Super Card System - Chapter 489

Chapter 489: Rebellion

“Dra… Dragon-san, was once a Marine!? And he was… a Marine Vice Admiral!?”

Ian felt like he had been left dumbfounded numerous times today.

Shanks smiled faintly and said, “What’s so surprising about that? You may not know this, but he and the current Marine Admirals, Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji, are all about the same age, and they were recruited into the Marines during the same period.”

“Haha!” Shanks couldn’t help but laugh heartily as he continued, “Thinking back on it now, it’s really interesting. Dragon, who was known as one of the most notorious criminals in the world, was actually a member of the Marine’s ‘Golden Age’!”

“Golden Age?”

“Yes, the Golden Age!” Shanks nodded and said, “Among that group of Marines, several exceptional individuals emerged. Almost all of them became Marine officers of high rank. But at the time, it was Zephyr’s group of students who developed the best. Kizaru, Aokiji, and Akainu all became Marine Admirals. So, this group of students was referred to as the Golden Age.”

“Dragon-san, was he also trained by Zephyr?” Ian asked.

Shanks asked Ian somewhat strangely, “You’ve called him Dragon-san twice now. Do you know him?”

“Well… I’ve seen him once!” Ian hesitated to answer, so he could only respond vaguely. In reality, the only time he had seen Dragon was back in the village of Shimotsuki.

Shanks didn’t really doubt it and just chuckled, “Well, we’re in the same boat then. I’ve only seen him once too! Dragon wasn’t one of Zephyr’s students. He was actually personally trained by Marine Vice Admiral Garp!”

Upon hearing this, Ian instantly understood. Dragon is Garp’s son, and knowing Garp’s character, he likely wanted all his descendants to join the Marines. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have pressured Luffy and Ace so much in the past. It wasn’t all that surprising that Dragon had joined the Marines, probably at the insistence of Vice Admiral Garp.

However, judging from Shanks’ tone, it seemed he didn’t know that Dragon was Garp’s son…

Ian didn’t mention it and continued listening to Shanks’ narrative.

“If Dragon had remained in the Marines, perhaps one of the three Admirals we have now would have been replaced,” Shanks lamented. “But unfortunately, when the Buster Call was issued at Ohara, and Akainu and the other Vice Admirals left for Ohara, something significant happened in Ban banrol once again.”

“Could it be that Dragon broke into the ‘Hunting Ground’?” Robin nervously inquired.

“Yes!” Shanks confirmed. “At that time, the king of Ilusia declared a plague outbreak in Ban banrol, yet no medicine or medical assistance reached the island. Dragon found it suspicious and later spotted Celestial Dragon ships in the nearby waters. Out of curiosity, he ventured onto Ban banrol to investigate.”

“No matter who you are, or who I am, it’s hard to fathom the impact that scene on the island had on Dragon back then,” Shanks said, his face shadowed with the weight of the memories. He continued solemnly, “Though people often commit atrocities, what transpired on Ban banrol was entirely different. The Celestial Dragons treated the islanders like insects, mercilessly slaughtering those defenseless people. After brutally killing them, they harvested their organs such as eyes, ears, and noses, preserving them in preservative solutions as grotesque trophies. Alternatively, they would skin living people and stuff them with straw to create specimens, then laugh heartily while relishing the agonized cries of the skinless victims…”

“These despicable savages!” Ian’s whole body trembled as he clenched his fists, and his eyes turned ice-cold. When he thought about the possibility that those human specimens he had seen in the treasure vault might have come from this horrific event, that some of them might have been the residents of Ban banrol, he couldn’t explain why, but he felt an uncontrollable urge for violence welling up within him.

The aura of killing intent from both Shanks and Ian spread unchecked on the ship. If a Celestial Dragon were to appear before them at that moment, they would likely rush forward without hesitation to tear them to shreds.

Robin and the members of the Red-Haired Pirates silently sensed the overwhelming rage and bloodlust emanating from the two, feeling a deep sense of empathy.

After what felt like a long while, Shanks was the first to regain his composure. After all, this was the second time he had recalled the scene described by Dragon, so his resistance was stronger. Once he had settled down, he patted Ian’s shoulder, signaling for him to calm down as well.

“You’ve probably guessed what Dragon did afterward,” Shanks said. “He was utterly enraged by the Celestial Dragons’ atrocities and completely lost his reason. At that moment, he engaged in a fierce battle with the Celestial Dragons.”

