Smoker Traits: Smoke-Smoke Fruit (Apex Purple) (Unawakened).
Smoke-Smoke Fruit (Apex Purple) (Unawakened): Smoke Human. Can transform the body into smoke for offensive purposes. Upon Awakening, can permanently alter the climate of an area, and can draw upon the altered climate to gain astonishing stamina recovery speed (Pale Gold tier effect).
————
Rowen examined the Trait screen before him, his eyes flickering.
Smoker's current strength was entirely concentrated in his Smoke-Smoke Fruit, hence only that single Trait was displayed.
Just as expected, it's one of the weaker Logia Devil Fruits.
Despite being a Logia—which inherently made the user virtually invincible against non-Haki users—it only reached the Apex Purple tier.
Even after Awakening, relying solely on the fruit's power without Haki or other enhancements, it only provided effects equivalent to a Pale Gold tier Trait.
Looking at the System's description of the awakened Smoke-Smoke Fruit, Rowen's eyes glinted with understanding.
So, Logia Awakening does involve permanently altering the climate of an area.
In the original story, Aokiji and Akainu's battle for the position of Fleet Admiral transformed Punk Hazard into a half-ice, half-magma island—a permanent alteration!
But that alone wasn't the truly terrifying aspect of Logia Awakening. After all, permanently changing the weather didn't directly boost the user's combat power significantly.
The real power of Logia Awakening lay in the ability to draw upon the altered climate to sustain oneself, gaining incredible stamina! And the Devil Fruit abilities themselves would also be enhanced!
The importance of stamina in the One Piece power system was self-evident; Haki and Devil Fruit abilities both required stamina as fuel.
No wonder Aokiji and Akainu could fight for ten days and nights on Punk Hazard!
They were drawing upon the power of their awakened Logia fruits!
After eating a Logia fruit, the user effectively becomes that element. Smoker, having eaten the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, was a Smoke Human.
Within a smoke-filled environment, since the user is smoke, they naturally held an absolute home-field advantage. They could use the ambient smoke to rapidly recover their stamina, granting astonishing endurance.
Furthermore, the potency of their Devil Fruit abilities would also increase, reaching the fruit's true peak potential.
No wonder—According to the established lore, Zoan fruits—especially the rarest Mythical Zoans—should provide the greatest physical enhancements to the user.
Yet, the ultimate stamina monsters in the One Piece world often turned out to be top-tier Logia users like Akainu.
Rowen looked at Smoker, a predatory crimson-black light flickering in his eyes.
This Smoke-Smoke Fruit—I'm taking it!
<><><><><><><><>
"'Sky Sovereign' Rowen?! Captain Smoker, you must be mistaken! They just have the same name! Rowen is a really nice person! Huh?" Tashigi instinctively refuted Smoker's claim, but then her brain seemed to short-circuit, freezing mid-thought.
Wait... something's not right here.
Captain Smoker had called out Rowen's name before she even introduced him.
But Rowen is so kind—how could he be the infamous Sky Sovereign Rowen?
They should just have the same name, right?
"Are you an idiot?!" Smoker finally snapped, unable to restrain himself.
He knew Tashigi was DENSE, but surely not this DENSE!!!
"Y-You... you really are that Sky Sovereign Rowen?" Tashigi stared blankly at Rowen. Her severe nearsightedness, combined with her intense focus on swordsmanship training, meant she wasn't good at remembering faces from photos.
"Yes, that's me," Rowen confirmed readily.
Tashigi's mind went completely blank.
"What are you doing, you foolish woman?! Get over here! He's a pirate with a 100 million Beri bounty! And you—you must be Roronoa Zoro!" Smoker yelled, then turned his attention to Zoro.
100 million Beri!
The number alone sent cold sweat dripping down the foreheads of the Marines accompanying Smoker. A 100 million Beri pirate! The soldiers looked nervously at Rowen, their grips tightening unsteadily on their weapons.
"You're the bounty hunter who doesn't cherish swords, using them just to make money?!" Tashigi exclaimed, her earlier confusion replaced by accusation directed at Zoro.
Rowen was the first person to truly acknowledge her dream.
The other man was a swordsman capable of earning the acknowledgment of a cursed sword like Kitetsu—someone she admired. Yet, one turned out to be the infamous 'Sky Sovereign' Rowen, and the other, 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro, who treated swords merely as tools for bounty hunting?
"Sky Sovereign Rowen! Roronoa Zoro! Surely you wouldn't stoop so low as to use a woman as a shield!" Seeing Tashigi's complete confusion, Smoker cursed inwardly, then tried to provoke them.
The clumsy woman was too close to them; even with his Smoke-Smoke Fruit, Smoker wasn't absolutely certain he could save her before they harmed her.
"Woman? I don't see any woman here. I only see a swordsman," Rowen replied, looking pointedly at Tashigi, a slight smile touching his lips.
Tashigi needed respect and acknowledgment.
Languishing aimlessly in the East Blue wouldn't help her achieve her dream. Since that was the case... Rowen decided to add some fuel to her fire.
"Th-That's right! Captain Smoker! I will fight too!" Hearing Rowen's words, Tashigi snapped out of her daze.
SHINK!
Shigure flashed out of its sheath.
"Rowen! Roronoa Zoro! I'm placing you under arrest!" Tashigi yelled, biting her lip.
Rowen's words—had genuinely made her happy. Only Tashigi knew how deeply she resented being born female, believing it hindered her path as a swordsman.
'Women can't become strong swordsmen... Women can't possess great strength... Women can't achieve their dreams...' She had heard such things countless times growing up.
But Rowen... acknowledged her dream and treated her as an equal swordsman. That equality was what Tashigi craved most. It made her truly happy. But precisely because of that... she had to arrest Rowen! Save him from the path of evil!
"Hyaa!" Tashigi's Shigure sliced through the air in a beautiful arc, aimed at Rowen.
WHOOSH!
Tashigi's vision blurred. Rowen suddenly appeared behind her.
Thwack!
A swift chop to the back of her neck caused Tashigi's body to go limp, collapsing to the ground.
"Shave?!" Smoker's eye twitched upon seeing Rowen's movement.
'That technique... wasn't that the 'Shave' from the Navy's Six Powers?!' As a former student of Zephyr 'Black Arm', Smoker was intimately familiar with the Six Powers.
"Indeed. 'Shave' from the Six Powers," Rowen confirmed with a calm smile.
Although the similar Shakushi Trait from Kuro had been converted, Rowen had memorized the feeling of that high-speed movement technique.
And the principle behind Shave—rapidly kicking off the ground dozens of times in an instant to generate explosive propulsion—was something his current physique could easily handle.
After reaching Apex Purple with his Superhuman Demonic Physique, Rowen's body was more than capable. During his recent days of training, Rowen had completely mastered the Shave technique.
"Hmph!" Smoker's expression turned cold. With a roar of smoke, both his arms transformed into swirling clouds.
"White Out——!" Smoker bellowed. His smoke-arms twisted into spiraling columns, shooting out to capture Rowen and Zoro.
"So this is the feeling of a Logia Devil Fruit?" Rowen observed with interest as the smoke enveloped him. 'Quite strange—the body literally becomes the element.'
"It's even trickier than that Buggy guy's Chop-Chop Fruit," Zoro commented grimly, looking at the smoke binding him.
Buggy's fruit merely granted immunity to cuts; punches and kicks still worked. But Logia users were completely immune to normal physical attacks. Just as Rowen had said... without Haki, they were helpless against a Logia user.
"Since you know I'm a Logia, you should also know you're no match for me! Rowen! Roronoa Zoro! Your criminal careers end here!" Smoker declared grimly.
"And on top of that, you even betrayed a woman's trust." Smoker glared at Tashigi, struggling weakly on the ground but unable to stand, his expression darkening further.
"Woman, woman... So annoying," Rowen's smile vanished, his eyes turning cold as he looked at Smoker.
"I told you. I see no woman. Only a swordsman! On these seas, to judge a swordsman who has bravely raised her weapon to chase her dream like that... How rude of you, Smoker. Do you truly understand that swordsman's heart? You are denying her dream," Rowen stated, the crimson-black light in his eyes flashing intensely.
Tashigi, who had been trying to push herself up, froze completely upon hearing Rowen's words, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes. 'Why... why is the one person who understands her so completely... a pirate?'
"And another thing... You don't really think your Logia makes you invincible, do you? You weakling who relies solely on his Devil Fruit—" Rowen continued coldly.
Rowen's words made Smoker's pupils constrict sharply.
The next moment—
VMM!
The crimson-black light in Rowen's eyes solidified, exploding outwards from his body.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
Conqueror's Haki, seemingly taking physical form, manifested as arcs of crimson-black lightning roaring through the atmosphere.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The remaining armed Marines instantly went white-eyed and collapsed unconscious.
