Chapter 28: Bonds beyond Blood

Baltigo Island, first half of the Grand Line. Home to the Revolutionary Army's HQ.

Even World Government spies can't find it. Otherwise, they'd have crushed it already. The revolutionaries are a bigger threat than the Four Emperors.

Dragon hung up with Sabo, a heavy sigh escaping him. A big decision weighed on his mind.

"Dragon, something wrong?"

Sabo was surprised. The ever-calm Dragon looked troubled. His serious expression hinted at something major.

"Sabo, am I a good father?" Dragon asked unexpectedly.

"If you had kids, I'm sure you'd be great" Sabo replied confidently. But within the Revolutionary Army, only Kuma knew about Dragon's son. Even fewer knew his dad was Marine hero Garp.

Dragon, a quiet and stern man, never spoke of his family.

"Sabo, I actually have a son. Your age."

"What?! Really, Dragon? You're not kidding?"

Sabo's eyes widened in disbelief. He almost thought Dragon was joking, but seeing his seriousness, Sabo knew Dragon wasn't one to joke.

"Monkey D. Luffy. My son. But I haven't been a father to him, not once"

"And now... He's in Impel Down."

Dragon pushed Luffy's bounty poster towards a stunned Sabo. A newspaper lay on the desk - news of Fire Fist Ace's impending execution.

"Luffy?"

A flicker of recognition crossed the Sabo's face, but the name remained elusive. Glancing up at Dragon, Sabo's eyes fell upon a newspaper headline mentioning Ace, and a face that seemed strangely familiar.

"Ace!?"

A wave of intense familiarity crashed over him. Sabo clutched his head, a throbbing pain erupting within. Forgotten memories flooded back from the recesses of his mind.

"Sabo, What's wrong?"

Dragon's voice held concern, his brow furrowed in confusion at Sabo's sudden distress.

He reached out to steady Sabo, but before he could, Sabo cried out,

"I remembered! Everything!"

It turned out he, Luffy, and Ace were the brothers in their youth!

Dragon, too, pieced together the puzzle as Sabo recounted the forgotten past.

"Dragon, I have to save Luffy!" Sabo's voice crackled with urgency. "And Ace! They're both in Impel Down!"

"They can't suffer like that, and I won't let them execute Ace!"

"Sabo," Dragon interjected, "I was planning an Impel Down operation myself. Ivankov's there too, wrongly imprisoned. We can work together to get Luffy out."

After his call with Kuma, Dragon had resolved to infiltrate Impel Down for Luffy's sake. A father doesn't abandon his son, does he? In truth, Dragon carried a heavy weight of guilt for Luffy's obliviousness to his father's identity.

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"Dragon, we gotta save Luffy! And Ace too!"

Sabo is determined.

Dragon, however, wasn't so sure about Ace. The guy wasn't exactly family, and this was the Whitebeard Pirates' mess. Luffy, though, Luffy he had to save.

This was also the perfect time for Ivankov and the others to break out of Impel Down. With all the Marines at Marineford, it was basically a free for all down below. They had to attack either the day before or the day of the execution.

The Navy would be too busy with the Whitebeards to care. Remember what happened to Akainu and the others? They had to run away to avoid losing their strongest fighters. With the execution so close, they wouldn't have the manpower to spare for Impel Down. This was their only shot.

The Revolutionary Army called an urgent meeting with the commanders and Sabo.

"We're attacking Impel Down at dawn on execution day to rescue Ivankov and the others!"

Dragon didn't directly mention saving his son – it was a personal matter, after all. But Dragon knew they'd agree. He was trusted and admired by all the cadres after all.

The meeting left everyone pumped. Ivankov was a revolutionary general, and Impel Down's mezzanine held many who wanted to join their cause.