Chapter 85: Gion – Dragon, Are You Freaking Playing Me?

On the warship, Gion stood at the top of the mast’s lookout tower, monocular in hand, observing the island below with a puzzled expression.

Wait... how did someone else show up?

That figure... looks familiar.

Huh? Isn’t that Dragon!?

Lowering the telescope, Gion was truly baffled. There hadn’t been anyone on the island before. So how did Dragon suddenly appear the moment Ortoren went berserk?

As for Dragon, Gion’s impression of him wasn’t bad at all.

Although the World Government had labeled Dragon and his Freedom Fighters as a dangerous organization, Marine Headquarters had never issued any mission or directive to hunt them down.

That showed the World Government still held a certain degree of leniency toward Dragon.

So technically speaking, the Marines and Dragon weren’t enemies—not yet, at least.

Dragon had chosen to avoid contact with the Marines, hiding in the cliffs, mainly to prevent trouble. If the Marines discovered his base, the World Government would know as well. It might not lead to immediate confrontation, but it would certainly complicate things.

On the contrary, if the Marines stayed here briefly, found nothing unusual, and left peacefully, it would actually serve as a cover for Dragon’s hidden base.

That was why he had chosen not to reveal himself.

Since the Marines had no mission regarding him, and considering Dragon’s complicated ties to the Marines—especially with the higher-ups—Gion found herself in a tough spot upon recognizing his figure.

Should she arrest him? But for what? There was no mission, no orders. Bringing him back would only create unnecessary complications.

If she didn’t arrest him, though—well, Dragon was fighting Ortoren right now. She couldn’t exactly pretend she hadn’t seen it either.

After thinking it over, Gion let out a helpless sigh. “I’ll have to make contact first.”

Decision made, she quickly descended from the mast and called over a Marine Captain.

“From this moment on, shut down all ship communications and enter silent mode. No one is to observe the island, and no one is to contact the outside world. Activate the signal jammers!”

Up until now, Gion had been the only one observing the island. The regular Marines couldn’t see that far with the naked eye, much less sense what was happening with Observation Haki from the edge of the horizon.

Which meant that, at this moment, Gion alone knew what was going on there.

The Captain didn’t understand why, but orders were orders. He quickly acknowledged and relayed the command. Soon, the entire warship had gone into complete radio silence.

With that settled, Gion didn’t waste another second. She kicked off with Geppo, flying straight toward the deserted island.

...

Meanwhile, on the island, Dragon was using himself as bait, continuously drawing Ortoren into open areas. The two clashed back and forth, and while Dragon looked a bit battered, his strength was undeniable—he hadn’t been overwhelmed.

Dodging another of Ortoren’s iron fists, a flicker of helplessness passed through Dragon’s eyes. But then his expression hardened. His hand shifted, fist turning into a claw, and he thrust it against Ortoren’s abdomen with a low growl.

“Dragon’s Breath!!”

A surge of force exploded from Dragon’s palm.

This time, it finally had an effect. Ortoren’s abdominal muscles visibly sank inward, and then rippled outward like the surface of calm water disturbed by a thrown stone.

After taking the blow, Ortoren’s face twisted even more ferociously, though within that snarl there was a flicker of pain. A surge of violent energy burst from his body, whipping back his cloak as his feet dug into the ground, carving two trenches over ten meters long before he finally ground to a halt.

It had some effect, but not enough. Ortoren only exhaled sharply, as if catching his breath, then his eyes grew even more vicious as he glared at Dragon and roared, hurling a bolt of lightning out of thin air.

Dragon reacted instantly. His clawed hand swept through the air, Haki shattering the lightning on impact, and in the same motion he slid his feet aside to evade.

The very next moment, Ortoren’s fist slammed into the ground, blowing it apart and sending dust and debris flying in every direction.

Dragon kept running the situation through his mind. By now, he was certain of it—Ortoren’s strength was terrifying. But in his current frenzied state, all he was doing was venting raw power in a reckless, chaotic manner. If Dragon truly fought seriously, his chances of winning were actually pretty high.

But “high chance” didn’t mean much. With Ortoren’s insane durability and monstrous physique, unless something unexpected happened, this fight wouldn’t tilt in anyone’s favor without dragging on for five or six days straight.

