The shadow-cloaked weapons hovered above the plaza, humming with barely-contained energy. Water dripped from the black blades, hissing as it hit the fractured cobblestones below.
Luffy's hand remained raised. His eyes, sharp and steady, tracked the flickering movement at the top of the execution platform.
A man stood there.
Not a Marine.
Not a pirate.
Just… presence.
The world felt quieter as he stepped forward. The air grew denser, the wind curling around his cloak as though obeying a force older than law. His green hair, streaked with black, stuck wet to his brow. A square tattoo marked the left side of his face.
Lightning forked across the sky. Clouds churned overhead like an approaching beast.
And Luffy's heart skipped a beat.
He knew that face.
He knew it from memories—not lived, but remembered. From whispers in fan forums. From storylines that had once been fiction.
Monkey D. Dragon.
The most wanted man in the world.
The leader of the Revolutionary Army.
His father.
The system flickered to life, displaying rows of data—but even it seemed uncertain.
[Subject Scan: Monkey D. Dragon]
[Threat Level: Undefined]
[Status: Non-Hostile]
[Presence Signature: Sovereign-Class]
[System Alert: Suppression Protocol Initiated – Limiting Shadow Surge to 20%]
Luffy felt the weight not just in the sky—but in his core.
His body recognized power.
His instincts recognized blood.
And his mind—his human mind—recognized this moment as irreversible.
Smoker staggered up from the cracked earth, jitte trembling in his hand.
The sight of Dragon robbed the color from his face.
"You... You shouldn't be here..." he muttered.
Dragon didn't look at him at first.
His gaze locked onto Luffy.
"You've grown faster than I expected," he said, voice deep and level, yet carrying the weight of oceans.
Luffy didn't answer right away. His throat was tight. The rain hit harder, soaking his shirt, flattening his hair against his forehead.
"Why are you here?" he finally asked.
Dragon gave a faint, unreadable smile. "Because this place is a crossroads. And so are you."
Smoker took a step forward. "You're interfering with Marine justice."
Dragon turned his gaze on him—sharp, unblinking.
"I'm watching the path of the future. And it's not written in your rulebook."
The words weren't loud. But they cracked through the storm like lightning.
Smoker gritted his teeth. "You're a revolutionary. A traitor."
Dragon said nothing.
But the wind surged violently behind him. Flags tore from their poles. Shingles from nearby rooftops spun into the sky.
The very town seemed to pull away from him.
Luffy's shadow tendrils sank back into the ground, weapons melting like snow under fire. Arlong took a knee beside him, awaiting the next command.
But none came.
[System Note: User Sync Stable – Shadow Force Dormant Under Pressure Field]
[Evacuation Route Active – Crew Status: All Members Present at Dock]
[Severe Atmospheric Surge Incoming – Immediate Exit Recommended]
Thunder cracked again—this time directly overhead.
Lightning struck the Marine tower, sending a fireball into the sky and causing the entire building to tremble.
Marines screamed. Some ran. Others froze, weapons forgotten.
Dragon stepped back from the edge of the platform, his eyes still locked on his son.
"Go, Luffy."
It wasn't an order.
It was permission.
Luffy clenched his jaw, torn between fury, curiosity, and the pull of the storm.
He turned slowly, rain sliding off his straw hat brim.
But just as he stepped forward—
Smoker launched.
His boots splashed through the waterlogged plaza, jitte raised high. "You're not escaping again!"
Arlong moved to intercept—but Luffy stopped him with a single thought.
This was his.
He spun on his heel and caught Smoker's strike with his forearm—black armor spreading like scales over his skin. The jitte cracked against it but didn't penetrate.
Their eyes locked—Smoker's wild with frustration. Luffy's calm. Measured.
"I'm not running," Luffy said.
"I'm choosing when to fight."
He pushed Smoker back—just enough.
Then leapt backward into a wall of shadow that surged up behind him like a curtain. It swallowed him whole.
Smoker slashed forward—only to cut through mist and rain.
A single shadow tendril snapped behind him like a warning whip.
Then vanished.
Smoker turned toward the execution platform—but Dragon was gone.
Above the square, the clouds boiled black.
The storm had only just begun.
[End of Chapter 93]
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