If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't waste time dwelling on it. This was clearly not the moment to concern himself with trivial matters.
What did matter was Luffy's reckless attack on Ash. That was not something that could simply be ignored. Among the strong, dignity was absolute. Silence could not be mistaken for tolerance.
Before Dragon could respond, Ash spoke again.
"Perhaps you don't know, but four years ago, when I was still in the North Blue, I made a decision. From that point on, no one would ever point a gun at me again."
"…?" Confusion spread across the group.
"Not even a Rubber Pistol," Ash added.
The meaning of his words had yet to settle when he acted.
Ash raised his hand, and a Devil Fruit instantly appeared in his grasp.
In the next moment, he pushed it forward. Space rippled. Before anyone could react, the fruit materialized directly in front of Luffy and was forcibly shoved into his mouth.
"!!!"
"Luffy!"
Sabo lunged forward in alarm, trying to pull it out, but his hand slammed into an invisible barrier. Space itself had sealed Luffy off.
Dragon and the others froze.
The fruit was already swallowed. At that point, there were only two possibilities. Either it wasn't truly a Devil Fruit, or Luffy would explode after consuming a second one.
Tension gripped the air.
Yet Ash remained seated, completely at ease.
And Luffy… did not explode.
The silence stretched.
Then Ash snapped his fingers.
The sound struck like a trigger. Instantly, the restraints on Luffy vanished.
His stretched arm snapped back violently. The recoil dragged his entire body forward, sending him stumbling before he crashed face-first into the ground.
Seeing him still alive, Dragon and the others let out quiet breaths of relief.
But before they could move, Luffy began retching violently.
He convulsed on the ground, vomiting uncontrollably.
Confusion spread again.
Only then did Ash explain.
"Relax. I just fed him a special Paramecia, the Nausea-Nausea Fruit."
"It doesn't grant any combat ability. Instead, it forced his original power out of his body. Now, whenever he even thinks about becoming a pirate, he'll start vomiting."
Ash leaned back slightly, his tone casual.
"I'm curious whether Shanks, that pirate temptress, has a stronger influence on him, or if his own body will reject the idea first."
"Don't worry. He won't die from it. At worst, he'll just keep throwing up until he gets used to it."
Dragon barely heard the latter half.
His mind fixated on two phrases: special Devil Fruit, and forced out the original ability.
In all his years, serving in the Marines, leading the Revolutionary Army, and even studying the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, he had never encountered anything like this.
Ash noticed the shift in his expression and smiled.
"What? Interested in this kind of Devil Fruit?"
"You have more?" Dragon asked, unable to hide his shock.
Ash laughed lightly.
"What's so special about that? Every member of my Dawn Faction uses this type of fruit."
He continued, almost teasingly,
"Otherwise, have you ever heard of the Mythical Zoan: White Sage Beast Fruit? Or the Mythical Zoan: Divine Beast Fruit? Or the Mythical Zoan: Storm Sovereign Fruit?"
Dragon's pupils shrank.
A faint headache began to form. If this conversation continued, he might suffer more from shock than any battle injury.
After a moment, he gestured to Sabo.
Sabo quickly carried the weakened, still-vomiting Luffy away.
Then Dragon waved his hand. A powerful gust of wind swept through, clearing the area completely.
Only then did he speak again.
"Devil Fruits that don't exist in the Encyclopedia… what exactly makes these special? Can they allow someone to wield two abilities?"
"They don't let you use two fruits," Ash replied calmly. "As for differences, aside from being at their peak from the start, they're also immune to Seastone."
Dragon ignored the claim about peak strength. Even the greatest abilities required mastery.
But Seastone immunity…
That changed everything.
It meant an ability user could enter the sea. It meant Seastone weapons could be used without restriction.
A small distinction, but one that could overturn entire battlefields.
"That alone is a tremendous advantage," Dragon admitted. "So what's the drawback?"
Ash looked at him as if the question itself was absurd.
"Drawback? There isn't one. Why would I give flawed fruits to my people?"
Then, locking eyes with him, Ash asked again,
"So? Interested?"
Dragon smiled faintly.
"You went to the trouble of replacing Luffy's ability and explaining all this. Wasn't it just to draw my interest?"
Ash laughed.
"So, what's your answer? You'd better decide quickly. There's still a fight happening at Beehive Island, and I don't have time to linger here."
As he spoke, his gaze flickered briefly to his personal panel.
Sole Mission: Number of Fruits Collected [108/500]
When he left Twin Capes, it had been 106. Replacing Luffy's fruit should have made it 107.
Yet it now read 108.
That meant Youki and the others had already taken down another ability user.
Could it be Big Mom?
If he didn't return soon, he might miss everything.
Hearing that the battle at Beehive Island was still ongoing, Dragon's expression turned serious.
"I am very interested," he admitted. "But our abilities have been developed over many years. Changing fruits now could disrupt our strength before the assault on the Holy Land."
"Then just use the same one."
Ash raised his hand again.
A greenish-blue Devil Fruit with swirling wind patterns appeared instantly.
He extended it toward Dragon, a faint smile on his lips.
"Go on. Try it."