"Oh no, Old Man isn't on the ship."
After the Going Merry set sail, Luffy only then realized that Rosen wasn't on board.
"Don't worry, Old Man will be fine."
Nami had the most confidence in Rosen.
And just now, while escaping, she saw Rosen appear and block the smoke man who was chasing them, and she saw Rosen punch that smoke man down.
So she didn't need to worry about Rosen's safety at all.
However, in the following days, Rosen never returned to the ship.
At this point, even Nami began to worry about Rosen.
It wasn't until the seventh day that a stack of the latest wanted posters fell onto the Going Merry.
Luffy and Zoro were prominently featured, with bounties of 30 million and 15 million Berries respectively.
But what truly shocked them was that Rosen was also wanted, with a bounty of 300 million Berries.
This number made both Luffy and Zoro disbelieve their eyes.
"Pirate: White-Haired Ghost, Bounty: 300 Million Berries, Affiliated Pirate Crew: Unknown."
"Oh my... why am I so much less than Old Man?"
"Did Old Man go on a rampage in Loguetown?"
"Impossible, Old Man's only real skill is in illusions; he doesn't have the ability to go on a rampage."
"Why don't I have a bounty?" Sanji asked, a Soul-searching question, feeling that if Rosen had 300 million Berries, he should at least start at one billion.
However, with news of Rosen, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry, Old Man probably just can't find the Going Merry, so he hasn't returned to the ship yet. We'll pull off a big one next time, and Old Man will know where we are."
...
Rosen held his own wanted poster.
It seemed that Borsalino had held back some information from the Marine.
This bounty only had 300 million Berries, which clearly didn't match the strength he displayed that day.
So it must be that Borsalino didn't tell the Marine the truth.
Did he think that he was related to Vegapunk?
So he intentionally concealed his abilities for him?
He had once participated in Vegapunk's experiments, so it was indeed possible that he considered him a Vegapunk experimental subject.
After all, the abilities he displayed were all very counter-intuitive, so it was not surprising to be considered a Vegapunk experimental subject.
"That's impressive, a 300 million Berries bounty on your first wanted poster."
Dragon looked at the bounty, a hint of teasing still on his face.
"Lower than I expected, I thought it would be at least one billion Berries."
"I can only train you for one more month; I need to return to the Revolutionary Army headquarters."
"Then let's make the most of our time."
Rosen didn't actually need to learn all the techniques of Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki.
He just needed to understand the growth potential and development direction of Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki.
Of course, with such a ready-made teacher, Rosen didn't mind exchanging more with him.
"I'm very curious, why are you so powerful, yet you don't understand Haki?"
"It's precisely because I'm too powerful; Haki isn't an absolutely essential skill."
Dragon pondered for a moment, then immediately understood Rosen's meaning.
"Then why do you want to learn Haki?"
"Because I found that Haki can raise my upper limit."
A month later, Rosen was able to freely control the release and retraction of Three-color Haki.
Among them, Armament Haki could already be released fluidly.
The so-called fluid release means spreading it to things outside the body, such as swords, or the ground.
Conqueror's Haki is currently limited to mere release, and its intensity is not very high, only enough to scare ordinary people.
However, Observation Haki, perhaps because of Rosen's exceptionally high Mental Energy, Rosen's Observation Haki coverage could even rival Eneru's Mantra.
He wondered where the Going Merry was now.
It should still not have reached the Alabasta Kingdom.
Now they were either on Small Garden Island or in the Drum Kingdom.
Rosen planned to wait for them in the Alabasta Kingdom.
At least, compared to Small Garden and the Drum Kingdom, the Alabasta Kingdom was safer.
The Alabasta Kingdom is one of the World Government's allied nations, with considerable economic strength and land area, and a very large population as well.
After all, in the Alabasta incident, the number of rebels and royal army participants reached one million; even if only one-tenth of the country's population participated, that is still a huge population.
The Alabasta Kingdom has been suffering from prolonged drought, which has led to constant rebellions in recent years.
However, the conditions and economy of the coastal areas were still good.
Rosen arrived in the port city of Nanohana, intending to wait for the Straw Hat Crew's arrival there.
But on the second day, Rosen discovered that he was being watched.
Rosen was still guessing who was watching him when the other party revealed their identity.
A pair of a man and a woman came before Rosen. The man had bronze skin, a robust build, wearing a loose trench coat, revealing his muscular chest, exuding a murderous aura.
