Revolutionaries had sneaked into Marigeose to wreck Holy Hevoc as the Holy Knights were busy taking on the Strawhat Alliance. The only Holy Knight still in the Holy Land had been Shamrock and he had every intention to get the fuck out of there before anyone else returned (if they did).
Both of them had seen the clouds in the sky where the redhead was keeping a hold on Dragon so he didn’t sink. Knowing that Imu would use the Mother Flame to just wipe everyone out hurt more than words could say.
Nothing could be done, and for both of them that meant losing the only family worth mentioning as they had been too far away. Jumping into the water had been a last minute idea as they needed to get away as fast as possible. Until there was this power in the ocean and Dragon swore he could hear both Her and his son sharing that they could have another choice.
He had been close to the Red Line, so why was he on the Wing Granma and in the East Blue of all places. He hadn’t been there since Luffy left, had sent others to check in and once Sabo regained his memories he was the one to go to Dawn. Talking about his right hand, he used his haki to look for him and came up empty. That wasn’t at all like the Sabo he knew.
A knock on the door had him looking up, calling for the other person to enter. Only to see Kuma standing there looking shocked and in awe. Blinking once, Dragon took a step forward as the Buccaneer gasped, “Nika sent us back.”
Blinking again, Dragon tried to make sense of it. He knew that Luffy held the Nika fruit, but he didn’t think that his son would be able to make such wonders appear. Then again, there was no other explanation for Kuma being here, Sabo not being here and them being in the East Blue. He’s here in time for the Gray Terminal fire and he hopes that this time around he doesn’t have to separate the three brothers. Least of all if Luffy and Sabo remember, Ace should still be here and after the way they had to lose him before Dragon knows the kids aren’t going to let that happen a second time.
Footsteps in the hall had both him and Kuma look up as Iva appeared, looking just as shocked but also elated, “Dragon-boy, you’re needed in the communications room. I don’t think all of our Snails have ever gone off at the same moment before.”
That had him in shock, and not at all. If he came back because of whatever Luffy did, that means a whole lot of other people did too. He knew the Alliance had been mostly alright when Imu attacked first and he had been with Shamrock and some of the other Revolutionaries. Sabo had been with Koala and Hack, near Luffy and the main group of the alliance.
Hurrying after Iva, he enters the communication room to see all the Snails are occupied and everyone normally taking care of them looking on in fear at the voices that come through. He can’t really blame them either, he can hear both Shanks and Shamrock, Marco the Phoenix and his own father yelling over each other. Several others are also aware, but silent, but if they were who we think it is, his men won’t know what to do with that.
“I think you all need to calm down,” his voice carries and everyone does as he asks.
Running a hand over his eyes, he sighs, “I think it’s safe to say all of you are aware we’re in the past. Luffy did something, I know he did, but I don’t know what it is. However, I’m in the East Blue right now and able to find out within a day.”
That has some of them relaxing, as he goes over what needs to happen now and how he’ll call back as soon as he has Luffy on board so his son can explain. Several of the people in the communications rooms freak out at the notion that their leader has a son, but Dragon ignores them. Making sure they have all the needed numbers before people end their calls. Until, at the end, only Shanks, Shamrock, Crocodile, Marco and his father remain.
Shamrock shares that he’s on the ship headed to Goa, so he’ll be seeing them soon. Adding that he can’t stay up there after everything. It is bad enough that his father is with him on the ship, as right now he isn’t the leader of the Holy Knights so he has much less freedom and people watching over his shoulder at any moment. Shanks is quick to offer him a spot in the Red Force, should he want it. He has every intention of staying in the New World for the time being so they should be saved from whoever came looking for either of them.
With that taken care of, Shamrock ends his call, stating he’ll be seeing most of them soon. Dragon had offered to take him with them to the New World as he had every intention of getting there as soon as he passed Goa and picked up the kids.
His father grumbles but asks to be kept up to date and for Dragon to let him know the boys are alright. He offers to go and knock out some of the higher brass they can’t let become the powerhouses as they had been before. All of them are also aware that he wants to kill Akainu before anything can happen with Ace. But having someone in the Marines to keep an eye out would be too valuable to lose right now. Garp ends his connection too, before making Dragon promise to check in as soon as he had the boys in his care.
In another life Monkey D. Garp would have kept his head down if it meant that his home island would be saved. But he knew that he wouldn’t be able to look the other way now, Dragon knew as well, was well aware that more people would need to be taken aboard his ship to keep them safe. They’d deal with figuring out who went where after.
Crocodile, Marco and Shanks were the only ones still on the line, with Marco breaking not long after, “I don’t know what to do -yoi. I’m currently locked in my room as Pops, everyone, Teach is here right now and I…”
A sob sounds over the line, the three men currently on the call with him had known just how hard he had taken it last time. To know that he was back in that position and nothing could be done to help him. Shanks offered to come by the Moby Dick, see if they could tell Newgate together. To see what they could tell him to make sure the past didn’t repeat itself. Crocodile offered the same thing, even if it was clear he was at an impasse too. Newgate wouldn’t know that his biological child and ‘oldest’ son had found each other again in the orbit of Luffy. That there was more family out there, that he didn’t even know about. Newgate had died last time, not knowing he had a grandson (that he shared with Garp of all people) nor that the image Roger had portrayed about the One Piece would come true.