—Conqueror's Haki!
In the presence of a King, the weak don't even possess the right to remain conscious, let alone look directly!
"D-Damn it! Conqueror's Haki!" Smoker stared at the crackling crimson-black lightning, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. The White Out smoke tendrils holding Rowen and Zoro abruptly loosened.
Rowen's Conqueror's Haki—amplified by Born of the Sea, could now exert tangible physical force on reality. This naturally included affecting Logia Devil Fruit users.
Of course, Rowen hadn't yet evolved his Haki to the Deep Gold tier (Basic Infusion), so he couldn't inflict fatal damage on Smoker with Haki alone. But causing momentary paralysis? That was easily achievable.
And that momentary paralysis was all Rowen needed.
WHOOSH! (Shave!)
Smoker's pupils constricted violently.
The next instant, a jet-black fist was right before his eyes.
CRACK!
With a sickening impact that set teeth on edge, Smoker was launched like a cannonball, smashing violently into the ground far away.
CRACK! CRACK! The sheer force of the blow spiderwebbed the ground around him.
"H-Haki?!" Smoker slowly pulled himself from the crater, shaking his dizzy head, looking at Rowen with disbelief and horror.
—Armament Haki!
And incredibly strong!
A single blow had injured him significantly!
Taking a direct Haki-infused hit to the head like that... he couldn't move properly for a short while.
"Been a while since you took a hit, huh, Smoker? Has anyone ever told you... not to rely too heavily on your Devil Fruit?" Rowen asked, looking down at Smoker, a confident, powerful curve to his lips.
This guy was supposedly Zephyr's student, yet he couldn't use Haki?
Perhaps he tried to emulate Admiral Kizaru's fighting style?
But Kizaru ate the Glint-Glint Fruit, one of the most powerful Logia fruits. Smoker only had the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, among the weakest Logias. Trying to copy Kizaru's combat style was pure fantasy.
Over-reliance on a Devil Fruit was fatal to Haki development.
Haki required absolute self-confidence!
The ability to fully command one's own 'Disposition'! Only then could Haki be wielded effectively!
Even someone as strong as Kizaru had relatively weak Haki due to his over-reliance on his Devil Fruit abilities.
Smoker, languishing in the East Blue and overly dependent on his Smoke-Smoke Fruit—it wasn't surprising he hadn't learned Haki yet.
"Captain Smoker?!" Tashigi, having recovered slightly from Rowen's nerve strike, managed to sit up, leaning on Shigure for support.
Seeing Smoker beaten so badly by Rowen's single punch left her utterly dumbfounded. This was the first time she had ever seen Captain Smoker get hit! He was a Logia user! How could a human hit smoke?! 'Haki? What is that power?'
"..." Hearing Rowen's words, Smoker's face turned extremely grim. It felt like being lectured by that old geezer Zephyr all over again.
Yes, he did rely heavily on his Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
But previously, Smoker hadn't seen anything wrong with that.
In the East Blue, a Logia was invincible!
Even at Marine HQ!
Logia fruits were extremely rare! The current three Marine Admirals were all Logia users—hailed as the strongest trio of Admirals in Marine history!
What was wrong with dedicating himself fully to mastering his Logia fruit?!
Smoker grit his teeth, preparing to counterattack.
"Huh?!" Smoker reached behind him, intending to grab his weapon—the 'jitte' tipped with Seastone—but grasped only empty air.
Shaking his head vigorously, still disoriented from the Haki blow, Smoker saw his jitte—now held in Rowen's hand.
"A Seastone weapon—You knew your Devil Fruit had significant weaknesses, so you crafted this weapon... yet you still rely so heavily on the fruit itself. You truly are a fool," Rowen commented, tossing the Seastone jitte to Zoro.
"With this, you should be able to hit him, right?" Zoro caught the jitte, a feral grin spreading across his face.
"No need. I originally planned to ensure victory, but I didn't expect him to be such a weakling solely dependent on his Devil Fruit," Rowen replied.
He had called Zoro over precisely for this purpose—to seize Smoker's Seastone weapon during the fight and let Zoro use it, ensuring Zoro's attacks could land.
Bringing Zoro was an insurance policy for hunting the Smoke-Smoke Fruit. But after the first exchange, Rowen realized Smoker, at this stage in Loguetown, was completely reliant on his fruit.
Against stronger Logia users, even with Haki, the fight could be difficult. Powerful Logia abilities were terrifying in their own right; weak Haki could still be overwhelmed by potent elemental attacks.
But the Smoke-Smoke Fruit had almost zero offensive capability on its own; it was primarily a support/utility power.
As Smoker was now—facing a Haki master—he stood absolutely no chance.
"Don't get too cocky!" Smoker roared furiously, trying to activate his Smoke-Smoke powers again.
But first paralyzed by Conqueror's Haki, then struck directly in the head by Armament Haki... Smoker couldn't even control his body properly to fully elementize quickly; there was a noticeable delay.
And giving Rowen that kind of opening—meant only one outcome.
WHOOSH—(Shave!)
BANG!
Another Haki-infused fist connected cleanly, this time a powerful uppercut snapping Smoker's head back. His eyes rolled white, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, completely unconscious.
"Plunder."
Plunder!"
An exceptionally brilliant purple light, visible only to Rowen, separated from Smoker's body and was absorbed by Rowen.
"Gurgle! Gurgle!"
Under Tashigi's disbelieving gaze, Smoker's powerful physique began to wither strangely.
Moments later, he seemed completely drained of strength.
A Devil Fruit Trait was classified as a Strength-type Trait. It contained not only the Devil Fruit ability itself...
But also all of the user's associated physique, strength, and even the desire developed through training and using the fruit!
Everything—was plundered by Rowen.
Yes—after plundering the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, Rowen's mind, through feedback from the Strongest Trait System, was flooded with deeper knowledge about Devil Fruits.
He now understood why he could plunder Devil Fruit abilities without suffering their side effects.
It was exactly as Vegapunk stated in the original story.
Devil Fruits were the physical manifestation of humanity's desires from a bygone era.
Humans possessed countless desires. Long ago, people wished:
'If only I could become lightning!'
'If only I could split myself apart and be immune to swords!'
'If only I could become a mythical creature from legends!'
These diverse desires gave birth to the various Devil Fruits.
Someone wished to become lightning, and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit appeared, allowing its eater to become a Lightning Human.
Someone wished to be able to split apart, immune to blades, and the Chop-Chop Fruit appeared.
Someone wished to become a creature of myth, and the rarest Zoan type, the Mythical Zoan, came into existence.
As long as people harboring such desires existed in the world, the corresponding Devil Fruits would continue to manifest.
But obviously, this defied the natural laws of evolution; it was profoundly 'unnatural'.
This 'Unnaturalness' naturally incurred the wrath of Mother Nature herself—the Sea.
Thus, anyone who ate a Devil Fruit and became an ability user was cursed by the sea, becoming unable to swim.
Rowen, however, acquired Devil Fruit abilities by plundering them via the Trait System. They existed within him as Traits. The System itself shielded him from the Sea's perception of this 'unnaturalness'.
Meaning, although Rowen could use Devil Fruit powers, Mother Sea didn't recognize him as an ability user and therefore couldn't curse him.
Furthermore, Rowen now fully understood the process of Devil Fruit Awakening.
Devil Fruits were manifestations of desire. For example, the Smoke-Smoke Fruit Rowen just acquired was born from someone's past desire to become smoke.
Eating it allowed one to become a Smoke Human.
By continuously using the Smoke-Smoke Fruit's power, constantly strengthening that inherent desire—to be smoke...
When the user's physique reached a certain threshold, and that specific desire peaked—Devil Fruit Awakening could occur!
This also explained the high risk associated with Zoan fruit Awakenings.
To Awaken a Zoan fruit, the user had to constantly reinforce the desire to become the animal corresponding to their fruit.
When that desire peaked, Awakening could happen.
But the intense desire to become a beast could easily overwhelm the user's human consciousness during the Awakening process.
Lost within that desire, they risked becoming a true, mindless beast.
<><><><><><>
Moreover, after obtaining the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, feedback from the System revealed another drawback inherent to Devil Fruits.
The desire embedded within the fruit itself... As the user continuously strengthened that desire, pushing towards Awakening...
It inevitably created a psychological dependence on the Devil Fruit's power.
Desire and dependence went hand-in-hand.
No wonder Zephyr had warned Kizaru not to rely too heavily on his Devil Fruit ability!
Becoming overly fixated on that desire, excessively dependent on the fruit's power, hindered the development of one's Haki.
