Author's Note - I love the revolutionaries! Dragon might be my favorite character.
Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece or any of the other fandoms from which names, places, abilities, or references are taken! Imaginary points to anyone who catches said references throughout the story and PM's them to me. Dunno if you'll get anything real, but i give sneak peaks and deleted scenes to my repeated reviewers, so it isn't unthinkable.
Chapter 04 - Revolutionaries
"Me? You can't... I'm not strong enough!" Sabo looked up at the man who had saved him and raised him.
"Yes you are. There is no one I would entrust this power to over you. This is the mark of freedom that has been passed down the line of revolutionaries for centuries. It is a power that would destroy the world in the wrong hands. The strength required to wield it safely is not in the body, but the mind and the soul. You are the one I have chosen." Monkey D. Dragon smiled at the young man before him.
"You should give it to one of your senior officers. I don't have the experience or wisdom that they do." Sabo insisted, looking at the mark on Dragon's face.
"You have experienced the injustice of this world's nobles more directly than most others. You renounced them on your own, when you could have easily been one of them. You have a good heart. My son saw that from the beginning, and so did I. I won't be dropping this burden on you and abandoning you. I will stay and advise you as long as you need me to. There are still many things I need to teach you. But it is time I passed this power and title on to another. I wasn't able to be there for my son, but I will be for my grandson." Dragon put a hand on the shoulder of the blonde boy he had saved many years before.
"Alright. If you will guide me, I will accept. I trust you, so I must trust your judgment." Sabo sighed and smiled at his mentor. "You know, he was as proud of you as you were of him. He made sure everyone knew exactly who he was. Straw Hat Luffy, son of the Revolutionary Dragon, King of the Pirates."
"He had every right to hate me. I was never there when he grew up. He deserved a family."
"He had a family. A bigger one than he ever would have know if he had parents. You saw his crew. They may not have shared blood, but they were family. Just like he and Ace were my brothers. He knew you fought for freedom, and that was all he needed to know to love you." Sabo walked to the ship's railing to watch the sun setting.
"That is the clear sight and wisdom that I want my successor to have." Dragon smirked at the man he had chosen and then looked across the water to his secondary command ship where a slim figure was gracefully flowing through a series of fighting stances at the head of a group of recruits. "You know, you have an opportunity I did not. You may be able to lead a revolution and have the one you love."
As Sabo blushed and tried to form words in his defense, Dragon laughed and walked away toward his cabin. The blonde man closed his mouth and sighed again before looking back at the figure teaching fishman karate to the other revolutionaries. Maybe the man was right.
He leaned against the railing and let his mind wander over the recent events that had changed the world. His last sworn brother had died, as Ace did, with a smile on his face. Now, the newborn child of the late Pirate King bore the name of his fallen brother. Monkey D. Ace would live as the first Ace had not. Free from the hatred that befell the son of the Pirate King. Determined to be there for his grandson as he had not been for his own son, Dragon was passing on his title of leader of the revolution to his apprentice, and surrogate son.
The Straw Hat Pirates had dispersed through the world, each following their own dreams, never forgetting the sacrifice their captain and first mate had made so that they could live free. With three of their most powerful and high ranking soldiers dead, the marines were restructuring and regrouping over a year later. The New World had been in an uproar even before the death of the Pirate King, but it had only intensified when many islands lost the protection of Straw Hat Luffy. Red Haired Shanks maintained his status as an emperor and claimed many of Luffy's territories, protecting them in his place.
After their years of recovery, Marco and the remainder of the Whitebeard Pirates returned and reclaimed their old captains place as an emperor, and were surprised when Shanks turned over their old territories willingly. The world knew there had been meetings between Shanks and Marco, as well as Dragon, and there was more going on than met the eye, but the government wasn't in any condition to deal with it now.
Two other great pirates has risen up and taken places as emperors as well. Boa Hancock had been vengeful and dangerous for the months after Luffy's execution, and due to her, marines did not enter the New World any more. They may not for years to come. Sabo knew he wouldn't step across the Red Line if he knew that woman's armada would hunt him to the ends of the earth for the soul purpose of murdering him in the most painful way they could come up with.
The fourth emperor was all but unknown, even now. What little was known had all the credibility of small town gossip. They believed it was a man, but no one was completely sure. They didn't even know if he was human or fishman. They did know with some certainty that he did not posses an ability, which spoke greatly about his strength if he could stand as equals with Marco, Shanks, and Hancock without a devil's fruit.
The seven warlords were nearly all weak stand-ins that the government had appointed to fill the seats. Buggy the Star Clown was the only pirate remaining from the old group. It was suspected that he was forming an alliance with his old friend, Shanks. If he did, the government would expel him from the warlords, and they would be down to a group of weak fools holding titles they had not earned.
Sabo wondered what it was that was going on between Shanks, Marco and Dragon. He would probably be filled in during his training to take over. He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw Koala waving to him from the other ship. He couldn't help but smile at her. They had been raised together among the revolutionaries, and he had been as protective of her as an older brother at times.
