To be honest. Throughout One Piece, his favorite wasn't Luffy, nor was it Zoro.
But Dragon, Issho, and Kuma.
Dragon came from a marine family lineage, and what's more, he belonged to the top echelon of marine descendants.
He was absolutely among the privileged, yet for the sake of common people, he sought to overthrow the very class he belonged to.
To restore fairness and freedom to this world.
Issho
The only person in One Piece who steadfastly upheld justice. Moreover, it was justice centered around ordinary people.
Akainu's Absolute Justice was not even worth a dog's regard in his presence.
Kuma, for the revolution and for his daughter, was willing to sacrifice everything.
Such individuals, even in his world, would be revered as saints.
Let alone in this world where the strong reign supreme and the weak are treated as ants.
Lancelot admitted he couldn't achieve what they did, and precisely because he couldn't, he admired them even more.
But admiration aside, he wouldn't naively surrender what rightfully belonged to him.
After all, he was a Celestial Dragon.
And these two fellows aimed to overthrow the entire World Government. Moreover, the World Government would inevitably belong to him in the future.
Thus, they stood on opposing sides.
...
Soon, Dragon walked over to Issho's gambling table and took a seat.
Issho sensed something, turned his head, and glanced at Dragon with his pure white eyes.
Raising an eyebrow, he said, "This gentleman isn't here to gamble, is he!"
His Observation Haki was so advanced it could even detect meteors in the sky. This demonstrated the level his Observation Haki had reached.
It was absolutely world-class. How could he fail to discern the newcomer's strength?
Dragon couldn't help but chuckle lightly upon hearing this, "I'm here to invite you to join our cause."
"Oh?"
Issho showed a surprised expression, then sensed something else and turned to look in another direction.
Seeing this, Dragon's expression shifted slightly.
Because he knew something unexpected had occurred; otherwise, Issho wouldn't have reacted this way.
So he immediately followed Issho's gaze.
"Kekekekeke..."
Seeing both of them looking over, Lancelot no longer hid and stepped out directly.
He, too, walked over to the gambling table and unabashedly took a seat.
Judging from their conversation, Issho hadn't been recruited by Dragon yet.
Didn't that mean he had an opportunity?
Issho's brow furrowed slightly.
One powerful individual appearing was already unexpected. Two showing up at once meant trouble was brewing.
After all, two powerful figures usually represented two different factions.
Where there are two factions, there will inevitably be conflict.
Being blind, Issho naturally couldn't tell who had arrived.
But Dragon could see clearly and immediately recognized Lancelot's identity, his expression involuntarily changing.
His pupils constricted sharply.
This was the deterrent power Lancelot now commanded—even Dragon felt apprehensive upon seeing him.
And he secretly became more vigilant.
Lancelot naturally noticed the change in Dragon's eyes and couldn't help but chuckle again.
"It seems you've recognized me... But you're only showing your eyes beneath that cloak. Is it because your identity? Or are you just too ugly?"
Upon hearing this, Issho's gaze flickered.
He couldn't see Dragon's attire, but now that he heard only the eyes were visible, he felt somewhat displeased. He disliked people who hid their true selves.
Dragon narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Lancelot.
He understood the intention behind Lancelot's words... undeniably malicious, aimed at giving Issho a terrible first impression of him.
So he couldn't help but sneer coldly, then replied frankly.
"Indeed, my identity isn't suitable for walking openly among people. At least not on this island. But that doesn't mean I'm someone who can't see the light. After all, whether something is 'shameful' depends on the context. For instance, some people might have offend the World Nobles, making their identities needs to be hide. But does that make them evil?"
Issho's eyebrows twitched slightly as he grasped the underlying meaning.
The identity needed to be hidden because they had offended those they shouldn't have... not because the person themselves was wicked.
Lancelot narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself that Dragon truly lived up to being the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
'His reactions were sharp!'
But Lancelot wasn't someone easy to deal with either.
So he immediately said: "Mr. Issho, I am Lancelot, an Admiral Candidate of the Marines. The world is currently in turmoil, and we may face even greater instability ahead. I implore you to lend me your strength to quell this turbulence and restore peace to more kingdoms and islands in the New World."
"Lancelot?" Issho's expression stiffened.
That name had been exceptionally prominent lately.
Wherever he went, he heard it discussed; one could say the entire New World was talking about this person.
The new generation of the Navy, a supernova who, at just twenty years old, could rival an Emperor.
He rose from an East Blue inspector to an Admiral Candidate in less than a year.
Along the way, from ordinary pirates to Shichibukai, and even Emperors... if they resisted, he fought!
No matter who they were!
Now, the pirates in the New World would rather encounter an Admiral than run into this guy.
Even Akainu wasn't as ruthless as him.
Those who crossed his path faced only two outcomes: Either surrender or die.
There was no third option... However, while this guy hated pirates, he treated civilians quite well... a style that aligned closely with Issho's own.
Unfortunately, he was a bit too lecherous.
This aspect made Issho somewhat averse. If Lancelot weren't so lustful, they could definitely become close friends.
But then again, if lechery was his only flaw, compared to other Navy officers... it wasn't really a problem.
Especially when compared to someone like Akainu.
He was practically a saint!
As for Dragon, he fell silent, utterly speechless.
What was the purpose of his visit here? It was to secretly contact Issho, hoping to help him infiltrate the Navy and become his informant.
But now? Lancelot had directly revealed his identity.
What was Dragon supposed to do? Reveal his own? Even if he successfully recruited Issho, Issho would no longer be able to blend into the Navy.
Moreover, once he exposed his own identity...
Then wouldn't this Admiral candidate have a legitimate excuse to take action against him?
He wasn't afraid.
But the plan to recruit Issho would be completely ruined.
Yet if he didn't reveal his identity, how could he gain Issho's trust? Especially with that guy Lancelot nearby, constantly causing trouble, making an already difficult situation even harder!
At this moment, Dragon was truly caught between a rock and a hard place.
He had never encountered anyone so troublesome before... At the same time, he felt curious.
What exactly was this "more turbulent situation" that Lancelot mentioned?
It wasn't just him—Issho was also curious, though a trace of pity showed on his face.
Because the more turbulent the world became, the harder life would be for ordinary people, and the greater their suffering.
This was something he didn't want to see.