Haki—whether it was Observation Haki (manifestation of the senses), Armament Haki (allowing harm to ability users), or the supreme Conqueror's Haki—could all be considered manifestations of spiritual strength.
It required absolute self-confidence to wield Haki effectively.
Losing that confidence weakened Haki, or in severe cases, rendered it unusable.
Moria, after his devastating defeat by Kaido and the loss of his crew, was a prime example. He lost all confidence, relying solely on his Shadow-Shadow Fruit to create zombie armies, trying to fill the void of fear and emptiness within him. His Haki, naturally, became useless.
All Devil Fruit users, through the process of strengthening the inherent desire within their fruit, developed some level of dependence, varying only in degree.
Minor dependence had little impact. Kaido, for instance, could still declare "Haki transcends all!" and possessed extremely powerful Haki.
Severe dependence, like Admiral Kizaru's reliance on the Glint-Glint Fruit, made Haki their definitive weak point.
But even Kaido, who uttered those words, didn't possess the absolute strongest Haki on the seas.
The Strongest Haki belonged to the man who hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit, renowned as the world's most powerful Haki user—Red-Haired Shanks!
Of course, this didn't mean eating a Devil Fruit precluded having the strongest Haki.
Joy Boy's Haki, echoing across time, made even Imu tremble and kneel.
But for a Devil Fruit user, achieving supreme Haki was significantly more difficult than for a non-user.
Naturally, powerful Devil Fruits did enhance combat strength. Kaido, while perhaps inferior to Shanks in pure Haki, possessed one of the strongest Mythical Zoan fruits, the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon. This earned him the title 'World's Strongest Creature', unbeatable in a one-on-one fight!
Pros and cons—that was the nature of Devil Fruits!
However...
A smile touched Rowen's lips.
With his Strongest Trait System, he could ignore these drawbacks!
Because the System shielded him from the Sea's rejection of the 'unnatural' Devil Fruit power...
Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) could still function perfectly, continuously enhancing Rowen's Haki!
Rowen could gain Devil Fruit powers without hindering his Haki development in the slightest!
Unlike the original owner of Born of the Sea (Apex Gold), Buggy—who lost the Trait upon eating a fruit and suffered a backlash, crippling his Haki potential—Rowen, with his System, could possess both supreme Devil Fruit abilities and the world's strongest Haki!
It was truly—a BUG-like existence.
And Rowen could acquire more, even stronger, Devil Fruit abilities. The Smoke-Smoke Fruit was merely a stepping stone.
Furthermore, the System also categorized Devil Fruit Awakening itself as a potential upgrade path. Meaning, Rowen could potentially force an Awakening through Trait upgrades!
Naturally, he wouldn't waste such upgrades on a mediocre fruit like Smoke-Smoke.
Use the Smoke-Smoke Fruit as a stepping stone -> Defeat the Warlord Crocodile -> Obtain the Sand-Sand Fruit (a top-tier Logia) -> Plunder Crocodile's 'fortune' via Faction Fortune (Apex Gold) for a massive boost -> Then, aim for that fruit atop the Sky Islands, hailed as one of the most invincible Logia abilities!
The Ultimate Devil Fruit—the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!
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After plundering the Smoke-Smoke Fruit and receiving detailed information about Devil Fruits via System feedback, Rowen's understanding deepened further.
The absolute top-tier Devil Fruits in this world—even without Haki—could reach the Apex Gold tier upon Awakening, based solely on the fruit's power. Meaning, they inherently provided the potential for Admiral-level combat strength!
Of course, such fruits were exceedingly rare. Weaker Logias like Smoke-Smoke only reached Pale Gold tier effects upon Awakening (below Yonko Commander level) based on fruit power alone.
But the Rumble-Rumble Fruit—was one of those top-tier fruits.
Upon Awakening, just its inherent power could grant Apex Gold tier status—the threshold for Admiral-level combat!
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit's offensive power, as recorded, was second only to Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit among Logias. Combined with Infused Conqueror's Haki, its combat ceiling would reach terrifying heights.
And the Rumble-Rumble Fruit served another purpose for Rowen...
Connecting to Emperor Kaido's fruit—one of the strongest Mythical Zoans—the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon!
Every Mythical Zoan, besides granting superior physique and recovery compared to normal Zoans, provided a unique special ability. That was their true power.
Luffy's Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika, provided the BUG-like ability of Imagination—allowing fighting with absolute freedom, even partial reality warping.
The Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, granted control over natural elements!
Fire! Lightning! Storms!
All these natural forces fell under the command of the Azure Dragon user.
Kaido's 'Thunder Bagua' utilized lightning to supercharge his hybrid form, achieving near-instantaneous speed—so fast that even Observation Haki capable of seeing the future couldn't reliably dodge it!
That's right! The Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and other powerful elemental Logias, could—through the Trait System—perfectly synergize with and enhance the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon!
It could elevate the Azure Dragon's innate elemental control to an entirely new level! Making its power even more terrible!
Even without the boost from powerful Logias like Rumble-Rumble, the element-controlling Azure Dragon fruit was already incredibly strong, earning Kaido the title 'World's Strongest Creature', unbeatable one-on-one!
With the addition of top-tier Logia abilities like Rumble-Rumble... how terrifyingly powerful could the Azure Dragon fruit become?
Rowen eagerly anticipated finding out.
Rowen clenched his fist, a confident smirk playing on his lips.
——
—[Physique energy contained within Smoke-Smoke Fruit (Apex Purple) has been digested. Superhuman Demonic Physique (Apex Purple) enhanced!]—
——
The gains continued!
Another notification appeared, visible only to Rowen.
When Rowen plundered a Devil Fruit Trait, the inherent physical energy contained within it was also absorbed and automatically digested.
The physical energy plundered from Smoker boosted Rowen's Superhuman Demonic Physique Trait by the equivalent of one Apex Purple tier upgrade material!
Eating the Smoke-Smoke Fruit turned Smoker into a Smoke Human. Filling his room with smoke was his way of training the fruit's power, pushing towards Awakening. This process, because he was smoke, naturally enhanced Smoker's physique as well, granting him Apex Purple level physical stats.
But now, that physical energy belonged to Rowen.
——
—[Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) activated. Armament Haki strengthened!]—
——
The Haki training cheat code activated again, further increasing Rowen's Armament Haki intensity!
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"Hah..." Under Tashigi's disbelieving gaze, Rowen's hands dissolved into swirling smoke.
"S-Smoke?! Th-That's Captain Smoker's ability! W-Why?!" Tashigi stammered, her eyes wide with horror.
"No matter how many times I see it, your ability is terrifying, Rowen. Being able to steal everything from someone else," Zoro commented, watching Rowen's arms turn to smoke.
A smirk touched his lips, but a faint bead of cold sweat also appeared on his brow.
'Good thing Rowen is our comrade.' An ability that could strip someone of everything... was truly frightening. Just witnessing it sent a chill down his spine.
"Ah. This ability—isn't half bad," Rowen remarked, experiencing elemental transformation for the first time. The sensation was strange but intriguing. His lips curved slightly.
Just as expected.
Like Sabo being able to wield the Flare-Flare Fruit powerfully immediately after eating it—Devil Fruit abilities didn't actually require 'development'. Before Awakening, their strength depended primarily on the user's physique.
Because the moment you ate the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, you became a Smoke Human. Using its powers was as instinctive as a normal person waving their arms; there was no inherent difficulty.
'The feeling of becoming a natural element... truly strange.' Rowen smirked.
"Ability acquired. Let's go," Rowen said, turning to Zoro.
"Got it." Zoro dropped the Seastone jitte he was holding and followed Rowen.
"Wait!" Tashigi's voice stopped Rowen.
"W-Why?! Why do these evil things?! You... you should be a good person! I could feel it—you weren't lying... you truly acknowledged my dream—You respected me—treated me as a swordsman, not just as a woman inherently weaker than men... But you—killed Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch... and you did this to Captain Smoker—Why?! Why do these evil things?!" Tashigi yelled, tears streaming down her face, her voice cracking with anguish and confusion.
The first person to acknowledge her dream, the first to truly respect her as a swordsman, the first person Tashigi felt truly understood her... Why was he a pirate? Why did he do such terrible things?
"Evil deeds?" Rowen turned back, looking at the tearful Tashigi.
"Regarding good and evil... I have no need to explain myself. You only need to know this: You have your dream. And I—have my ambition!" Rowen declared, spreading his arms wide, a powerful, confident curve to his lips.
Rowen wouldn't bother with justifications about Captain Nezumi's corruption, or the hypocrisy of Marine HQ serving the Celestial Dragons, masking their actions under the guise of 'justice'.
Does a King need to explain his actions to others?!
"Ambition?" Tashigi stared blankly at Rowen.