The class she has been teaching was over, and he hoped she would not have any other obligations that evening. He knew she usually ate dinner with her students, so he had an hour or so before he had a chance to talk to her. To his surprise, she held up a finger, signaling for him to wait. He watched her say goodnight to her class, and begin making her way to his ship. He ran to meet her.
"Hey Sabo!" The young woman leaped down to the deck in front of him and smiled brightly. "So, what did Dragon want to talk to you about?"
"He... Wants to make me his successor." Sabo looked at his shoes, and was surprised by a warm hug. He finally managed to return the hug, then hold her at arms length. "What was that for?"
"I knew he would choose you! Congratulations!" She was grinning from ear to ear and he ended up smiling too. It was contagious. She seemed to read his mind and flicked his nose teasingly, not stepping out of his light grip on her upper arms. "You don't need to worry. You'll be amazing."
"Thanks. As long as I have you there to keep me out of trouble." Sabo rubbed his nose. "Dragon is going to begin training me personally to take his place. I don't know if he wants everyone to know yet, so you shouldn't tell anyone until he does, alright?"
She nodded at him and tilted her head slightly. "I'll always be here for you, stupid. And I promise, I'll keep my lips sealed until Dragon makes the official announcement. But then I am throwing you a party, and you aren't allowed to say no." She slipped out of his grip and swept his legs out from under him, coming to a stop sitting on his back with his arms held firmly. "Promise you'll come to your party?"
"Alright, alright!" Sabo knew he might be able to over power her, but he honestly didn't want to. The idea of a party with this beautiful woman sounded more appealing than most other social events she had dragged him to. She claimed he was as unsociable as Dragon. He took that as a compliment. She punched him.
"Good. Now... Want to go get some dinner? It's been a while since we got a chance to relax together." She slowly let him up. He made a show of dusting himself off, then held his elbow out to her.
"It would be my honor to treat you, my lady." They both contained their laughter as she took his arm dramatically and walked with him to the kitchen where they would both be served for free.
"You should stay, you know. Mainomai plans to make you his successor, I'm sure of it." A woman said to the man next to her. Three of them sat together, talking and drinking, their usual fourth asleep, preparing for his night watch.
"No way, Rouge. I'm the son of a marine. No one here would follow me. It will probably be one of you two. Maybe even Iva, but I doubt it. He plans to return to his home as well. The revolution has lost all momentum." The man leaned back in his chair and took a long drink of sake.
"Everyone here would follow you. After the way you stood up for Iva, everyone knows that no one understands what we fight for as well as you. And your father may be a marine, but he is an incredibly strong man, and you are too. You would make an excellent leader." The woman named Rouge yanked the bottle from his hand and downed the last of it, scowling at him.
"Oh lay off him Rouge, it is his life. He is free to live it how he chooses. Actually, I might join him..." The third member of their party, another woman with long black hair said, blushing slightly.
"You too, Chrysi? You're going to leave me alone here with these people?" Rouge slumped in her seat, flicking her light red-blonde hair out of her face. "Maybe I should go back home too... I do miss it."
The woman called Chrysi nodded her agreement.
"I don't know if it would be safe for me to return to my home, with my brother out there raising hell. The stupid government will probably have me hunted down too, just in case crazy runs in the family." Chrysi rolled her eyes and opened a new bottle of saki, taking a drink and handing it back to the man beside her.
"You ran away from home before your brother, joined the revolutionary army, and last I recall, you were the one suggesting we use Sea Kings to attack Mariejois. I think crazy does run in your family." The man laughed at her indignant expression. "Crazy isn't bad, though."
"Dragon, you're so mean." Chrysi pulled her knees up to her chest and pouted over the top of them at her two friends. "You and my brother would have either loved each other or killed each other."
"I might still meet him someday. The marines haven't managed to kill me or him yet. What's with them messing up his name? Should we start calling you Gold Chrysos, Chrysi?" Dragon teased her. She kicked his leg, but laughed anyway.
"No idea. Maybe he's picked up so much treasure they thought it was more appropriate." Chrysi shrugged.
"I think it suits him." Rouge said. She grinned suddenly. "I could live with Gold Rouge..."
"Hey! Hands off my brother! He's enough trouble without your help!" Chrysi shouted. Dragon laughed.
"Maybe we should all go join his crew. He's doing more to fight the government than we are right now." The black haired man passed the bottle to Rouge.
"Hmmm... Spending all day every day on a ship with the only man in the world who can make the entire government nervous... I could go for that." Rouge grinned. "Chrysi and I could be sisters. Then you can marry her and we'll be one big happy family. I guess Iva would be the weird uncle or something."
"The very weird uncle." Dragon grinned. "He'd make a good baby sitter though. It's not like any children of ours would end up normal anyway."
"That's true. The revolutionary son of a marine, the sister of a great pirate, the runaway daughter of some rich government officer, and the heir to the newkama throne. We're a bunch of misfits." Chrysi took the bottle and drank a large mouthful before setting it on the table between them.
"So, what do you think of the Oharan Scholars? Expecially their leader! She's gorgeous. Very exotic." Rouge smirked as Dragon looked across the deck to the woman that was meeting with their leader and Chrysi scowled jealously.