And once the full moon passed, Ortoren would regain his senses. If that happened, he’d only be stronger. At that point, Dragon had no confidence he could take an absolute victory.

On top of that, this was still the Freedom Fighters’ secret base. If the battle wrecked it, he would be the one paying the price.

Which left Dragon increasingly frustrated. Of all the islands in the South Blue, this lunatic just had to pick this one to lose control on!?

As Dragon dodged Ortoren’s relentless swings, trying to figure out how this mess could possibly end, he suddenly sensed a new presence entering the island.

A heartbeat later, Gion appeared atop a distant tree, one hand resting lightly on the hilt of her Konpira, watching both Dragon and Ortoren.

Ortoren, however, seemed wholly fixated on Dragon, not even sparing her a glance. Dragon weaved between strikes, sneaking glances toward Gion, but he couldn’t read her intent, and that uncertainty gnawed at him.

He couldn’t even manage Ortoren on his own. If Gion decided to step in against him now, he might truly be done for.

Gion’s gaze lingered on him for a moment before she let out a sigh. “Why are you here? You’re making things difficult for everyone, you know that?”

Hearing those words, Dragon felt a wave of relief. She hadn’t attacked right away—she had chosen to speak instead. That alone was already a clear sign of goodwill.

While Dragon grappled with Ortoren, he shouted, “I’ve been in the South Blue this whole time. You’re the ones who suddenly showed up here. And what’s with this guy?”

“Him?” Gion smirked as she watched Dragon dodging around awkwardly. In her impression, this man had always been the type to keep his cool, so seeing him this disheveled for the first time was almost amusing.

With a short laugh, she said, “His name is Benn Ortoren. Your father personally recruited him into the Marines. Impressive, isn’t he?”

“You Marines put him in the same league as Kuzan, Borsalino, and Sakazuki? That’s absurd! If Sakazuki and the others hadn’t had explosive growth these past few years, they wouldn’t even be able to touch this guy!” Dragon grumbled as he narrowly dodged another of Ortoren’s heavy punches.

“He’s a newcomer, after all. We had to show Sakazuki and the others some respect,” Gion said with a shrug.

“So what the hell is going on with him!?” Dragon rolled across the ground like a rag doll to avoid another strike, looking more desperate now.

“That’s classified Marine business. I can’t tell an outsider. Just think of it as... intermittent madness. Manic episodes. That’s close enough,” Gion replied.

“When will he snap out of it!?” Dragon pressed urgently.

“By morning, he’ll be fine. Until then, you’re his opponent. Show off that strength of yours,” Gion said with a mischievous grin.

“Since you’re already here, at least lend a hand!” Dragon said as he hastily dodged another wild swing.

“Ortoren is a Marine, while you’re branded by the World Government as the leader of an illegal violent organization. The fact I’m not helping him deal with you is already generous. You expect me to help you? Keep dreaming!” Gion shot back without mercy.

“You’re really becoming less and less adorable—” Dragon never finished the sentence. Distracted by their exchange, he failed to react in time and Ortoren’s massive hand clamped down on his ankle.

Dragon’s eyes widened in shock as he quickly wrapped his body in Haki, but before he could break free, Ortoren swung him around like a windmill and slammed him hard into the ground.

With a thunderous crash, the earth cracked, and Dragon was driven deep into it.

Normally, Ortoren would have followed up, but with his mind gone, he simply roared and turned his attention elsewhere. His crazed, savage gaze landed on Gion, perched on a nearby treetop.

Gion froze for a split second before swearing loudly. “He’s completely out of his mind, fighting without a shred of technique, and you still couldn’t dodge that? Dragon, are you kidding me!?”

The words had barely left her lips before Ortoren transformed into lightning and shot straight at her, throwing a fist at her chest.

Gion’s eyes went wide with panic at the all-too-familiar attack. There was no way she would take it head-on. Planting her feet, she cried out, “Escape!”

Her body darted away like a rabbit, slipping past the blow with incredible speed before immediately fleeing without a second glance.

Elsewhere, Dragon crawled painfully from the ground, blood at the corner of his mouth. Just as he managed to stand, he caught sight of Gion’s seamless retreat—and Ortoren turning, his gaze locking back on him.

“Damn it!” Dragon cursed under his breath. Without another word, he spun on his heel and bolted.