Strongest Celestial Dragon in the History of One Piece

Gildarts, still asleep, remained in his Devil Fruit beast form, having dozed off before reverting. In his dreams, he stood alongside Luffy, battling Imu and freeing the world—a vision of heroism that played perfectly into his growing hero complex.

Meanwhile, in the room next door, Luffy had just woken up. Without a second thought, he ran straight into Gildarts' room, excited to play.

"GILDARTS, WAKE UP! IT'S TIME FOR BREAKFAST!" Luffy shouted as he barged in.

But when he reached the bedside, he froze.

Instead of Gildarts, a strange dragon-like creature was curled up on the bed.

"AHHHHHHH! GILDARTS GOT EATEN BY A DRAGON!" Luffy screamed, bolting from the room and crashing into furniture along the way.

His shouting and general chaos roused Gildarts, who staggered out of bed still half-asleep, unaware that he hadn't reverted to human form. Groggy and disoriented, he stumbled out into the hall.

Luffy, now with Makino, was still frantic.

"Believe me, Makino! Gildarts got eaten by a dragon! Come look—you'll see!" Luffy insisted.

Makino, who was calmly washing dishes, laughed.

"Luffy, I'm sure there's no dragon. Maybe you were dreaming and got confused," she said with a warm smile. "Come on, let's wake Gildarts up, and you'll see he's just fine."

Luffy let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew... that's good. I really thought he was gone!"

He walked over to the counter and took a seat, eagerly awaiting breakfast.

"FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!" Luffy cheered, bouncing in place.

Makino giggled and called out, "Gil, wake up now! Come eat!"

At that moment, Gildarts shuffled down the stairs, still groggy and unaware of his current form. His hooves echoed softly against the wood. Makino, hearing the sound, prepared his plate.

But the first one to see him was Luffy—who stared, mouth agape and utterly silent.

Makino turned with the plate in hand—then froze. Standing in the room wasn't Gildarts. It was a dragon-like creature with deer-like legs and green scales.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Makino screamed, dropping the plate.

The sound jolted Gildarts fully awake. Instinctively, he reached out and caught the plate mid-air. But when he looked down, he saw a hoof, not a hand.

"AHHHHHH! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!" Gildarts shouted in panic.

Makino paused mid-scream, confused. That voice… it was unmistakably Gildarts'.

"Gil? Is that you?" she asked, her tone soft and soothing.

The calm in her voice helped Gildarts collect himself. Memories of the Devil Fruit came rushing back.

"Yeah... it's me, Makino," he said, sighing in relief.

Luffy finally snapped out of his stunned state.

"Wait—Gildarts?! That's YOU?! Whoaaa! That's so cool! How'd you turn into a dragon?!"

Thinking fast, Gildarts decided to tweak the truth.

"Ah, right. Earlier, I woke up really hungry, so I checked my hidden fruit stash. I found this weird patterned fruit—it tasted super bitter, but after eating it, I wasn't hungry anymore, so I just went back to sleep. I guess... this happened," he explained, leaving out the system entirely.

Makino raised an eyebrow. Luffy, however, was instantly fascinated.

"Can you poop in that form?" Luffy asked, completely serious.

Gildarts burst out laughing. "I have no idea. I just woke up!"

Luffy looked disappointed. "Aw... I wanted to know."

Makino, holding back a laugh, asked, "Can you turn back to normal?"

Gildarts paused, then nodded slowly. "I think so. Let me try."

He closed his eyes and focused, visualizing his human form. At first, nothing happened. Then—BOOM! A puff of smoke engulfed him. Luffy and Makino stumbled back, coughing.

When the smoke cleared, Gildarts was back in his human form.

"Yay! You're back!" Luffy yelled, hugging him. "I really thought you got eaten!"

Gildarts smiled, touched by the innocence of the gesture. "Thanks, Luffy."

Makino, now relieved, served breakfast to both of them. With laughter, curiosity, and lots of food, the morning continued—just another strange but heartwarming day in Foosha Village.

While both Luffy and Gildarts were eating their supposed breakfast, they noticed that more and more of the civilians are gathering around the plaze which causes both Gildarts and Luffy a little curious, they just continued eating their breakfast when suddenly a group of people came inside the bar, with a man with a redhair leading them, he have a scar on his face that looked like a scratch. Makino clearly recognized them as she looked a little happy to see the man with a red hair, as it was Shanks, and he just arrived at the Foosha Village.

"Look! He's got red hair like you—maybe he's your father," Luffy said bluntly, pointing at Shanks while nudging Gildarts. Gildarts stood beside him, quietly watching Shanks talk to Makino. The red-haired pirate was handing over a chest filled with treasures—clearly a gesture of gratitude for Makino's years of care.

"I am his father," Shanks replied with a chuckle, having overheard Luffy's remark. His voice was calm but proud.

Luffy beamed and ran over to Shanks without hesitation, with Gildarts following right behind. The Red-Haired Pirates, especially Ben Beckman and Lucky Roo, watched with grins on their faces, exchanging knowing looks. "Father of the Year," Beckman muttered teasingly under his breath.

Shanks turned to face them, his eyes locking with Gildarts'. "Wow, you've grown so much. Last time I saw you, you were this small," he said, gesturing with his hand to show a child's height.

Gildarts, though unsure at first, slowly smiled. "You didn't look that old back then either," he replied.

The two began talking as if they'd never been apart—just like they used to over Den Den Mushi, back when Shanks would check in occasionally. Luffy sat beside them, happily listening and occasionally interrupting with questions or loud comments.

Then Shanks turned back toward his crew and waved them over. "Hey, come meet your sister," he said, motioning toward a girl stepping off the ship.

It was Uta, her white and red hair tied neatly, wearing a vibrant, frilly dress that screamed spoiled by pirates. She walked over confidently.

"Call me Uta. Here—this is for you, little brother," she said to Gildarts, handing him a long, narrow package wrapped in cloth. "Dad wanted you to have this, but I insisted on giving it to you myself. Older sisters should give gifts to their little brothers, right?"

Gildarts carefully unwrapped the package—and his eyes lit up. Inside was a beautiful sword, clearly forged with care. It resembled Shanks' own saber almost perfectly, down to the elegant curve of the blade and the engraved hilt.

"Whoa!" Luffy shouted. "That's so cool! You've got a real sword now!"

Gildarts held the weapon with both hands, admiring the weight and craftsmanship. "Thank you," he said sincerely, glancing at Uta, then Shanks. "This means a lot."

Uta gave him a proud smile. "You better learn how to use it, or I'll take it back."

The trio—Luffy, Gildarts, and Uta—soon dashed out of the tavern, eager to explore Dawn Island together. Luffy wanted to show Uta everything from his secret nap spots to the best trees to climb, and Gildarts just wanted to make the most of this new bond.

Back inside the tavern, Shanks, Makino, and the Red-Haired Pirates remained behind, catching up over drinks, laughter, and stories that spanned years.