Chapter 64: The Revolutionary Harvest — Thorns in the Wind
The sepia tint of memory evaporated, replaced by the sharp, high-definition glow of the current timeline. The screen began to hum with a low-frequency vibration that rattled the windows of the Sabaody Archipelago. The "Future" watermark pulsed, but it was accompanied by a new, chilling label: [THE PURGE OF BALTIGO].
The scene was a stark contrast to the lush forests or marble halls seen before. It was a desolate, white-sand island—the secret headquarters of the Revolutionary Army. The wind was howling, and the silhouette of Monkey D. Dragon stood atop a high ridge, his cloak billowing like a storm cloud.
Suddenly, the wind stopped. It didn't just die down; it felt as if the air itself had been pinned to the earth. From the white sands, thousands of hair-thin, black thorns erupted simultaneously. They didn't target the foot soldiers—they targeted the air currents.
"Dragon-boy! Look out!" Emporio Ivankov's voice shrieked from the screen as he performed a massive leap, barely dodging a thicket of steel briars that grew out of the very air he had just occupied.
From a distance—so far that even the "Future-Sight" camera had to zoom in—stood Saint Shepherd Sommers. He was standing on the deck of a hovering World Government vessel, his Ivory Star bow drawn to a full crescent. He wasn't aiming at Dragon. He was aiming at the Sky.
Twang.
The arrow didn't fly forward. It vanished. A second later, the sky above Baltigo cracked. A rain of black thorns, each the size of a harpoon and coated in viscous, dark Haki, began to fall.
The chat went into an absolute frenzy. This was no longer a historical "nuisance"—this was a direct strike against the world's most wanted man.
> [Monkey D. Dragon]:"So, Sommers... you finally found the wind. I felt your Haki brushing against the currents of the Grand Line for weeks. You've learned how to 'seed' the atmosphere with your thorns."
>[Emporio Ivankov]: "Dragon-boy! Stop being so poetic! He's trying to turn us into pincushions! My hair is already tangled in these metallic weeds! Hee-Haw! Someone get me a lawnmower!"
> [Rocks D. Xebec]: "VOHAHARARA! Monkey D. Dragon! Garp's son? Interesting. Garp son is world worst criminal and grandson is future pirate king according to system? The world really became interesting now. Let see if world worst criminal can't even blow away a few toothpicks, he is not half the man his father was! Garp, your son is looking a bit pathetic!"
> [Monkey D. Garp]: "BWAHAHA! Shut it, Xebec! Dragon was always a moody kid, but he's not going to get caught by Sommers. He knows how to slip through the cracks of the world. But I have to admit... that 'Sky-Rain' move is new. The brat has been practicing."
> [Sabo]:(Current Timeline) "Master Dragon! Is this why we had to relocate?! The screen is showing our base! If the Marines see this—"
> [Sengoku]: "We already see it, Sabo. But Baltigo is a wasteland. Even with this footage, finding the exact coordinates is nearly impossible... unless Sommers is still there."
>
Akainu watched the screen with a grim sense of satisfaction. He didn't care for the Celestial Dragons' lifestyle, but he respected their lethality.
> [Akainu]: "This is what Justice looks like. No grand speeches. No collateral damage to 'loyal' citizens. Just the systematic removal of a virus. Sommers is doing the work the Navy hasn't been allowed to finish."
> [Borsalino (Kizaru)]: "Moshimoshi? That's quite fast~. Even I would have trouble dodging a rain of thorns that manifest from my own light-path. It's a very 'sticky' power, isn't it?"
>
Luffy was staring at the screen, his mouth wide open. He didn't really understand politics, but he recognized the man with the tattoo on his face.
"That's... that's the guy from Loguetown," Luffy said, his voice unusually quiet. "The guy who saved me from Smoky-guy. He's my dad?"
Nami hit the back of his head. "YES, YOU IDIOT! The system literally said 'Monkey D. Dragon'! Your family is the most dangerous group in the world! And right now, a 'God' is trying to turn your dad into a kebab!"
Zoro was watching the thorns. "Dragon isn't even fighting back. Look at his feet. Every time a thorn sprouts, he's already moved an inch to the left. He's reading the 'breath' of the thorns before they even manifest. It's a high-level Haki battle... Sommers is trying to trap the wind, and Dragon is trying to bleed the garden dry."
On the screen, Sommers lowered his bow. The rain of thorns stopped, leaving the island of Baltigo looking like a metallic forest. He reached into his robe and pulled out a small, golden Den Den Mushi.
"Dragon," Sommers said, his voice cutting through the wind. "The Gorosei have grown tired of your 'Wind of Change.' If you do not surrender the 'Light of the Flame' within the next year, I will not rain thorns. I will grow them from the hearts of your commanders while they sleep."
The screen flickered, shifting back to the Rank 44 list.
[RANK 44: ADMIRAL RYOKUGYU & SAINT SHEPHERD SOMMERS — DATA COMPLETE.]
📝 Author's Note:
Dragon's calm vs. Sommers' clinical aggression is a fun dynamic to write. One is the 'Wind' that can't be caught, the other is the 'Thorn' that wants to pin everything down. Luffy finally connecting the dots about his dad is a classic Luffy moment. And yes, the 'Light of the Flame' mentioned by Sommers? That's a hint for later chapters. To my football readers, Rimon is about to face his own 'unseen siege' on the pitch—pressure from all sides! Stay tuned!