Arceus's Pirate Journey

”Wait, Grandpa Dragon, didn’t you say your sickness would be cured once you got to the Dragon Cave? Your companions are here now, you don’t have to worry anymore. They’ll definitely take you back, right...”

From Grandpa Dragon’s words, Apisu sensed something off, but Grandpa Dragon only told her to rest easy and said nothing more.

Only the other Thousand-Year Dragons knew that Grandpa Dragon’s time was almost up. Right now he was just holding on by sheer will, waiting for Dragon Island to appear again.

”Hey! What’re you dawdling around here for?! Why aren’t you moving?!”

Zoro’s figure appeared from the side, and with him came Erik, who had been chasing Grandpa Dragon all this time.

He had also heard the legend that the Dragon Bone of a Thousand-Year Dragon could grant immortality, so he teamed up with the Navy to hunt them down, hoping to obtain the Dragon Bone he’d dreamed of. Zoro had stayed up there earlier precisely to stall for time.

Faced with all these Thousand-Year Dragons, Erik’s face lit up with a greedy grin. In his eyes, they were countless Dragon Bones; if he could get them all, his wish would be fulfilled.

”Rooar..”

”Roar!”

”Yeah, yeah, I get it. Seriously, this old man always dumps his problems on me... Miss Yamato, you and Father take Grandpa Dragon to Dragon Island first. Once I deal with this guy, I’ll catch up.

It’s fine if you wait a bit anyway, we’ve got plenty of time. Finishing this guy off won’t take long.”

The first roar was Grandpa Dragon telling them about the enemy; the second was Ferren’s father telling his son to go teach that guy a lesson.

The environment shapes the behavior of sentient beings. After living with the Hundred Beasts for so long, Ferren’s clan had become the most violent among the Thousand-Year Dragons. When it came to people trying to hunt Dragon Bones, they would never show mercy.

”Th–Thousand-Year Dragons can talk too!!”

”No, he turned into a Dragon-man! Apisu, can’t Grandpa Dragon transform? Tell him to transform too~”

Seeing Ferren transform from a Thousand-Year Dragon into a Dragon-man form, Luffy got excited again. He’d seen too many interesting things today.

”Grandpa Dragon never said Thousand-Year Dragons could turn into people...”

Before Luffy and the others finished speaking, Erik was already on the move. In his eyes, Thousand-Year Dragons were extremely nourishing creatures; a Thousand-Year Dragon that could become human was one that had cultivated into a spirit.

The Dragon Bone of such a Thousand-Year Dragon would definitely be even more potent. With a flick of his fingers, several slicing wind scythes shot from his fingertips, slashing toward Ferren.

”Watch out!”

This warning came from Zoro. To him right now, Erik was a very troublesome enemy; the wind scythes he sent out were incredibly fast and packed a punch. Even for Zoro, dealing with them was quite a chore.

But Ferren didn’t dodge at all; he took Erik’s attack head-on as he walked forward.

”Since you escorted the old man all this way, I’ll show you what real strength looks like.”