Super Card System - Chapter 490

Chapter 490: Monkey D. Dragon, Oh Monkey D. Dragon

“Did you save Dragon?” Ian asked with some confusion, “Shouldn’t it be Roger?”

“Who told you that?” Shanks narrowed his eyes and said, “Captain Roger had already turned himself in and been executed by then!”

Ian was immediately puzzled and asked, “Then why did you mention the Jackson?”

“Because I was indeed on the Jackson!” Shanks laughed heartily and said, “Because Captain Roger’s final task for me at the time was to hide his ship, the Oro Jackson, somewhere!”

“Why?” Ian asked in confusion, “Didn’t Roger’s Pirate Crew disband at that time? Why keep the ship?”

“Because… the Jackson was like an old comrade of our pirate crew!” Shanks said solemnly, “Captain Roger could hear the voices of all things, and he once said that within our pirate crew, there was a companion that the world would never know…”

Upon hearing this, Ian’s heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help but blurt out, “No way!? The Jackson also had a ship spirit!?”

It is said that ship spirits can only be born on ships that are deeply cherished and cared for. Ship spirits often appear with dense fog, giving warnings or alerting crew members to impending disasters.

The legend of ship spirits is widespread in this world, with descriptions by those who have seen them. They say the ship spirit is a small dwarf wearing a raincoat and holding a wooden hammer. It can be said that ship spirits are the common aspiration of sailors in this world. If a ship spirit appears on your ship, it means the ship has acknowledged you, which is a source of pride and honor.

“Hmm!? You also know about this legend?” Shanks looked somewhat surprised at him and nodded, saying, “That’s right, indeed, on the Jackson, a ship spirit was born. Perhaps it’s an unknown creature, and we can’t say for certain if we’ve truly seen it, but we are aware of its existence.”

“No wonder!” Ian nodded in realization.

If there truly was a ship spirit on the Oro Jackson, given Pirate King Roger’s fondness for his companions, it made sense. In his eyes, a ship was also a member of the crew. Therefore, after disbanding the Pirate Crew, he would certainly have arranged a way out for this vessel. He was well aware that if the Jackson fell into the hands of the Marines and the World Government, they would surely destroy it!

While the world only heard of Roger’s execution, there seemed to be few who knew the whereabouts of the Pirate King’s ship. It was unexpected that it had been hidden away.

However, Ian had not anticipated that Roger would entrust the Jackson to Shanks for safekeeping. Looking at it this way, Roger must have held Shanks in high regard from the beginning. After all, if one calculated Shanks’ age, it was evident that he hadn’t spent much time on Roger’s ship, probably no more than two or three years, at most not exceeding five years. This was because Roger also didn’t have a long reign as Pirate King and soon turned himself in for execution.

With these thoughts in mind, Ian couldn’t help but shift his gaze toward the Red Force, not far away. He was speculating whether this ship might be a cleverly disguised version of the original Oro Jackson. If that were the case, it would indeed be a brilliant move, preserving the Oro Jackson while avoiding detection by the Marines and the World Government.

Shanks noticed Ian’s gaze and seemed to understand what was on his mind. He couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Don’t guess any further, the Jackson can only be the Jackson! It’s irreplaceable, which is why I’ve hidden it in a secure location!”

As he spoke, Shanks reminisced, “Back then, in order to fulfill the task Captain Roger entrusted to me, I had to find a way to sail the Jackson away. But at the time, I didn’t have the strength to contend with the Marines, so I had to steer far away from the Grand Line. When I learned that there was a Marine fleet stationed near Ban banrol Island, I had no choice but to halt from a distance, fearing that they might recognize the Jackson if we came too close. However, what I didn’t expect was that this pause led to me coincidentally encountering Dragon, who had escaped!”

“He was seriously injured at the time, but he clung to a wooden board and drifted on the open sea for several miles. Keep in mind, he’s a Devil Fruit user!” Shanks marveled, “Devil Fruit users are practically powerless in water, yet he managed to persevere without drowning. Just think about the incredible strength of will that takes.”

