When Ace set out to sea a year ago, he deliberately snuck out in the middle of the night to prevent Rowan from stopping him. He had only shared his plan with Luffy; even Dadan and the others weren't notified, left only with a farewell letter.
Ace originally thought that once he became a pirate, he would never again see the old man who had raised him for over a decade. He never expected that just one year into his journey—and shortly after joining the Whitebeard Pirates—he would run into Old Man Rowan in the New World.
Furthermore, how did the Old Man suddenly become this powerful? He was completely different from the man in Ace's memories! Ace was utterly bewildered.
Beside the mast, as Rowan hoisted Ace up, the surrounding members of the Whitebeard Pirates grew tense. None of them dared to move rashly. Captain Ace, who could destroy a warship with a single punch, was completely helpless in this old man's grip?! This was their Second Division Commander, the man worth 650 million Berries!
"Ace! Is that... Marine Godfather Rowan?!"
Aboard the Mammoth, Phoenix Marco, who had been locked in combat with Jack the Drought, turned his head and saw the scene. His expression changed instantly. Kicking away Jack's weapon, Marco leaped into the air, instantly transforming into a massive phoenix wreathed in blue flames. He dived toward Rowan.
"Old man! Let go of Ace right now!"
As the First Division Commander, Marco could feel a massive threat radiating from this unremarkable-looking elder. Pops had given orders to look after Ace; they could absolutely not let him fall into Marine hands!
"Marco, don't!" Ace screamed.
He struggled in Rowan's grip, his face pale as he watched Marco dive. But it was too late. Marco was too fast; the moment the cry left Ace's mouth, Marco was already closing in on Rowan's back.
This is bad... Great-Grandpa... Ace's heart tightened.
Even though Rowan was heavy-handed with his discipline, this was the man who had mentored him for years. In Ace's heart, Rowan was family. Seeing his Great-Grandpa about to be kicked by Marco, Ace felt a pang of guilt and worry.
The Whitebeard pirates, however, were filled with hope. "Commander Marco is back!" "Ace is saved!"
They knew Marco's strength. He was a powerhouse capable of fighting a Marine Admiral head-on!
However...
Rowan didn't even turn his head. He simply reached back and caught Marco's incoming foot with one hand. Then, under the disbelieving eyes of the crew, Marco—still ablaze with blue fire—was swung through the air like a ragdoll and hurled away.
BOOM!!
Marco flew backward without resistance, a blue streak across the sky, before smashing heavily into the cabin wall! The entire deck fell into a stunned silence.
"This..." "No way... Commander Marco..." "That was a powerful strike from Marco, and he neutralized it that easily?!" "Who is this old man? How is he this strong?!"
Even Ace's jaw dropped. "Great-Grandpa..."
Watching Marco climb out of the wreckage looking quite disheveled, Ace swallowed hard. He knew the Old Man was tough, but he hadn't realized he was this monstrous. If he hadn't rubbed his eyes to confirm it was really Rowan, he would have thought Garp was the one standing there.
Since his system activated, Rowan's physical stats were at the pinnacle of the world. A mere First Division Commander like Marco was, in the current Rowan's eyes, hardly worth mentioning. Even if Whitebeard himself showed up, Rowan wouldn't blink.
"Mr. Rowan... is so strong!" The Marines on the warship exclaimed. It wasn't their first time seeing him fight, yet they were still awestruck. To one-shot a surprise attack from Phoenix Marco while holding Fire Fist Ace paralyzed? Truly the Marine Godfather!
"Heehee..." Luffy, seeing Ace in Rowan's grip, felt no pity whatsoever. He actually wanted to laugh. After a year at sea, Ace was finally tasting the "Fist of Love" again. Luffy had been taking those hits for weeks; now it was Ace's turn.
"Mr. Rowan, look out!"
Suddenly, Vice Admiral Momonga, who remained on high alert, shouted a warning. Behind Rowan, a massive shadow was plummeting downward.
"Jack the... Drought?!" Ace's pupils shrank. He frantically patted Rowan's arm. "Great-Grandpa! Move! Get out of the way!"
The eight-meter-tall behemoth falling from the sky was Jack the Drought, one of the Three Calamities with a billion-Berry bounty!
"I don't care if you're Navy or Whitebeard—just DIE!"
Jack's face was demonic, eyes filled with murderous intent. With a low roar, he swung his two massive shotel blades down toward Rowan's back!
Even Marco's expression shifted at the sight of those blades. Jack was young, but he was notoriously brutal. He never negotiated; he only crushed. As his epithet suggested, wherever Jack the Drought trod, only decay and death remained. He was a headache even for the Marine Headquarters.
In the original history, this was the man who dared to attack a fleet carrying an Admiral, a former Fleet Admiral, and the Great Staff Officer Tsuru just to rescue Doflamingo. His bravery was undeniable, but his reckless, violent temper was his greatest flaw.