"That's right! From here on out—I WILL STAND ABOVE ALL!" Rowen declared, laughing boldly.
RUMBLE! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The sky above suddenly darkened, storm clouds gathering rapidly as fierce winds began to howl.
"Hm? Looks like we need to leave," Rowen commented, sensing the abrupt, unnatural weather shift, a knowing smile touching his lips.
This was the power of Luffy's father... Monkey D. Dragon.
"I-I can't accept it! You shouldn't do evil things!" Tashigi yelled into the whipping wind and rain, staring at Rowen's back.
"Then... strive to become stronger. You are a swordsman, are you not? Solve this the swordsman's way. Whether I am good or evil... what kind of person I am... follow in my footsteps—watch closely, Tashigi!" Rowen called back over his shoulder, not pausing as he walked away with Zoro into the brewing storm.
"I will definitely—capture you! Rowen!!!" Tashigi screamed into the tempest, her voice filled with heartbroken determination.
"I'll be waiting! Hahahaha!" Rowen's laughter echoed, then vanished into the wind and rain.
Loguetown, Execution Platform!
"Hahahaha! Can't move now, can you?! Monkey D. Luffy!" Buggy cackled maniacally.
"Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to get my body parts back?! You damn bastard!" Buggy snarled, his expression turning vicious.
"I can't pull free!" Luffy struggled, his head and hands firmly locked in the stocks on the execution platform.
"Behold! My thousands, no, billions of servants worldwide! The flashy public execution is about to begin!" Buggy roared, laughing at the crowd of townspeople held captive by his crew in the plaza below.
"Monkey D. Luffy! Consider it an honor! To die in the same place as the King of the Pirates! Hahahaha!" Buggy gloated, relishing Luffy's struggles.
Luffy wasn't even listening to Buggy, still desperately trying to break free from the stocks.
"Monkey D. Luffy! For the grave crime of boldly pissing me off, you shall hereby be flashily executed! Let the festivities begin! Men!" Buggy laughed grandly.
The Buggy Pirate grunts surrounding the platform erupted in cheers and jeers.
"Whoa, cool! This is my first time seeing an execution!" Luffy suddenly grinned, looking at the celebrating Buggy Pirates.
"YOU'RE THE ONE BEING EXECUTED!" Buggy roared, transforming into his sharp-toothed angry state.
"Me?" Luffy's smile froze, pointing at himself.
"EH?! Are you kidding me?!" Luffy's eyes bulged out as he yelled back, adopting his own angry, sharp-toothed expression.
"YOU'RE THE ONE KIDDING ME!" Buggy roared back furiously.
This airheaded brat! Still infuriating him just as much!
"The flashy public execution begins now!" Buggy announced loudly to the crowd.
"No! Stop! Help!" Luffy finally realized the gravity of the situation and started wailing desperately.
"Gyahahahaha!" Buggy cackled, hearing Luffy's cries.
That's more like it! Now this feels like a proper public execution!
After suffering so much to get here and exact revenge on this rubber bastard, this was the sound he wanted to hear.
Suddenly, Buggy wasn't in a rush anymore. He wanted to savor this beautiful sound a little longer.
Eventually, Luffy's cries weakened; he was exhausted.
"I'm sorry! I won't do it again! Please save me," Luffy pleaded weakly.
"Like hell I'll save you! You idiot!" Buggy flared up again.
Even now, he was still spouting such naive, infuriating nonsense!
"But... any last words? Seeing as you have such a large audience," Buggy taunted, hoping to hear more desperate cries from the rubber brat.
Luffy lifted his head, looking out at the crowd below.
"Mah, whatever. Doesn't matter if you have last words or not. You're dying either way," Buggy said impatiently when Luffy remained silent.
"I..." Luffy began slowly.
"Oh?" Buggy leaned in, interested.
"AM THE MAN WHO WILL BECOME KING OF THE PIRATES!!!" Luffy roared, his voice thundering through the plaza.
The crowd below stared, utterly stunned.
"He... he said Pirate King!"
"And in this town, of all places!"
"How bold!"
<><><><><><><><>
"Time for you to go, rubber bastard," Buggy sneered, raising a large executioner's blade.
"Nngh!!!" Luffy strained against the stocks with all his might.
"Hey! Hold that execution!" Two angry shouts echoed from the edge of the plaza.
"Zoro! Sanji! Rowen," Hearing their voices, Luffy's face lit up with immense relief and joy.
"Hey! What's with that pathetic look? There's a limit to joking around, Luffy," Zoro called out, tying his bandana around his head as he looked up at Luffy on the platform.
"If this is supposed to be entertainment, mind if I join in?" Sanji added, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He had heard about Luffy's execution and rushed over, meeting up with Rowen along the way.
"Buggy, you really don't learn, do you?" Rowen remarked, looking at Buggy with a faint, knowing smirk.
Towards Buggy, Rowen only had one thought: 'Your Trait is really useful, thanks.'
Back in Orange Town, Rowen, possessing only his Conqueror's Haki as a reliable offensive tool, couldn't do much against Buggy directly. He had needed Luffy, his 'employee', to handle the fight so he could acquire the Born of the Sea Trait.
But now... things were completely different.
Rowen focused his gaze on Buggy, a crimson-black light flickering in his eyes.
"Rowen?! Well, long time no see!" Buggy laughed loudly.
"R-Rowen?! Is that Sky Sovereign Rowen?!"
"The great pirate with a 100 million Beri bounty!"
"Y-Yeah! That's him! Looks exactly like his wanted poster!"
<><><><><><><><>
Hearing Buggy call out the name, the captive townspeople erupted in panicked murmurs.
Someone pulled out Rowen's wanted poster, compared it, and broke out in a cold sweat, trembling uncontrollably. Some even collapsed weakly to the ground.
The great pirate with a 100 million Beri bounty!
"D-Damn it! Even 'Sky Sovereign' Rowen showed up?! A pirate worth 100 million Beri!" One of the Marine officers, wearing the standard 'Justice' coat of a Loguetown branch officer rank, felt sweat pour down his brow.
A contingent of Loguetown Marines had surrounded the plaza earlier. They had initially planned to let Buggy the Clown and Straw Hat Luffy fight it out, then arrest the weakened victor.
But now, with the appearance of Sky Sovereign Rowen—a 100 million Beri pirate... the situation had spiraled completely out of their control.
"Still no contact with Captain Smoker?! A 100 million Beri pirate isn't someone we can handle!" the Marine officer yelled frantically at the communications soldier beside him.
"N-No sir! Still can't reach him!" The communications soldier stammered, equally drenched in sweat, staring with terrified eyes at the man who, despite being on the periphery, seemed to be the absolute center of attention.
Sky Sovereign' Rowen—So this was the presence of a 100 million Beri pirate!
So terrifying... Just standing there, he made them feel weak, wanting only to flee.
"Rowen! Don't think you can save this rubber bastard with your Conqueror's Haki! Even for you, it's too late! What a shame!" Buggy cackled gleefully.
His crew couldn't withstand Rowen's Haki, but he could!
Once this rubber idiot was dealt with, the strongest fighter left in Rowen's crew would be Roronoa Zoro.
And against a swordsman without Haki, Buggy, the user of the Chop-Chop Fruit, had no fear!
Victory—this time, it belonged to him, Buggy!
<><><><><><><><>
"Just gotta take out these pirates, right?!"
"Cut down the execution platform!"
Sanji and Zoro charged towards the platform simultaneously.
Buggy's pirate grunts immediately swarmed forward, blocking their path.
"Hahaha! Realized your Conqueror's Haki can't stop me, feeling helpless now, are you?! Rowen!" Seeing Rowen not even bothering to unleash his Haki, Buggy laughed with triumphant malice.
Swoosh—!
The next moment, Buggy swung the executioner's blade down towards Luffy's neck.
"Rowen! Zoro! Sanji! Nami! Usopp!" At that final moment, Luffy beamed, a truly stunning smile spreading across his face.
"Sorry guys... looks like I'm dead."
"He... he smiled?!" The townspeople watching the execution, who had already started fleeing to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, froze in absolute shock.
"White Out!"
FWOOSH!
Rowen's arms dissolved into swirling white smoke, shooting forward with incredible speed, instantly ensnaring Buggy.
"I didn't give you permission to die, Luffy," Rowen stated, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Rowen! Y-You ate a Devil Fruit?!" Luffy stared in amazement at the smoke binding Buggy.
"White Blow!"
FWOOSH! WHOOSH!
Rowen's eyes narrowed, unleashing more of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit's power.
From the smoke originating from his arms, countless smoky tendrils erupted, shooting out and capturing all of Buggy's nearby crew members.
"Mmph! Mmph!" The smoke continued to spread, enveloping the faces of Buggy's captured crew.