Hearing this, Ian couldn’t help but ask with curiosity, “Dragon is a Devil Fruit user? What kind of Devil Fruit power does he have?”

“I don’t know,” Shanks shook his head. “In fact, even to this day, I still don’t know the nature of his Devil Fruit ability. Perhaps only Vice Admiral Garp knows, after all, Dragon was his student.”

No, you’re mistaken; Dragon is his son! Vice Admiral Garp must certainly know!

“After rescuing Dragon, he remained unconscious for three days and three nights,” Shanks continued. “Although I didn’t know his personality from before, I always felt that he changed after waking up—becoming very profound and composed. I could see an intimidating radiance in his eyes. And when he found out that I was the one who saved him, and he recognized the Jackson, he surprisingly showed no intention of becoming my enemy. He simply stood silently by the ship’s railing, gazing out at the sea without uttering a word.”

“But later, he finally spoke to me!” Shanks chuckled, “From that moment on, I knew that something had stirred within him… He inquired about Roger’s affairs and asked what we had witnessed in Raftel.”

“I didn’t hide anything and told him everything honestly,” Shanks said, “But after hearing it all, he didn’t say a word. The next day, he left without a word, taking one of my small boats…”

“What happened next?” Ian couldn’t help but ask, “Did he start forming the Revolutionary Army then?”

“No!” Shanks shook his head, “Because out of curiosity, I kept an eye on him for a while. Not long after, I heard about an assassination attempt in the Ilusia Kingdom. The attacker hadn’t revealed their identity, but I knew it was him!”

“Perhaps he believed that the King of Ilusia was the mastermind behind the Ban banrol incident?” Robin suddenly spoke, “In the absence of revenge against the Celestial Dragons, he turned to Ilusia Kingdom?”

“That’s right! A sharp lady!” Shanks gave Robin a thumbs-up and continued, “But unfortunately, he couldn’t succeed. The King of Ilusia didn’t die; he was saved after the attack and came back even more determined to hunt down the perpetrator, leading to the unjust killing and imprisonment of many innocent people because of Dragon.”

“Hmm!?” Ian was stunned by this turn of events. It wasn’t the outcome he expected.

However, Shanks continued, “Perhaps it was precisely this failed assassination attempt that made Dragon realize something. He understood that he couldn’t unravel the darkness hidden beneath the facade of peace and prosperity on his own. So, approximately a year later, I heard that the Ilusia Kingdom had witnessed the emergence of an organization called the Revolutionary Army. They tirelessly incited people to rise up and resist the brutal rule of King Thalassa Lucas.”

It was unexpected that the Revolutionary Army had its origins in this way. Ian could imagine that from here, Dragon must have steadily expanded the Revolutionary Army’s strength, and the Ilusia Kingdom became their preferred target for overthrow. After all, from Dragon’s perspective, it was Ilusia Kingdom’s attempts to please the Celestial Dragons that had led to the tragic events in Ban banrol.

This reminded Ian of his own infiltration into Mary Geoise during the World Conference. At that time, Koala and the others had joined him. The reason was that the Revolutionary Army had received intelligence indicating that King Thalassa Lucas of Ilusia Kingdom would designate Dragon as the most noteworthy and dangerous criminal during the World Conference.

Ian had initially wondered why it was the Ilusia Kingdom making this claim rather than any other nation. Now, hearing Shanks recount this history, he finally understood the reasons behind it.

All these causes and effects had been set in motion 20 years ago…

Ian had always thought that his intervention had altered the course of history. But who would have known that the person who had truly changed history was Dragon, 20 years ago?

Fate was truly unpredictable. Dragon had indirectly saved Ian’s life 20 years ago, and now Ian had joined the Revolutionary Army he had founded. It could only be described as destiny.

Ian let out a long sigh, making a silent decision. If he ever had the chance to meet Dragon in the future, he would thank him in person…