The Return Of Joyboy!

Chapter 15

Dragon called the brothers into his office, once they reached Baltigo, he wanted to show Ace the truth and make Sabo know more about the deeds of the government. He knew Luffy wouldn't care much, his carefree son has always been that way, but he wanted to know his reaction to the ugly realities.

There was a knock on the door and Dragon took a small glance at the stack of folders that lay on his desk.

"It's open," Dragon voiced. He didn't like that his sons need to knock on his door to enter. But Ace was learning manners from Sabo and Ivankov, so, it wouldn't hurt to help him.

He saw the brothers smiling. He would bet that they have done something again to make Ivankov and Kuma stand on their heels. He chuckled as his mind formed the image of the angry but not-so-angry faces of his friends.

His gaze went onto Ace, who raised his eyebrows at him. "How much do you know about your Dad?" Dragon steeled himself. Ace's eyes widened and then realization dawned on him. He took a step back. But Sabo was quick to stand by his side to support him.

"I- " Ace was looking down, with his knuckles bleeding white. "He was a demon and a monster and everyone hates him. I shouldn't have been born because I'm his son." Dragon felt anger course through him, but he knew what he had signed for. He could feel Ace forgetting all his joyful mood and looking angry, making Dragon himself feel guilty. Dragon could see in the corner of his eyes, Luffy stopping in his tracks to break some files, he looked like he wanted to say something but Dragon shook his head at him, while Sabo looked shocked and was making gaping sounds like a fish.

"I see," Dragon said and opened the files. "Take the seats." Dragon pointed to the chairs in front of him. Ace and Sabo took it without hesitance but Luffy climbed up onto his shoulders and he didn't mind.

Dragon opened the files in front of him. The photos glorified themselves in front of the nervous boy, who was looking at his lap and biting his lips. "These are the truth, which I wanted to show you." Ace lifted his head and the first picture frooze him. He gulped, and then took the file in his hand.

He could see Ace getting visibly shocked after turning each page and Sabo's anger getting fueled. Luffy was making no sound, he was quietly staring at the pictures. It didn't look like he understand much. So, Dragon started speaking as Ace turned the pages.

He pulled the next reports from leather folders and laid them out to illustrate the story, before putting them back to make place for the next ones.

Ace could only stare and listen, and slowly start to shake all over at the picture Dragon sketched. Beside him, Sabo and Luffy made all kinds of noises. Some were surprised, others shocked, but most with incandescent fury burning behind them. Only Dragon's stern looks kept them from interrupting beyond that.

At one point, Sabo started to whisper curses under his breath.

Ace just sat frozen, barely able to keep processing Dragon's words and the evidence he presented.

Each page in the folder revealed exactly how, when, and, how badly the World government had twisted the people's views and spread the lies about the Pirate King, a man who was nothing like the Government depicted. As each page was turned Dragon uttered the exact stories which had happened. He told the kids about how the government falsified the information. He told them how his father freed the civilians from the tyrannical rulers of a country, how he reigned destruction for the sake of his crew or in defense of innocents, which got twisted till it was made clear that he was the actual villain who was the cause of the fights when the real threat and the cause had been the marines themselves who had been willing to kill innocents just to capture a few wanted men.