One Piece: King of the World-Chapter 373: Dragon—A Punch of Friendship to the Face

In the courtyard of Claudius' palace, Claudius was holding an encrypted Den Den Mushi in one hand, chatting with the person on the other end. At the same time, he held a book in his other hand, reading a story about the kingdom of giants.

Not far from him, Zoro sat cross-legged, his body occasionally emanating flickers of Armament Haki.

Any skilled observer would immediately recognize this as the early stage of Haki manifestation.

With constant tempering, Haki that was still in its infancy would gradually become an integral part of his strength.

After instructing Zoro twice, Claudius no longer paid him any mind.

Zoro's talent was truly exceptional.

Once taught, he progressed rapidly.

More importantly, he was diligent, he never wasted a second on unnecessary distractions. Except for drinking, his entire life revolved around the sword.

"Anyway, I appreciate it, Sengoku. With the Marines now on my side, I feel much more confident in what I need to do," Claudius said with a smile to the Den Den Mushi.

"We're just helping each other. Your Highness, just don't forget about us Marines when the time comes," Sengoku replied with a chuckle.

"Don't worry about that. Once you take over as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is there anything you wouldn't have access to?" Claudius teased.

Just as he finished speaking, a breeze rustled through the courtyard's grass. Claudius' brow twitched slightly as his gaze sharpened, focusing on the shade of the trees nearby.

"Your Highness?" Sengoku called through the Den Den Mushi after receiving no response. "What's wrong?"

Claudius snapped out of his daze and replied, "Ah, sorry—just got a little distracted. A guest has arrived."

"A guest?" Sengoku chuckled. "Then I won't keep you. I'll let you get back to them."

Everything that needed to be said had been discussed. With Claudius' responses meeting his expectations, the Marines were now prepared to follow his lead.

Claudius nodded and said, "Alright then, we'll talk again when there's time."

After hanging up, he once again glanced at the shaded area under the trees. It was still, showing no signs of movement—as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

But Claudius simply smirked and shook his head. "You've got some nerve."

Hearing this, Zoro—who had been immersed in training opened his eyes, looking at Claudius in confusion. He then turned to scan the surroundings.

It was just the two of them here, and the Den Den Mushi had already been hung up.

Was Claudius… talking to him?

Before Zoro could ask, a voice emerged from beneath the shade of the trees.

"So you noticed after all?"

Zoro's expression tensed. He instinctively gripped Sandai Kitetsu, his gaze locking onto the source of the voice.

A figure slowly materialized, a man clad in a green cloak and wearing a green kabuto-style hat.

His form seemed to have been condensed from the wind itself, resembling the ability Claudius possessed.

"Who?!" Zoro demanded, unsheathing his sword with an icy glare.

"Is this your disciple? Not bad," the man remarked, giving Zoro a once-over.

"What do you think? A prodigy—the future world's greatest swordsman," Claudius said with a grin.

Then, waving his hand toward Zoro, he added, "Relax, he's a friend. Keep training."

Hearing Claudius' words, Zoro hesitated for a moment before nodding. He spared the mysterious man one last glance before resuming his Armament Haki training.

Claudius turned his attention back to the figure. "You've got some guts. Not only did you break into Mariejois, but you actually trespassed into the 'Domain of the Gods.' Bold move, Dragon."

That's right—the man who had mysteriously infiltrated Mariejois and quietly made his way into Claudius' palace was none other than the leader of the Revolutionary Army—Monkey D. Dragon.

Hearing Claudius' words, Dragon smirked. He removed his kabuto hat, revealing his face. "It's been a while."

"It has," Claudius nodded. "The last time we met was in Alabasta."

"Yeah, things are different now," Dragon mused. "You really went ahead and made Crocodile the 'King of the Desert.'"

Claudius chuckled. "That's a kingdom he built for himself. Say something like that, and he'd fight you to the death."

Dragon waved his hand dismissively. "Not like he can hear me."

Claudius narrowed his eyes slightly. "You didn't risk sneaking all the way into my home just to chat about nonsense, did you? What, are you here to seek justice for the Nefertari family?"

Dragon's face darkened slightly. "I'm not that bored. I already promised you that I wouldn't meddle, and I don't break my promises. But you—"

"What about me?" Claudius asked, raising an eyebrow.

In the next instant, Dragon moved.

He struck fast—a sudden punch aimed straight at Claudius' face.

Claudius never expected Dragon to throw a punch in this situation.

After all, this was Mariejois. Even if they were at odds, an outright attack should have been unthinkable. At worst, he might have expected an assassination attempt but this?

This was outright ridiculous.

If this incident spiraled out of control, there was no chance Dragon would make it out of here alive.

"Oi, what the—?!"

Claudius barely reacted before taking the punch to the face. He stumbled back, clutching his eye. "Son of a—!!"

The punch hurt but there was no excessive force behind it. Dragon had clearly held back.

But did that excuse it?!

Hell no!

Acting on instinct, Claudius kicked out, his foot landing squarely on Dragon's side and sending him sprawling.

Dragon faceplanted into the ground.

"The hell's wrong with you?!" Claudius growled, rubbing his eye.

Dragon got up calmly, dusted himself off, exhaled, and grinned.

"I've wanted to punch you for a long time. Finally got my chance today," he said, utterly pleased with himself. "Now that I've got it out of my system, how about buying me a cup of tea?"

Claudius, still clutching his eye, cursed. "You punch me outta nowhere, and now you want me to treat you to tea?! You do realize I could just have you arrested and thrown into Mariejois' underground prison for a lifetime supply of pork chop rice?!"

Dragon scoffed. "For all the crap you've pulled on me, a single punch is getting off easy. Consider this karma."

Claudius' expression stiffened. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Dragon scowled. "Oh, don't play dumb. You know exactly what I mean. What the hell do you think of my Revolutionary Army? You've been stringing me along for years! You think one punch is enough payback?!"

Claudius' face twitched. He hesitated for a moment before muttering, "No idea what you're talking about."

Not bothering to argue further, Claudius led Dragon into the house.

Inside, Nia had witnessed the entire scene she barely held back his laughter as she served them tea.

Claudius shot her a deadly glare. "Laugh again, and I'll make sure you 'silently' laugh yourself to sleep tonight."

Nia hurried off.

Dragon picked up his tea, took a sip, and smirked. "You really don't think you owe me an apology?"

Claudius scowled, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "Fine. Sorry."

The way he said it made Dragon's teeth ache. He briefly considered throwing another punch.

Still, knowing Claudius for years, this was the first time he had ever backed down. That alone was unexpected.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

And maybe… it was enough.

***

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