Flame of Revolution

'What is it that I truly want to do?'

Those lives snuffed out for absurd reasons...

The poor—so destitute, yet still clinging to life with every ounce of strength...

The Heavenly Tribute, imposed by the Celestial Dragons, had broken the backs of the nations aligned with the World Government.

Some countries, drained of every last drop from their people, could no longer afford the required sum.

And when they failed to extract the funds from within, they turned outward—pillaging non-affiliated nations, igniting wars, and plundering their resources.

But even those unaffiliated lands, barely able to fend off pirates...

How could they survive against highly organized, better-equipped enemies?

How long would they last against such relentless exploitation?

And so, the root of the disease was laid bare—It lay there, atop the Red Line, where Pangaea Castle stood in Mary Geoise.

'So is that truly what I want...?'

"Dragon."

Kevin's voice broke the spiral of thought.

"I was meant to meet you two years from now… But I wanted to get ahead of time itself—to find you here, in Loguetown, before that destined meeting."

"What I carry inside me... is the same thing you carry in your heart. Our desire is one and the same—to turn this world upside down!"

"To bring down those arrogant beings who claim to be descendants of gods, and to shatter every unjust law they've forged with their tyranny!"

Dragon's gaze shifted from the cache of gold and weapons back to Kevin.

"Unjust... laws?"

Kevin responded with steely resolve:

"Is the Heavenly Tribute just? Is it just that no one in these seas can even refuse the Celestial Dragons? So long as these parasitic creatures—who fancy themselves gods—continue to exist, every twisted law will remain in place. You, me, everyone who lives in this world... we will never taste freedom."

A heavy silence descended upon the basement.

A silence not easily broken.

Then, after a long pause, Dragon spoke, his eyes tinged with hesitation:

"So... what you truly seek is revenge on the Celestial Dragons? And when you said you wanted to turn the world upside down... you meant to bring down the World Government that protects them."

"A year ago, while gathering supplies in the West Blue, I heard rumors of a boy who'd become an executioner in the town of Lasgab—near the foot of Reverse Mountain. Later, I visited the square myself to see him."

"Kevin, the Executioner..."

First-Class Marine from Branch 80 of the West Blue... Or should I say—You planned to infiltrate the Marines from the very beginning, didn't you?"

At that moment, it seemed Dragon was trying to regain control of the conversation.

But Kevin didn't flinch. He answered with unwavering calm:

"Fourteen years ago, in Celestial Valley... Ivankov and my uncle Kuma saved me from hell. Now do you understand... why I said I was supposed to meet you two years from now?"

Dragon's expression froze.

Ivankov... Celestial Valley...

The pieces clicked into place.

A boy carrying a personal vendetta against the Celestial Dragons... He needed no further justification.

Surviving the Valley of the Dragons was reason enough.

And if he had ties to Ivankov...

then one day, when Dragon finally marched forward with his revolution, finding others like this boy—those who bore the same scars—would be inevitable.

There would be no one more aligned with his vision... than a survivor of Celestial Valley.

Dragon finally spoke, his voice low:

"I'll verify everything you've said... myself."

Kevin smiled and said:

"Why don't you leave me one of your Transponder Snail? It'll make communication easier."

Dragon took out a small Transponder Snail and handed it to him.

But as he did, he noticed Kevin was offering him a small booklet.

On the cover, written in bold script:

"The Core Idea of Revolution"

Dragon raised a brow.

"And this?"

Kevin replied, steady as ever:

"A set of principles and guidelines—the foundation upon which the Revolutionary Army should be built. Whether soldier or commander, every revolutionary must know from the very first moment why they fight—and what they are willing to sacrifice."

Kevin pointed to the cover and added:

"This meeting wasn't just about money or weapons.

I wanted to show you the essence of what this revolution could one day become."

"This world is unique… In it, a person's will—his spirit—can influence his strength itself. Swords, rifles, cannons... none can reach what a man's conviction can, when it's truly tested."

As Kevin spoke, Dragon had opened the booklet and begun to flip through its pages.

From the very first lines, he found himself immersed.

Minutes passed. The writing seemed scattered—lacking order or polish.

Yet what appeared to be chaos slowly took shape in Dragon's mind… as clarity.

As though these were the very words he'd been waiting for—the ones he needed to finally articulate the turmoil that had long stirred within him.

Anyone who seeks to change this world... must begin at its roots. With a revolution that rises not from the top—but from the bottom of the pyramid.

After a long silence, Dragon looked at Kevin, a complex expression in his eyes.

Then he spoke with quiet thoughtfulness:

"These ideas may seem scattered... But someone who writes like this... isn't just some teenage boy."

He studied the young face before him, no older than fifteen.

"I hadn't seriously started thinking about what you said—the future—until now. Your powers may be from a Devil Fruit… but earlier, I saw you use something like the Castle-Castle Fruit, storing objects in another dimension."

Kevin gave a calm smile.

"What I've seen of the future… isn't complete. Just fragments. But after today's meeting, I'd like to ask you for one thing: When you bring down one of those corrupt kingdoms... Let me be the one to execute the mastermind behind it."

Dragon paused. Then nodded—without asking anything further.

Some secrets are better left untouched. Prying too much could turn a trusted ally into an enemy.

And what he'd gained from this meeting today…already exceeded his expectations.

All he had to do now was return and verify Kevin's claims with Ivankov.

Then… he would decide if this boy was worthy of trust.

And so, from this tiny seed...

the outline of the Revolutionary Army began to take shape.

* * *

Later That Night Kevin didn't return to the Marine base that night.

His shadow clone was still fast asleep—and the branch headquarters wasn't an ideal place to switch bodies.

So, he found no issue in "borrowing" Dragon's hospitality for the evening.

The plan was proceeding smoothly—from the successful meeting with Dragon to everything concerning Roger's execution.

So far, the Loguetown mission was going just as intended.

Starting tomorrow, with the use of the Flying Nimbus to move swiftly between regions, he could begin harvesting evil points en masse by hunting down criminals.

And as for the Revolutionary Army—which, in the original timeline, wasn't meant to be born for several more years—it had now taken its first steps... today,

on an entirely new path.

That humble booklet Kevin had written hastily, in scattered hours here and there—was enough to give Dragon a clear vision of what this army could become in the future.

But…

That alone would never be enough.

In this world, filled with supernatural abilities, the majority of people remained… ordinary.

In a world ruled by the power of Haki, willpower alone could carry one far—but not far enough.

Not when facing those who sat in Pangaea Castle in Mary Geoise—those capable of erasing entire islands with a single strike, leaving behind craters too vast to fill with the sea itself.

Against such forces—against those powerful monsters hidden by the World Government for over 800 years—a confrontation worthy of them would be needed.

Sixteen years ago, Jaygarcia Saturn...

Twenty-four years later, he hadn't aged a day.

It was clear—he had achieved immortality.

And if someone like him existed... who's to say how many more Celestial's Knights of the Celestial Dragons possessed such overwhelming power?

The number… could very well defy imagination.

And that's why—

Everything would come down to luck… when opening the treasure chests.