<h4>Chapter 68: Dragon: Help Me Take Care of Kuma</h4>


    After a long conversation, Bartholomew Kuma looked at udius with a mixture of surprise and disbelief. He finally asked, "Mr. Dragon, are you telling me that the books authored by the ''Sage udius'' were actually written by him?"


    Dragon nodded. "That''s right. Well, to be precise, the first two were entirely his work. Thest three were a coboration between the two of us. It was an exchange of ideas, though we do have some significant differences. He advocates for reform from the top down, while I push for a revolution from the bottom up. In that sense, we don''t really see eye to eye."


    Dragon smiled and continued, "In fact, before I learned his true identity, I was nning to recruit him as a mentor for the revolutionary army."


    udiusughed heartily. "You trust me that much? Aren''t you afraid I''ll betray you? Hahaha!"


    Dragon waved dismissively. "Ideas can''t be betrayed."


    udius smiled at Dragon''s remark, knowing that Dragon''s words were more polite than sincere. Sure, Dragon said udius was "trustworthy," but udius knew that deep down, Dragon wasn''t naive enough to put all his faith in him. Dragon undoubtedly had contingency ns and safeguards in ce, as any smart leader would.


    udius was certain that if Dragon didn''t have such precautions in ce, he''d consider Dragon a fool, unfit to lead. But this was the natural way of things between them, each watched the other carefully, slowly building a fragile trust while remaining cautious.


    For now, they were friendly, and who knew? Maybe their rtionship would deepen in the future. But for now, there was no need to pick apart every unspoken detail. Both men understood the game they were ying.


    After a bit more conversation, Kuma had a clearer understanding of udius. Like many, Kuma had heard of udius by name: the Celestial Dragon who captured Shiki, helped take down John, and became the leader of CP-X. Based on these achievements, Kuma had assumed udius was just another powerful figure serving the World Government.


    But after meeting him in person, Kuma found his assumptions challenged. udius was different. If it weren''t for the fact that he knew udius was a Celestial Dragon, Kuma might''ve mistaken him for a revolutionary thinker himself.


    The three of them continued to chat, with udius and Kuma establishing a friendly rapport. After a while, Dragon seemed to remember something and shifted the conversation.


    "By the way, you never did tell me why you''re here in South Blue. You''re not on vacation?"


    "I told you, I''m on a mission," udius replied nonchntly. "I''m here to catch Roger, the Pirate King."


    Dragon blinked, then looked at udius as if he were insane. "You? Catch Roger? In South Blue?"


    udius frowned, a little annoyed. "Why is that so unbelievable?"


    Dragon gave him a skeptical look. "Well, for starters, Roger''s likely hiding out in the New World right now. And even if he weren''t, you think you can catch Roger? The Pirate King? My father''s been chasing him for years and has fought him countless times. Roger''s no joke, udius. He''s on another level."


    "Are you looking down on me?" udius replied, clearly displeased.


    "I''m just being realistic," Dragon said. "I don''t know how you managed to catch Shiki, but don''t let that go to your head. Roger''s a different beast entirely. And, as your friend, I''m advising you, if you n to take him down, you''d better have more than just your little crew here. You''re going to need serious firepower."


    udius sighed. He understood that Dragon was offering genuine advice, out of concern. But what Dragon didn''t know was that udius wasn''t nning to rely on brute force to capture Roger. He had an ace up his sleeve: Vice Admiral Garp, one of the few men capable of standing toe-to-toe with Roger.


    Still, udius wasn''t about to exin that to Dragon. "Yeah, yeah," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "I hear you. Don''t worry, I won''t be reckless."


    Dragon eyed him suspiciously but didn''t press the issue. Instead, he changed the topic. "Actually, since we''ve run into each other, there is something I could use your help with."


    "I figured as much," udius said with a smirk. "So what is it? You didn''t juste all the way to South Blue for no reason, right? What''s the favor?"


    Dragon took a sip of his drink before speaking. "It''s about Kuma. He''s no longer a king, he''s be a pirate, but that''s not really what he wants. He''s been using his time fighting off pirate forces in South Blue, which is how he earned the nickname ''Tyrant Kuma.''"


    "Okay, go on," udius nodded.


    "Well," Dragon continued, "I''m just letting you know he''s on our side. He''s working with the revolutionary army now. If you can, I''d appreciate it if you''d keep an eye out for him. Make sure he doesn''t get into any trouble with Marine or the World Government."


    udius chuckled. "You''re really dumping this on me? Why not just ask Garp? He''s the Marine hero."


    Dragon smiled but shook his head. "Positions matter, udius. Kuma''s officially a pirate, which makes him an enemy in the eyes of the Marines."


    "I see," udius murmured, nodding. "Alright, I get it. I''ll do what I can to keep Kuma safe."


    "Thanks," Dragon said sincerely. "The n is for Kuma to continue ying the role of a pirate for now. It''s a good cover, and if there''s anything we, the revolutionary army, need done that''s too risky, we can use him to handle it."


    udius raised an eyebrow, catching Dragon''s meaning. Dragon was subtly hinting that if udius needed any discreet favors in the future, Kuma could help out, no strings attached. It was an offer to deepen their alliance.


    udius smiled to himself. Dragon might not fully realize how strong Kuma was, but udius did. He had just been offered the assistance of one of the most powerful figures in the revolutionary army, and it was clear this "favor" could prove very useful in the future.


    Their conversation didn''tst much longer. After a bit more chatting, Dragon and Kuma prepared to leave. As Dragon climbed back into the small boat, he called out with a grin, "Good luck catching the Pirate King, udius."


    With that, Dragon and Kuma sailed off, as swiftly as they had appeared.


    After they were gone, udius smiled to himself and stretchedzily on his sun lounger. "Alright, it''s time to move. Anchor up. Let''s head to Bateri Ind. I''ve heard the scenery there is stunning, and who knows? Maybe something interesting will happen."