Latest Update: May 14, 2015
Summary: Before an East Blue kid became a "rubber man" and the Worst Generation set sail, the tides of fate brought a young Cipher Pol operative and Celestial Dragon together. The world would never be the same.
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10701172/1/Dragons-of-the-Void-Century
Word Count:26k
Chapters:10
Chapter 00: "For Your Freedom, For Your Life"
"Dragon, vwhat the hell happened?! This looks bad!" The cloaked man – shouldering a rather oversized head, with copious amounts of make-up caked onto on his lipstick slathered face – couldn't help but shout at the sight in his commander's arms. The dirt-covered, gory mass of burnt fabric and crusted blood could hardly pass for human, let alone a child.
"Get him treated, now." Dragon ordered sternly. "Iva, he'll need your hormones."
"Yes sir! Right away, sir!" A frantic soldier wearing a sharkhead helmet nearly tripped over his big-headed superior while hurriedly scooping the child from the Commander's arms. Looking down, the soldier winced at how much of the ten-year old's face had been seared away.
Separating the child from the Revolutionary's arms proved to be a herculean task. He clutched at Dragon's cloak with all the strength his broken little body could muster. "Ace. Luffy." He croaked. "Run away."
If Emporio Ivankov, the big-headed man with the make-up plastered face, had noticed Dragon's eyes soften at the child's labored whisper, he made no mention of it. He knew better. Once – en route to Baltigo, the Revolutionary Army's headquarters – the Drag Queen asked Dragon if he had any family in the eastern seas. Iva noticed Dragon's gaze always seemed to linger in that direction. He still remembered the Commander's terse response. Dragon made it very clear he didn't want anyone prying into his personal life, including his most trusted subordinates. Still, Iva couldn't help noticing how Dragon cradled that frail, little life. One could almost forget the child had just been snatched from unspeakable horror, that the person holding him was none other than Dragon, Commander of the Revolutionary Army, the World Government's "Most Dangerous" and "Most Wanted." He holds that boy he's like he's his own. Iva thought. Call it drag queen's intuition, but way the child clung to Dragon was special.
Iva didn't have time to dwell on his observations. Once the child finally let go of Dragon, sprawling out on the ship's sterilized medical table, Iva noticed the Revolutionary had once again regained his composure. "How awful they are to burn the area and the residents there." The Drag Queen spoke, outraged by the lunacy of the Goa Kingdom Nobles. "By the vway, how did you know about the situation in such an outlying country in the East Blue? Is there something special about this country?"
Dragon was quiet, a look of pure determination chiseled onto his face. "This country is an example of how the world will be in the future. There can be no happiness in a world where the undesirables are thrown away. Someday, I will change the world!" Dragon's eye's narrowed, ablaze with outrage at World Government. No one was safe from their callousness, not even a child. Iva knew this look, a thunderous gaze that brought even the most bloodthirsty and power-drunk despots to their knees. "Even in a country like this," the Revolutionary continued, "there are children."
Emboldened by the sight of the wounded child and the flames devouring the junkyard, Dragon stepped forward on the deck, facing the throng who'd escaped the blaze set to exterminate them. "Hear me!" The Revolutionary shouted. "Those of you willing to fight for freedom, come aboard my ship!"
The surgery took three hours. The worst of the child's ensanguined burns closed and broken bones set, he now slept soundly. Been a vwhile since I used this much power to save someone. The boy has a strong vwill to live. Iva thought, out of breath from the strain of miracle-inducing hormones that'd poured through him and into the boy's body. As if reading his mind, Dragon placed a strong hand on his subordinate's shoulder. "Thank you." The Revolutionary spoke softly, mindful of the sleeping child. "I couldn't let him die."
Iva nodded as the two walked out on the ship's deck. "I vwasn't sure he'd make it when I virst saw him. I did what I could to heal his body. Vwe'll just have to wait and see how much damage has been done on his heart." The Drag Queen took a look at his commander. "And could you get some sleep?"
Dragon's mouth curved into a slight grin. "Are you worried about me?"
"Vwhat are you saying?!" Iva shouted, waving his arms frantically. "Of course I am. Vwe all are! The burden you have to carry is heavy and you don't have to shoulder it alone! Sometimes I vwish you vwould let us handle more. It vwouldn't kill you to rest every once in a vwhile!"
Dragon shook his head, smiling at the concerned Drag Queen. Inside, his mind was racing. How can I rest? How can I rest when this world doesn't give a damn about this child, when few places are safe for children like Luffy? Yes, Luffy. The name he held in his mind and spoke to no one. The name she'd picked. His mind wandered off to the raven-haired, rambunctious baby left behind in this East Blue kingdom, probably a mere few miles away. His child. Her child.
Luffy, my son. I hope the Old Man isn't too hard on you.
Someday, I hope you know I do this for you.
For your freedom. For your life.
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10701172/1/Dragons-of-the-Void-Century