Amidst muffled, pained gasps, Buggy's pirates began to suffocate.
The Smoke-Smoke Fruit, while not adding much raw offensive power, possessed the terrifying ability to suffocate anyone trapped within its dense clouds!
Without Haki, being caught by the smoke meant certain death.
Even a lower-tier Logia fruit... was effectively invincible in the East Blue.
"Th-This is—!" Sanji stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding.
"The Logia-type Smoke-Smoke Fruit. The ability Rowen acquired," Zoro explained grimly, watching the spectacle.
So strong!
He had underestimated the power of this ability when Rowen defeated Smoker so easily earlier.
Without Haki, getting caught by this power meant complete helplessness, even suffocation.
Logia fruits... truly powerful abilities!
And according to Rowen, the Smoke-Smoke Fruit was considered relatively weak among Logias. Stronger ones were like forces of nature.
Zoro gripped Wado Ichimonji tightly.
No more messing around. I have to learn Haki... as soon as possible.
"Th-That's?! A Logia ability! No! That ability... doesn't it belong to the captain of this branch, Smoker?! How... How do you have that ability?!" Buggy stared in disbelief at the smoke holding him captive.
He was completely powerless against it.
Having been an apprentice on Roger's ship, Buggy certainly understood the power of Logia Devil Fruits.
Without Haki, you were nothing but a lamb to the slaughter before a Logia user.
But! That wasn't the main point!
Buggy's eyes widened in absolute horror as he stared at Rowen.
This ability—It was famous in the East Blue!
It belonged to the captain of the Loguetown Marine branch, the man known as 'White Chase' Smoker!
The Logia Smoke-Smoke Fruit!
How?! How did Rowen possess this ability?!
"Heh... How do you think I have this ability?" Rowen smiled.
That smile, in Buggy's eyes, was utterly terrifying.
Cold sweat drenched Buggy's entire body. The horror in his eyes was impossible to conceal.
"You... you can steal other people's abilities?!" Buggy swallowed hard, his voice trembling.
That was the only explanation!
A power like that... he thought he'd heard whispers of something similar from Captain Roger...
Buggy's forehead was drenched in cold sweat as he looked at Rowen, as if gazing upon some Great Terror incarnate.
"Who knows?" Rowen replied, having no intention of satisfying Buggy's curiosity, his lips curling into a smirk.
——
—[Kingly Disposition increased. Conqueror's Haki intensity increased.]—
——
Just as expected. Demonstrating overwhelming power serves as a deterrent... and boosts Haki too!
Rowen relished the look of absolute terror in Buggy's eyes, a domineering curve forming on his lips.
This feeling... is really good.
"Hah!" Then, under Buggy's despairing gaze, the smoke fully enveloped his face. Deprived of oxygen, he lost consciousness.
"S-Smoke-Smoke Fruit! That's Captain Smoker's ability! W-What in the world happened?! What's going on?!" Outside the plaza, the Marine officer was on the verge of a complete breakdown.
They couldn't reach Captain Smoker... and now the 100 million Beri pirate possessed Captain Smoker's ability?!
What... what the hell happened?!
"Sir! What do we do?!" The surrounding Marines were panicking too.
Their greatest source of confidence in Loguetown, Captain Smoker's Smoke-Smoke Fruit... was now in the hands of 'Sky Sovereign' Rowen?!
Nightmare! This has to be a nightmare!
<><><><><><><><>
"Shishishi! Thanks, Rowen! Still alive! Score!" Freed by Rowen, Luffy grinned broadly.
"Alright, let's prepare to set sail. A storm's coming," Rowen announced, sensing the unnatural intensity of the wind and rain that had begun to fall.
Having acquired Nami's Climate Sense Trait, and now possessing the Smoke-Smoke Logia ability, Rowen could clearly perceive that this storm was 'unnatural'.
This was the power of a Devil Fruit. Unquestionably, it belonged to Luffy's father, the Revolutionary Leader, Monkey D. Dragon.
Dragon hadn't intervened to save Luffy directly as he might have in other circumstances. There was only one possibility.
Dragon's Observation Haki had reached a level where he could briefly glimpse the future.
He must have 'seen' that Rowen would save Luffy, hence his non-intervention.
Observation Haki perfected to see the future... truly a troublesome power.
Once I have more Trait materials to spare, I need to upgrade my Observation Haki to that level too.
Rowen's own Observation Haki couldn't detect any trace of Dragon's presence.
He wasn't surprised. At his current level, sensing a master who had perfected Observation Haki was unrealistic.
Unless Dragon chose to reveal himself, Rowen couldn't track him.
I wonder if his ability is a Logia, or a Mythical Zoan that controls storms?
Rowen wasn't disappointed, though. They were destined to meet eventually, anyway.
"Let's go. Back to the Merry. Nami should be there already," Rowen instructed; he had already arranged these details.
"Damn it! Move—Arrest 'Sky Sovereign' Rowen and Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy! Regardless, we are Marines!" Seeing Rowen's group preparing to leave, the Marine officer grit his teeth and roared the command.
"WAIT!" A sharp command stopped the officer in his tracks.
"Captain Smoker!" Seeing the extremely weakened Smoker approaching, supported by Tashigi, the officer felt a surge of relief, as if finding his anchor.
"Captain Smoker! Those are pirates worth 45 million and 100 million Beri! We... we can't let them enter the Grand Line!" The officer was terrified but resolute. As Marines, how could they retreat?
"My ability... has been taken by 'Sky Sovereign' Rowen. Fighting further will only lead to pointless sacrifices!" Smoker stated, his voice filled with bitterness and frustration.
He was so furious, so humiliated, he felt like grinding his teeth to dust!
But should he send his subordinates to die for the sake of his own wounded pride?
'Sky Sovereign' Rowen! He actually stole his Smoke-Smoke Fruit ability!
And along with it, his physical strength too!
What a terrifying man!
Smoker still felt a lingering sense of horror.
What kind of ability—was that?!
Watching Rowen's group depart, Smoker clenched his fists.
"Arrest Buggy's entire crew!" Smoker roared, channeling his frustration into the command.
Watching Rowen leave unchallenged... this feeling of powerlessness drove Smoker nearly mad.
"Sir!" The Loguetown Marines, despite arresting the now defenseless Buggy pirates, shouted their response with tragic solemnity.
Humiliation! But—before that man... he's powerless!
"Let's go, Tashigi. Back to Headquarters—with me," Smoker said, looking at the silent Tashigi beside him, then tilting his head back, letting the rain fall freely on his face.
"Yes, sir," Tashigi replied quietly, her head bowed.
"You feel frustrated too, right? Remember this frustration. Then, get stronger. I apologize for not respecting your identity as a swordsman before, Tashigi," Smoker said gruffly.
The one who truly understood Tashigi—turned out to be Rowen.
The irony—was bitter. Smoker closed his eyes.
Tashigi bit her lip hard, tears mixing with the rain streaming down her face.
That man, Rowen! The first person to truly acknowledge her dream, treat her as an equal, respect her as a swordsman!
He made her realize that wasting time here wouldn't help her achieve her dream.
She had to get stronger!
Then—she would capture him! And finally, tell Rowen... thank you...
Loguetown Harbor!
"Click! Click!" Mohji the Beast Tamer, alongside his pet lion Richie, crouched beside the Going Merry.
Mohji frantically struck matches, trying to light the fuse of explosives intended to destroy the Merry.
"Damn it! Why did it have to rain now?!" Mohji yelled in frustration.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Just then, footsteps approached.
"Hm?!" Mohji looked up.
"It's you! The thief girl!" Mohji snarled, recognizing Nami rushing towards the ship laden with bags.
If it weren't for Nami tying up Captain Buggy's body parts, they wouldn't have suffered so much hardship!
Richie almost got eaten by natives on some small island!
"Get her! Richie! Take them out!" Mohji commanded, pointing at Nami.
"Usopp! Quick! Deal with that lion!" Nami ordered.
"Me?!" Usopp's face turned grim as he looked at the enormous lion.
But—this was the first step towards becoming a brave warrior of the sea!
He, Usopp, was a brave man acknowledged even by Rowen!
Usopp let out a battle cry and raised his slingshot.
"Special Attack! Egg Star—" Usopp loaded a raw egg and fired it towards Richie's eye.
In this downpour, his powerful gunpowder-based pellets were useless.
Hitting the lion's eye with an egg was the best tactic Usopp could think of on the spot.
Splat! The egg hit the ground harmlessly.
"Crap! My hand slipped because of the rain!" Usopp yelled, clutching his head.
"..." Nami's eye twitched.
Could this guy ever pull through?! And Rowen actually thinks highly of him!