The woman, on the other hand, had long blue wavy hair, wearing a sexy camisole, with fiery red lips, swaying her slender waist as she walked, and posing with her hands on her hips like a model when she stood still.
Rosen recognized them: Baroque Works' Mr. 1, Daz Bones, and his partner, Pola.
Baroque Works agents always operated in pairs.
And Crocodile sending the Daz and Pola duo, whose status was second only to his and Vice President Nico Robin's, was enough to show his caution towards Rosen.
"White-Haired Ghost, come with us."
Daz's tone carried an unquestionable authority, as if he were giving Rosen an order.
"Sorry, I don't go with strangers. After all, I don't want to be abducted and sold."
Rosen did not actively contact Baroque Works because the Alabasta incident was no small test for the Straw Hat Crew.
"You don't have a choice."
Daz's gaze was cold, as if he were looking at a dead man.
"Get lost, don't disturb my good mood."
Blades suddenly extended from the side of Daz's arm, slashing fiercely at Rosen.
Rosen subtly took a step back, and the building beside him was directly cut in half.
They were currently in a bustling market, and Daz's reckless attack clearly showed his disregard for the laws here.
Or rather, Baroque Works was now the law in the Alabasta Kingdom.
At least ten people died from that single attack.
"This is your warning."
Daz retracted his blades.
He was a user of the Dice-Dice Fruit, able to extend blades from any part of his body, and even transform his entire body into a giant blade.
Furthermore, before joining Baroque Works, he was a fearsome assassin, possessing unparalleled swordsmanship, and with the addition of the Dice-Dice Fruit, his strength had made a qualitative leap.
Within Baroque Works, he was the overall commander of Baroque Works.
Although his rank was third, his true position was second only to Crocodile.
Rosen turned his head and looked at Daz.
Daz's expression became blank, and Pola only noticed something was wrong ten seconds later.
"Daz!!"
Pola looked at Rosen warily: "What did you do to Daz?"
"A small illusion."
Rosen said nonchalantly: "It's also a warning, don't bother me again."
With that, Rosen turned and left. Daz only woke up after more than ten minutes.
"Where is he? What happened just now?"
"You stood still for over ten minutes, and no matter how I called you, you didn't move. Do you know what happened?"
"I don't know, I felt like only an instant passed."
"That Old Man's ability is strange. He just looked at you, and then you froze in place."
"We must report this to the President."
Daz said with a solemn expression.
If it had been on a battlefield, or if a fight had broken out just now, he wouldn't even know how he died.
Daz took out a Den Den Mushi and contacted Crocodile.
"Indeed, a 300 million Berries bounty is no simple character."
Crocodile was a little surprised, as he still had great faith in Daz's strength.
Daz was glared at by the other party and then froze in place.
Such an ability was truly troublesome.
It seemed he would have to go in person.
His plan was now at a critical juncture, and he didn't want any accidents to happen.
And the appearance of a Great Pirate with a 300 million Berries bounty in the Alabasta Kingdom, whether it was related to his plan or not, he could not stand by idly.
Just then, outside Crocodile's office, a wheat-skinned woman walked in. It was Baroque Works' number two, Crocodile's partner, Nico Robin.
"How about I go and make contact with him?"
"If you are willing to go, that would be for the best."
Crocodile had always maintained a cautious and guarded attitude towards Nico Robin.
However, as a partner, Crocodile also gave Nico Robin authority second only to his own.
Most of the time, Nico Robin could act freely, unrestricted by the studio's rules.
It took Nico Robin three days to reach Nanohana City.
Entering a bar, she immediately saw the white-haired Old Man sitting at the bar counter, drinking.
Nico Robin, with a slight smile, went and sat down next to Rosen.
"Can you buy me a drink?"
Rosen turned his head to look at Nico Robin: "Did you decide to come yourself? Or did Crocodile send you?"
"You know me?"
"Of course, the famous Child of the Devil."
"Heh heh... it's truly my honor to be remembered by a Great Pirate with a 300 million Berries bounty."
"I'm just an Old Man. Why does your Baroque Works keep clinging to me? It's really troublesome."
"A coup will happen in Alabasta soon. If I were you, I wouldn't continue to stay here."
"I know there will be a coup, so I specifically came to witness the warehouse of war. But if you continue to provoke me, I don't mind changing from a spectator to a participant."
"You know the identity of Baroque Works' behind-the-scenes boss, don't you?"
"Are you trying to warn me? Or are you here to inform on him?"
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