"She's alright. She's going to get into a lot of trouble if the government finds out about them though. They probably consider her a bigger criminal than my brother." Chrysi slouched more. Dragon snatched the bottle from the table and finished it before Rouge could.
"You're probably right about that. Besides, I want to return to East Blue, and she's from the west. One of us wouldn't be able to go home, and that just isn't going to happen." Dragon tossed the last emty bottle into the bag with the others and stretched in his chair. Chrysi smiled.
"I can't imagine settling anywhere but East Blue either. It's home, even if I ran away!" The sister of the great pirate stood up and yawned. "We're out of sake, and it is getting late. We can probably say good night to Iva as he's getting up."
"I think I am going to go for a walk, give Iva my best wishes if you see him." Rouge waved to her friends as she set off along the deck, leaving Chrysi and Dragon alone.
"When you go back to East Blue, are you going back to Loguetown, or are you interested in finding a new island to call home?" Dragon asked as they began walking back toward the sleeping quarters.
"I think I should find somewhere new. The way things are going, the government will want my head because of my stupid brother, so going to my old home would be too dangerous. Where are you from?"
"Foosha Village on the Dawn Island in the Goa Kingdom. It's small, but it is comfortable. My father trained me harshly, expecting me to become a marine like him, and he was not pleased when I decided to become a revolutionary. He rarely visits there anymore though. Too busy chasing your brother all over the world. So I should be safe to return." Dragon smiled. "Our old home is more than big enough for me, if you need a place to live."
"I think I may take you up on that." The young woman smiled up at him. "Can't let you live on your own, your own cooking would kill you in a year."
"Actually, I cooked that badly on purpose. I wanted reassigned to a new chore, and I knew that was the fastest way to make it happen." Dragon chuckled at the shocked look on the woman's face.
"You mean we ate that stuff just so you could get out of the kitchen?! I've changed my mind, if you let me cook for you, I might poison you." She punched his arm teasingly. They reached the sleeping quarters and Dragon turned to her, leaning in and kissing her cheek with a grin before vanishing into the room where the men slept, leaving her to stare after him, her face red.
"Good night..." She whispered to the doorway.
"Good night, yourself." Iva yawned, a slightly grumpy look on his face as he emerged from the room. Chrysi sighed and walked to her own quarters. She'd catch the man tomorrow.
"You came back. Why?" Mainomai looked at the man in front of him who was nearly growling with anger.
"They killed her... They murdered my wife, and you still have not led your revolution!" Dragon shouted at the older man, pointing accusingly at the tribal marking on his face. "You should have passed your position on to someone more willing to act long ago!"
"I meant to, but the one I chose abandoned his cause." The old revolutionary did not flinch before the enraged man. "Now is your chance. Accept my title, and lead this revolution yourself. I'll give you the power to avenge her death, but you must show me you still know what you fight for."
"I fight because the government and the nobles throw their people away like garbage. I fight for those who can not fight for themselves. The marines boast of their justice, but it is no such thing. I will fight to give people back their voice." Dragon stood tall in front of the man he had once called his leader.
"So you will." The old man picked up a small bowl from his table, then pricked his finger, letting a drop of his blood fall into it, then extended his hand for Dragon to do the same. When he had added his blood to the bowl, the old man pulled a small paint brush from his pocket and dipped it in the mixture, reaching out and touching the brush to Dragon's face.
Dragon's eyes widened in surprise as he watched the marks on the old man's face vanish as he felt them painted onto his own face.
"You are now the leader of the revolution. You have power you can't begin to imagine now. Would you like me to teach you to use them, or shall I stand aside and allow you to go on with your vengeance?"
"Teach me. I can not fight them if I don't know how to use the one weapon at my disposal..." Dragon looked into the mirror at his side, inspecting the marks on the left half of his face. "What are these marks?"
"They have been passed down the line of revolutionaries since the beginning. No one knows their origin any more." The old man led the new leader out onto the deck. From that day forward, the Revolutionary Dragon stood as the head of the army that would fight the government for years to come.
"You look very mysterious with that mark on your face." Koala stretched and then cuddled closer to Sabo under their blanket. "I like it."
"I hope I can live up to it." Sabo smiled at her and wrapped his arms more tightly around her bare waist. "That was some party. Dragon even enjoyed himself. Inviting Robin was a good idea."
"Mhm. I missed her too." The young woman yawned. "Dragon is actually a pretty good dancer. Not as good as you, though." She grinned and nuzzled the slightly taller man's neck. He laughed.
"It was hard to keep up with you. I may just sleep through tomorrow. Or this week..." Sabo pretended to fall asleep, but couldn't stop himself from grinning when Koala tickled him. "Cheater."
"I'm not done with you yet. You can sleep when the sun rises." Koala rolled on top of him, smirking down at him suggestively. He looked out the window where he could still see the last rays of sunlight from the evening vanishing. He sighed and smiled up at her. It was going to be a long night, but he didn't really mind.
From here on, every line break has the potential to jump forward or backward in time, as well as to a different location. I hope i am able to make it make sense. I started rewatching Baccano and it threw all linear thought out the window, so sorry.