"Mrowr!" But the next moment, Richie, who had been charging forward, saw the broken egg on the ground and happily started licking it up.
"Hey! Richie! What are you doing?!" Mohji yelled.
'Phew!' Nami breathed a sigh of relief.
"Now's our chance! To the ship!" Nami shouted.
"Damn it! If that's how it is, then I will handle this myself!" Seeing Richie was useless, Mohji roared.
Anyway, the troublesome ones weren't here—especially that 'Sky Sovereign' Rowen with his 100 million Beri bounty.
That terrifying monster who could knock them out with just a glance!
Good thing Captain Buggy said he could handle that guy.
Besides, only the thief girl and that obviously weak long-nosed guy were here now.
Mohji let out a roar and prepared to charge.
"White Out——!"
FWOOSH! WHOOSH!
Two swirling columns of smoke shot out, instantly ensnaring the panicked Mohji and Richie.
Richie's massive body offered no resistance.
"W-What is this?! I can't move!" Mohji yelled in panic.
"Arooo! Arooo!" Richie whimpered fearfully.
Nami's eyes, however, lit up with pleasant surprise.
That sound... Nami knew it well.
"Rowen!" Nami turned, seeing Rowen approaching in the distance, and called out happily.
"'Sky Sovereign' Rowen?!!!" Seeing the newcomer, Mohji's face turned green with terror.
Why?! Didn't Captain Buggy say he would deal with this guy?!
Richie let out terrified whimpers.
"Rowen! Y-Your arms?!" Usopp stammered, staring in shock as Rowen's arms transformed into smoke, extending to capture Richie and Mohji.
"Rowen! You did it!" Nami exclaimed joyfully.
Nami and Rowen, naturally, shared everything.
Rowen's plan here involved obtaining this Devil Fruit power—from the local Marine Captain.
Nami knew this, of course.
But Nami also knew that if she went along, she would only slow him down.
Besides—Rowen never acted without confidence.
She trusted him completely.
Of course, Seeing him succeed now filled Nami with genuine happiness for him.
"That's right. This is the Logia-type Smoke-Smoke Fruit," Rowen replied, smiling at Nami.
"Logia-type! SUGEEE!" Usopp gasped in awe.
Thanks to Rowen, Usopp and the others' knowledge of the world had expanded significantly.
Usopp now had a basic understanding of Devil Fruit classifications: Zoan, Paramecia, and the rarest, Logia.
Logia types, especially, allowed users to transform into natural elements. Without Haki, physical attacks were useless against them, leaving opponents like lambs to the slaughter.
Witnessing such a miraculous ability firsthand, Usopp was filled with wonder.
"Shishishi! Rowen's so fast!" Behind Rowen, Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro were sprinting towards the harbor. Luffy looked amazed.
"Yeah. Logia Devil Fruits—truly powerful abilities," Zoro nodded in agreement.
They had been heading this way together, but Rowen had gone ahead.
They saw Rowen's lower body instantly dissolve into smoke, propelling him forward like a rocket engine, reaching the harbor at incredible speed.
"Rowen said this Smoke-Smoke Fruit is just a lower-tier Logia... I can't even imagine how terrifying the truly powerful Logia abilities must be. They must be like actual natural disasters," Sanji commented, his expression filled with awe.
"Hmph. Then just have Rowen find you a powerful Devil Fruit ability, shitty cook," Zoro deliberately provoked Sanji.
"You damn Moss-Head! You know my dream is the All Blue! You're doing that on purpose!" Sanji's forehead veins bulged as he started brawling with Zoro, who wore an expression clearly saying, 'Yes, I did it on purpose.'
To find the All Blue, the legendary sea where the four Blues converge, swimming ability was crucial. Becoming unable to swim was unacceptable.
This was why Rowen never suggested finding powerful Devil Fruits for his comrades.
While Devil Fruits offered immense power boosts, only Rowen, with his System, could bypass the side effects.
Anyone else who ate a Devil Fruit would become unable to swim.
For Sanji and others, this was unacceptable; their dreams required them to be able to swim.
The same applied to Nami.
Nami's Traits were well-suited for a powerful Logia fruit, but her dream was to draw a map of the entire world.
Charting certain sea regions required Nami to enter the water herself, exploring personally to ensure accuracy.
Therefore, Nami wouldn't eat a Devil Fruit, and Rowen wouldn't suggest it.
On these seas, for those with dreams, pursuing those dreams was the main theme. Devil Fruits and power were merely tools in service of that goal.
The best way for Nami to gain significant combat power would be to acquire Zeus, the Homie created by Big Mom using the Soul-Soul Fruit.
Of course, under Rowen's guidance, Usopp had already begun developing the Clima-Tact.
"Shishishi! Rowen and the others are about to board! We gotta hurry up too!" Luffy yelled, seeing Rowen's group preparing to board the Merry and noticing their own distance from the ship. A mischievous 'I have an idea' expression crossed his face.
"Gomu Gomu no——!" Luffy grabbed onto a nearby building, stretching his rubber arm dramatically.
SMACK!
Luffy swung his arm around, grabbing Zoro and Sanji (who had stopped fighting upon hearing Luffy) along with the building.
"Hey! Luffy! You're not thinking of..." Zoro, having been tricked many times before, felt his face twitch uncontrollably.
"Let's go! ROCKET——" Luffy roared with laughter.
"LUFFY! YOU BASTARD!" Amidst Zoro and Sanji's enraged curses, the three of them shot towards the Going Merry like a projectile.
THUMP!
Under Rowen's amused gaze, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji slammed into the Merry's main sail, slowly sliding down onto the deck.
"Shishishi! Safe landing!" Luffy, immune to the impact thanks to his rubber body, immediately bounced up from the deck, yelling energetically.
"I'll cut you down someday! You bastard!" Zoro groaned, dizzy from the crash, his eye twitching.
"D-Damn it! Once I learn Haki, I'm gonna kick your rubber ass!" Sanji yelled, also feeling dizzy from the impact.
"Sanji, want me to bring this lion aboard? You could cook it," Rowen suggested, pointing at the terrified Richie.
"Lion?" Sanji shook his slightly woozy head, looking at the massive lion still held captive and immobile by Rowen's smoke power.
"Arooo!" Richie whimpered pitifully, eyes wide with fear.
'Not again!' He had barely escaped being eaten by natives on that island! Now that he was finally reunited with his tamer and Captain Buggy, why did people still want to eat him?!
"Lion meat, huh? Didn't buy the right spices to handle gamey meat like that; it might be too strong. And the ship's cold storage isn't big enough for something this large anyway," Sanji analyzed seriously, rubbing his chin.
When it came to cooking, Sanji was meticulous. He had already calculated and purchased just enough ingredients to perfectly fill the ship's current storage capacity.
"Is that so? Then let's just leave it here," Rowen replied. He didn't like gamey meat anyway.
He then activated his Smoke-Smoke power, suffocating both Richie and Mohji.
"Regarding cooking, though... I did manage to buy an amazing Elephant Tuna!" Sanji announced with a grin.
He opened a large bundle, revealing the fish inside. It had a long trunk like an elephant's and beautiful patterns, measuring several meters long.
"I've prepared all the seasonings for it. Let's make this our celebratory first meal as we enter the Grand Line!" Sanji's face glowed with anticipation.
This was his first time cooking Elephant Tuna. As a chef, he was incredibly excited to discover its taste.
"Oh? Sounds exciting," Rowen commented, looking at the Elephant Tuna with interest.
He had been curious about this fish's taste since his previous life. Now, he finally had the chance to try it.
Hmm, especially that long nose... gotta see what that tastes like. Rowen smiled.
<><><><><><><><>
"YOSH! Brothers! Setting course for the Grand Line!" Luffy yelled excitedly, standing on the deck and looking towards the distant horizon.
"OOOHHH!" Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp grinned, raising their hands in response to Luffy.
Their dreams could only be achieved on the Grand Line!
"Hard to port!" Nami shouted excitedly, grabbing Rowen's arm. The strength of her grip conveyed her immense excitement.
"The Grand Line..." Rowen gently patted Nami's hand on his arm, looking towards the horizon with a confident, powerful smile.
Finally... setting foot on this legendary sea route.
The next step: Conquer it!
And then—stand above all! Become—a true King!
These incredible potential Traits acquired in the East Blue... only on the Grand Line could they truly begin to shine!
A determined light flickered in Rowen's eyes. This was... ambition!
<><><><><><><><>
"Have they departed?" On a high rooftop in Loguetown, a figure clad in a green cloak watched the Merry sail away, a confident smile on his face.
CRACKLE!
A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the man's face—revealing intricate tribal tattoos covering one side, an imposing and powerful visage.
Luffy's father. The Revolutionary Leader! Monkey D. Dragon!
