I postulated about the placement of Dragon and what his eventual role will be in light of recent…revelations in the latest Spoiler thread. Now that the chap has been released, I wanted to make a separate topic about this to possibly generate more discussion about this:
One thing I remember was his first appearance. For someone so mysterious, and supposedly never seen before (wasn't something said about how no one knew what he looked like?), Smoker knew him right off the bat. Not only that, but he talked to him in a very familiar way, and Dragon did the same toward Smoker. While the line "THe world is waiting for our answer" can be seen as a vague one, it can also be one Dragon said specifically to Smoker. It's a very interesting thought...and as such, it makes me mull over one of my old theories too: Could Smoker have once been a pirate himself? Pre-Gold Roger...or even post, simply disillusioned enough to abandon pirating and become a Marine himself? Or at least some kind of criminal or revolutionary?
Secondly...what will Dragon be when the Strawhat crew meets him? Enemy? Friend? Neutral? I'm sure he has tracked his son's progress since it became aware to him back at Logue Town. But will he be someone that Luffy and co. will need to fight? Will the Ally with him? Will he be incidental (in that he's not going to actively interfere in the STrawhat's course...just something they throw themselves into for some reason or another)?
Dragon is a revolutionary, against the WG and Marines, and as we've seen, there's been some corrupt crap going on within all of them. But does that necessarily mean that Dragon's a good force himself? WHat if his revolution is worse?
Dragon's less ambiguous now...but it still leaves his intentions very up in the air, as well as where he'll fall in regards to the Straw Hats and Luffy's goal.