“You need to tell him something, Marco,” Crocodile’s voice comes over the snail. He’ll clock on something being wrong. “Red can help you in telling it all, and if you want I can make my way there too, that might just get him thinking too.”
For those that knew, it meant a lot that Wani would take a step back on the Moby Dick after vowing never to do so again. Then again, a lot of healing had been done and they had been able to take the time in the future-past. To the point that certain hurts had been scabbed over. Crocodile also knew he needed to talk to his father at one point. Might as well be now.
Marco’s voice is small as he asks if they’re both sure. With Shanks mentioning he can be there in a few days. He’s already in the New World, and knows he needs this. Crocodile adds that he can’t stay in Alabasta now, eyes would be on their family soon enough and he wants to take the chance given to spend more time with his son.
Dragon chuckles, “I’ll make sure Luffy knows that, and the New World will be better either way. Between Shanks, hopefully the Whitebeard Pirates and the Revolutionary Army we’ll have a large enough group to keep our Sunshine safe as he grows. I don’t think he’ll be able to use his full power right now and if anyone comes back with us that knows, we can’t take the risk of leaving him in the East.”
With a grin, he adds, “If nothing else, tell him he has a Godson, that might take his mind off of things. Ray did tell me that they had every intention of asking him for Ace, but things just never worked out.”
A bark of a laugh comes out of Marco’s line at that, “Doesn’t surprise me -yoi. If Red makes his way here I’ll tell him. But right now I just don’t want to get out there.”
They talk over some details, eventually making the choice of Dragon calling everyone back as soon as he has the kids on board. Looking on if Luffy knows what he did and what can happen now. Things are moving and they need to make sure they are keeping on the right side of the tide. Marco ends his call then, as there was knocking on his bedroom door and he couldn’t be heard talking to strangers right now.
Shanks also mentions checking in on Ray and Buggy, as he doesn’t know what came of them. They were both in the water, but he doesn’t know if both have the strength to do this all again. With that he ends his call and leaves Dragon with only his ex-partner on the other side.
“Whatever it is you want, Wani, we can talk about it. I know you were happy with what you had before we went back and Luffy is smart enough not to want to force us into anything either of us wants,” Dragon feels the need to say.
Crocodile sighs, “I don’t know what I want, I… Crossguild helped in a lot of ways but I can’t help but feel that something kept on missing in the grand scheme of things. Right now I just want him and Sabo to be safe. I don’t know Ace as well as I want to, but he didn’t deserve what happened to him last time.”
Something shifted at hearing that, an ease that Dragon hadn’t been aware he held onto. He never did get over Wani, they had been the love of his life, but he had known that things had just happened at the wrong time and they couldn’t keep going as it had been. Luffy was a surprise, a welcome one, and one they wouldn’t want to change especially with everything he managed to accomplish. In the time leading up to that final confrontation, he knew Wani and Sabo grew closer too, something he liked as Sabo became another son to him. The blond was the embodiment of why Dragon had founded the Revolutionary Army after all, the fact that he was Luffy’s adopted older brother only added to that.
There is a silence there, before Crocodile speaks, “I’ll look into it, I don’t know right now. But I… I need to know they’re all safe, that you’re safe.”
Humming, Dragon agrees on keeping them updated and to see what happens after all is said and done.
He also knows that they have arrived, and mentions as much, taking a deep breath before letting his communication offers know who might still call and to have them take note of numbers. He’ll call back as soon as he’s able to do so.
To his surprise, he isn’t even on the docks before a very familiar blond comes running to his side. Eyes wide as tears run over his cheeks, exclaiming he can’t find his brothers. Several of the others, not knowing who this child was, bend down to help.
But Dragon had seen the glint in those eyes, knew that this was an adult Sabo trapped in a child’s body who couldn’t do too much in that condition. He had known about them docking here, had snuck off and as it wasn’t towards the Gray Terminal the guards hadn’t stopped him.
“Sabo,” he started, “Stop pretending, you’re not the only one to come back and I have every intention of leaving here with Luffy and Ace.”
The change was instant, gone was the lost little boy and instead stood the smaller version of the man that at one point had been his right hand. Sabo’s eyes sharpened, his shoulders tightened and the whole atmosphere around him shifted until Dragon nodded, pulling him close before giving him the rundown on what would happen.
Before long, the two of them were standing on the Granma, looking out over the proceedings of setting up and making sure everything was going like it should for what they were there to do. Dragon made sure to let Sabo know Shamrock was inbound as well. Going over the others that had called to check in. Only stopping when his haki pinged and both of them turned to look at the approaching flames, as well as the two children that came out of it.
They had felt Luffy’s conqueror's haki blasting, no doubt to keep the flames at bay. But seeing him there, standing with Ace at his side, holding onto the older boy’s hand did make something easier with both of them.
Something that clenched up when Sabo just jumped off the edge of the ship to run towards his brothers while Luffy let go of Ace and used his devil fruit powers to sling himself towards Dragon and hug him tightly.
“You never change, do you,” he couldn’t help but utter as he had his son back in his arms.