"You've found yourself some good comrades, Luffy," Dragon murmured, a confident curve to his lips.
"And... 'Sky Sovereign' Rowen, was it? An unbelievable man!" Dragon's eyes gleamed with intensity.
To be able to directly strip others of their Devil Fruit abilities...
And not just that!
Although his attention had primarily been on Luffy earlier, he had used his Observation Haki to observe Smoker after Rowen took his Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
Smoker's presence, his strength... had diminished drastically. It was as if he had regressed into an ordinary person.
If Rowen could merely steal abilities, that would be one thing. But if he could steal 'everything' about a person, including their inherent strength...?
Then the ability this man possessed was infinitely more dangerous, more terrifying, than even the legendary 'most evil' ability, the Dark-Dark Fruit!
And for Rowen to possess such Haki strength even before entering the Grand Line... his future impact was utterly unpredictable.
At least, he couldn't foresee this man's future!
But one thing Dragon was certain of: from the moment this man entered the Grand Line, the fate of the entire sea would irrevocably shift towards an unknown future!
Fortunately... Rowen is a comrade chosen by Luffy.
A slight smile touched Dragon's lips. He spread his arms wide.
"This sea! This era! How will you change it all?! Will you run wild? Or will you lead it... towards the future I hope for?! I eagerly await the answer! Sky Sovereign Rowen! And you too! Luffy!" Dragon laughed heartily, his voice filled with power.
Then, a gust of wind swept past, and Dragon's figure vanished from Loguetown.
<><><><><><><><>
"Steady the ship!" Nami yelled commands, expertly navigating the Merry through the raging storm.
"Hey! Look at that light! Is that a lighthouse on an island?" Usopp, acting as lookout, pointed towards a beam of light piercing the tempest ahead.
"That's a guiding light on the sea! The entrance to the Grand Line is just beyond that light!" Nami consulted the chart she'd taken from Buggy, her face alight with excitement.
"You're not gonna make us sail straight into that storm, are you?!" Usopp yelled, breaking out in a cold sweat.
THUMP! Just then, Rowen placed a large barrel in the center of the deck.
"Let's perform the ritual before entering the Grand Line! The pirate way!" Rowen declared, laughing loudly.
His powerful laughter wasn't drowned out even by the fierce storm.
Before entering the Grand Line, state your reasons, your dreams!
This was the ritual of the pirates of this era who still chased their dreams!
"I WILL... STAND ABOVE ALL—!" Rowen roared, slamming his right foot onto the barrel, laughing with absolute power.
CRACKLE!!! BOOM!!!
The storm clouds overhead roiled violently in response. Conqueror's Haki, especially Haki strong enough to affect the physical world, could even influence the weather dramatically.
"I'm going to draw a map of the entire world—!" Nami declared, placing her foot next to Rowen's, her smile radiant with excitement.
"I'm going to find the All Blue—!" Sanji added his foot, grinning eagerly.
"I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES—!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs.
"I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman—!" Zoro stated firmly, resting his hand on Wado Ichimonji, a fierce grin on his face.
"I-I'm going to become a brave warrior of the sea—!" Though nervous, Usopp's voice held unwavering determination as he placed his foot on the barrel.
"LET'S GO! TO THE GRAND LINE!" Luffy roared, grinning wildly.
CRACK!
Rowen and the others laughed, then simultaneously lifted their feet from the barrel and slammed them back down.
The barrel instantly exploded, sending sake spraying wildly through the storm.
It drenched everyone.
Even Rowen didn't use Haki to deflect the flying liquor.
Instead, alongside his comrades, he laughed heartily, letting the sake soak him completely.
This was the pirates' ritual!
Symbolizing that their dreams—would eventually—be realized!
The Going Merry sailed towards the distant guiding light.
"Oh no! It's terrible! The light went out!" Usopp yelled in panic, watching the faraway beacon suddenly extinguish.
"Lighthouses use lights; it's not surprising they go out sometimes. That's precisely why we need a navigator, isn't it?" Rowen glanced at Nami with a smile.
"That's right! Don't worry, I remember the direction!" Nami replied, puffing her chest out slightly, pleased by Rowen's praise.
"As expected of you, Nami!" Luffy and the others gave her a thumbs-up.
Rowen looked fondly at Nami's slightly proud expression.
"This is tricky, though... If this continues, it'll be just like the legends say," Nami murmured, studying the Grand Line chart she'd taken from Buggy.
"What?" Luffy asked curiously.
"Let's head inside the cabin first," Nami instructed.
Slap! Inside the cabin, Nami slapped the chart down onto the table.
"The entrance to the Grand Line—is a mountain!" Nami declared, pointing at the chart.
"WHAT?!" Everyone except Rowen stared with shocked expressions.
"Yes. I hardly believe it myself, but look at the chart. The guiding light is clearly positioned on the Red Line, atop Reverse Mountain," Nami explained.
"What?! Are we supposed to crash into a mountain?!" Usopp shrieked.
"Wait, isn't there a canal here?" Zoro pointed to a waterway on the chart that seemed to flow up the Red Line.
"A canal? Don't be ridiculous! Even if there is a canal, a ship can't possibly sail up a mountain! Right, Rowen?" Usopp asked, sweating nervously, looking towards Rowen, the most knowledgeable among them.
"No, Nami is correct," Rowen replied with a smile.
"EH?!" Usopp looked utterly terrified. "I-I've got the 'I'll-die-if-I-climb-a-mountain' disease!" he wailed dramatically.
"Relax. It's also called Reverse Mountain. We just need to ride the current into the entrance channel—and it will carry us up to the summit. Then, we ride the current down the other side, right into the Grand Line," Rowen explained, pointing at the chart with a smile.
"I see! It uses the ocean currents!" Nami, with her exceptional navigational talent, understood immediately, her face lighting up with excitement.
Zoro and the others also smiled in relief.
"However, the currents there are extremely strong. If we fail to enter the channel correctly, we'll genuinely crash into the Red Line. I hear that more than half the pirates aiming for the Grand Line perish before even entering it," Rowen added, looking at the crew with a mischievous glint in his eye, adopting his 'intimidating villain' expression.
"!!!" Usopp started trembling uncontrollably.
Sanji and Zoro's eyes twitched.
Nami grabbed onto Rowen's arm, her face pale.
Faced with the terrifying power of nature described, even Sanji and Zoro felt their hearts pound with apprehension.
"But don't worry. My ability can prevent that from happening," Rowen chuckled, seeing the crew's terrified reactions.
His Smoke-Smoke Fruit ability allowed him to freely solidify his smoke for attacks or use its elemental form for capturing and manipulation. Even within strong currents, subtly altering their course should be possible.
At the very least, entering the Grand Line channel wouldn't be a problem; they wouldn't need the near-death experience from the original story.
"You should have said so sooner!" Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp yelled simultaneously, exasperated.
"Hahaha! Sorry, sorry! Your expressions were just too funny!" Rowen laughed heartily.
"Seriously! Don't scare me like that, Rowen!" Nami leaned against Rowen's shoulder, wrinkling her nose cutely.
"I was about to say, if we can't use the entrance, maybe we should just detour south and enter from there," Zoro said, relieved, managing a smile. The chart did show an alternate southern route into the Grand Line.
"That wouldn't work," Nami immediately refuted.
"RIGHT! Nami's right!" Luffy instantly agreed.
Nami felt a flicker of gratification. 'Maybe Luffy isn't a complete idiot after all.'
"We have to go through the entrance! That's the exciting way!" Luffy declared loudly, pointing at Zoro.
"YOU MORON! That's not the reason!" Nami transformed into her sharp-toothed angry state again.
So much for Luffy making progress...
"Hahaha," Rowen chuckled, watching Luffy's antics.
"Huh? What's going on? The storm suddenly stopped," Usopp remarked, looking out the window curiously.
"It's really quiet... Just moments ago, it was pouring rain and howling wind," Sanji added.
"Yeah! Great weather!" Luffy threw open the cabin door, grinning.
"You can still see the storm over there, but there's absolutely no wind here," Zoro observed, gazing at the distant storm clouds.
"N-No! This can't be! We should be able to ride the current into the entrance!" Seeing the clear weather, Nami, the navigator, turned deathly pale.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Nami's unusual panic, everyone except Rowen looked concerned.
"We're in the Calm Belt, aren't we?" Rowen stated, stepping out of the cabin. He felt the utter stillness of the air—not a breath of wind. All the Merry's sails hung completely limp. A slight smile touched his lips.
"Calm Belt?" Luffy and the others looked confused.
"Yes! The Calm Belt! Quick, furl the sails! We need to row back into the storm!" Nami urged frantically.