“With Dragon’s strength at the time, he could probably have wiped out all three of those Celestial Dragon families. Unfortunately, there were a considerable number of CP personnel accompanying them. Not only that, but there were also guards assigned to protect the Celestial Dragons and the royal guards from Ilusia, all of whom were determined to defend the Celestial Dragons at all costs.”

“Dragon killed many people, but as the alarms sounded, more and more guards arrived, including some of Dragon’s own Marine soldiers who, not understanding the situation, thought Dragon was attempting to attack the Celestial Dragons and unhesitatingly turned against him.”

“In the end, Dragon was overwhelmed and he was captured by the enemy. The Celestial Dragons, who had been terrified before, finally regained their composure and were furious. They wanted to execute Dragon on the spot!”

Upon hearing this, Ian couldn’t help but ask, “Do the Celestial Dragons have such immense authority? They can directly order the execution of a Marine Vice Admiral?”

“Absolutely!” Shanks nodded. “You can’t imagine the kind of power the Celestial Dragons wielded at that time. However, they didn’t get their way back then. After Dragon was captured, his subordinates among the Marine soldiers sensed something was amiss and refused to carry out the execution order. They informed the Marine Headquarters about the situation.”

“At that time, Dragon was a star within the Marines, a promising candidate for the position of Marine Admiral. The Fleet Admiral couldn’t simply allow Dragon to be executed by the Celestial Dragons. So, they argued their case and reached an agreement with the World Government, intending to bring Dragon back for trial.”

“But, to everyone’s surprise, on that very same night, Dragon managed to escape!” Shanks said with a hint of satisfaction. “The Celestial Dragons never foresaw that their arrogance and tyranny would directly provoke someone who had the potential to become a Marine Admiral, eventually becoming one of the most feared figures in both the Marines and the World Government!”

“They got what was coming to them!” Ian couldn’t help but exclaim with satisfaction.

“After the truth about Ban banrol came to light, even the Fleet Admiral couldn’t tolerate it!” Shanks laughed heartily. “The entire upper echelon of the Marines stood up to defend Dragon. Ultimately, the World Government had no choice but to persuade the Celestial Dragons to drop the matter and suppress it. To achieve this, they had to agree to the Marines’ demand: never again to provide escort for any of the Celestial Dragons’ public appearances!”

“I imagine the Marines were quite furious at that time?” Ian remarked. “During that period, they essentially lost two Marine Vice Admirals in one fell swoop!”

“Yes, Vice Admiral Saul and Vice Admiral Dragon!” Shanks nodded. “So, after that incident, you rarely saw Marine fleets accompanying the Celestial Dragons on their public appearances. The trip to East Blue Goa Kingdom was just such an occasion. Vice Admiral Saul met his end at Ohara, and the Marines initially wanted Dragon to return. However, after what happened, Dragon lost trust in the Marines and the World Government and never returned!”

Ian nodded in understanding. He could now see why. Even the Fleet Admiral at the time, Sengoku, understood the delicate situation. Dragon was the son of his good friend Vice Admiral Garp. With such a significant event happening, he couldn’t face Garp and chose to keep the relationship between Garp and Dragon hidden. It also explained why many Marines were unaware of the connection between Dragon and Garp. He had no reservations about mentioning Luffy’s father, Dragon, in the original story, which surprised Coby and the others.

“Perhaps even the World Government knew the kind of shock such revelations about the Celestial Dragons’ inhuman hunting practices would bring to the world,” Shanks speculated. “So they went to great lengths to conceal the incident and avoided mentioning Dragon’s defection. They stuck to the Ilusia Kingdom’s story, claiming that a plague had erupted on Ban banrol at the time, resulting in the extinction of its inhabitants.”

“Ian, you should be thankful to Dragon!” Shanks looked at him and said, “I believe you were able to survive because of Dragon’s actions against the Celestial Dragons. It was only then that there was a gap in the island’s blockade.”

Ian scratched his head, realizing that he had an unexpected connection to Dragon. In a way, Dragon was his savior. If it weren’t for Dragon’s chaos on Ban banrol, his parents might not have been able to send him away. In that case, his Master Koshiro and his wife might never have found him.

Thinking about this, Ian felt that the course of history had already been altered more than twenty years ago.

Ian couldn’t help but take a sip of his drink and then asked Shanks, “So how do you know all this? Did you…?”

“That’s right!” Shanks nodded, his tone turning serious. “After Dragon escaped, he happened to encounter our ship, the Jackson! And the one who rescued him was me!”