"Why are you panicking? This is a sailboat! Why do we have to row?" Luffy asked curiously.
"Yeah, why go back into the storm?" Usopp added.
"Stop asking questions! Just do as I say, you idiots!" Nami yelled desperately.
"But the weather's so nice now," Zoro commented, stretching lazily.
"Rowen! Please tell them! You know about the Calm Belt, you must know what's here!" Nami pleaded, looking at Rowen, her face utterly pale.
"I know. Just like you mentioned detouring south earlier... our ship is currently drifting south," Rowen replied, seeing Nami's terror, then glanced at Zoro with a smile.
"Huh? Does that mean... we're already in the Grand Line?" Zoro asked cluelessly.
"Idiot! If it were that easy, everyone could get into the Grand Line!" Nami snapped, transforming into her sharp-toothed state again.
Besides Rowen, is there anyone reliable on this ship?!
"Listen up! The Grand Line is sandwiched between two long strips of ocean! These are the Calm Belts! Just like the name says, there's absolutely no wind here!" Nami explained urgently.
"So what?" Zoro and the others still didn't understand the problem.
"Because, besides having no wind, this place also has some... very interesting inhabitants," Rowen added, his lips curling as he gazed down at the sea surface.
His Observation Haki detected presences in the water below.
KRA-SHOOOOM!
The next moment, the sea surface erupted violently. A colossal creature emerged from the depths, lifting the Going Merry entirely out of the water on its head.
"W-What's happening?! An earthquake?!" Usopp screamed in panic.
"Moron! How can there be an earthquake at sea?!" Sanji yelled back.
Then, everyone except Rowen froze, utterly stunned.
Several terrifyingly massive creatures had surfaced around them. And the Going Merry was perched precariously atop the head of one of these behemoths.
"!!!" Sanji, Zoro, Luffy, and Usopp's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
"This is... a Sea King nest! And they're huge!" Nami shrieked, clinging onto Rowen for dear life, tears streaming down her face from sheer terror.
"Giant Sea Kings, huh? Must be very nutritious. Sanji, interested in catching one for dinner?" Rowen asked casually, looking at Sanji.
The Sea Kings in the Calm Belt were entirely different from those found elsewhere.
Their size started at several hundred meters, with thousand-meter ones being common. Deep below, creatures exceeding five thousand meters lurked.
These Sea Kings were the true apex predators of the ocean!
Rowen still remembered the taste of Mohmoo, the sea cow Arlong kept.
These super-giant Sea Kings should taste even better.
"D-Don't say things like that! These monsters are probably thousands of meters long!" Sanji stammered, his face turning grim.
How could you possibly cook a monster that size?!
"Rowen! Please! Don't fight them!" Nami pleaded, clinging to Rowen like an adorable koala, looking up with pitiful, tear-filled eyes.
"Alright, alright," Rowen relented, gently patting Nami's head comfortingly as he looked at her pale, terrified face.
The Merry certainly didn't have the space to store one of these behemoths anyway.
'But someday... I definitely have to taste a giant Calm Belt Sea King.' Rowen smirked inwardly.
And this sea held another purpose for Rowen.
Swimming across this sea—the 'Disposition' gained via Born of the Sea would be many times greater than in other waters!
For Sea Kings—especially giant ones—to choose this area as their nesting ground indicated the sea's energy here was far more potent than elsewhere.
One of the three Ancient Weapons, 'Poseidon', could command these very giant Sea Kings.
One could only imagine the sheer power contained within the nesting grounds of such creatures.
Rowen, through his Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) Trait, could clearly sense the immense sea energy permeating this region.
And crossing the Calm Belt? It was simple enough.
Rayleigh had once swum across the Calm Belt himself, astonishing the world.
'I'll have to ask Rayleigh later what kind of physical standard is needed to swim across the Calm Belt.' Rowen smiled faintly.
"Phew!" Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Luffy collectively sighed in relief when they saw Rowen relent at Nami's pleading.
They looked at Nami with immense gratitude.
'Thank goodness Rowen listens to Nami!' Otherwise, fighting monsters like these... Rowen, being a Logia user with strong Haki, wouldn't be afraid.
But they wouldn't survive!
"Listen up! The moment this monster submerges, we row like hell!" Zoro, who had been reluctant to row earlier, now gripped a giant oar tightly, sweating profusely as he instructed Sanji and Luffy.
"Right!" Luffy and Sanji nodded grimly, also grabbing the Merry's large oars.
Faced with monsters thousands of meters long, even Luffy knew this wasn't the time for recklessness.
"Aaah... CHOO!" Just then, the giant Sea King supporting the Merry let out a tremendous sneeze.
The Going Merry happened to be right near its nostrils...
"AHHHH!" Luffy and the others screamed as they were launched into the air.
"White Blow—!" Rowen's eyes narrowed, activating his Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
His arms dissolved into several streams of smoke, catching Luffy and the others safely.
Nami was gently enveloped in smoke and placed beside Rowen.
"White Out—!" Rowen commanded. Smoke surged beneath the Merry's hull, cushioning its landing gently back onto the sea surface.
Not being cursed by the sea, Rowen could freely use his abilities even over the water.
"Whoa! Rowen! That frog is leaping at us!" Before they could catch their breath, Nami screamed, pointing at a frog-like Sea King jumping towards the Merry.
"GET LOST—"
VMM! Holding Nami, the terrifying crimson-black light flared intensely in Rowen's eyes.
"Croak!" Cold sweat instantly covered the frog Sea King's body. It whimpered fearfully and dove back beneath the waves.
"ROWEN! SUGEEEEEE!!!" Luffy roared, his mouth wide open in awe.
This scene—felt familiar!
Just like... when Shanks saved him back then!
So Shanks was using Conqueror's Haki too!
"Is this really the time for that?! ROW!" Zoro and Sanji grabbed their oars and began rowing with frantic intensity.
Luffy snapped back to reality and started rowing furiously as well.
Under their combined desperate efforts, the Going Merry finally re-entered the stormy waters bordering the Calm Belt.
Although back in the storm, Zoro and the others felt immense relief, collapsing onto the deck, gasping for breath.
"Now you see why we have to use the entrance channel, right?!" Nami yelled at Zoro and the others, still trembling slightly and clinging to Rowen, remembering their earlier dismissal of her warnings.
Her legs still felt like jelly.
"That was interesting. We should go swimming in the Calm Belt next time," Rowen chuckled, holding the still-shaken Nami (who felt almost boneless in his arms) and looking at the exhausted crew sprawled on the deck.
"Don't joke about that!" Zoro and Sanji yelled back, transforming into their sharp-toothed angry states.
Swim in a place like that?! Are you crazy?!
"Rowen, didn't you eat a Devil Fruit? How can you still swim?" Luffy suddenly asked, tilting his head curiously.
"I'm special. Even with Devil Fruit powers, I can still swim," Rowen replied with a smirk.
"Eh?! SUGEEEEEE!" Luffy's eyes widened in amazement.
He had thought he wouldn't be the only one on the ship unable to swim anymore!
Luffy looked at Rowen with immense envy.
Being unable to swim as a pirate had been Luffy's biggest regret since eating his Devil Fruit.
"I wasn't entirely joking. Swimming across the Calm Belt would actually be great training for your Haki—both now and for future development," Rowen added, smiling at Zoro and Sanji.
Although they lacked the Born of the Sea Trait, conquering the Calm Belt with its countless giant Sea Kings would significantly strengthen their willpower and spirit.
Even if it didn't directly boost their Haki like Rowen's Trait did for him, the experience would greatly benefit their future Haki training and growth.
And the reason conquering the entire Grand Line made someone the Pirate King likely stemmed from this principle too.
Conquering nature itself also strengthens the spirit, which in turn strengthens Haki!
This was also one reason why Devil Fruit users often had a harder time developing Haki compared to non-users.
Being unable to swim prevented them from directly confronting and conquering the sea in the same way.
Furthermore, during perilous voyages on the Grand Line, their inability to swim often led to greater fear and panic in dangerous situations, hindering the development of their willpower and thus making Haki growth more difficult.
But conquering the most terrifying sea—the entire Grand Line—as the captain of the crew that achieved it... would forge unparalleled Haki!
However, for others, this process of strengthening Haki through conquering nature still required subsequent training and combat experience to fully manifest.
Whereas Rowen, with his Haki training cheat code, Born of the Sea, could directly enhance his Haki.
Zoro and Sanji looked conflicted upon hearing Rowen's words.
They desperately wanted to learn Haki.
But swimming across a sea teeming with those monsters...?
Zoro and Sanji shivered involuntarily.
Maybe after they got a bit stronger.
"How about it, Usopp? If you swim across, you'll truly become a brave warrior of the sea!" Rowen clapped the green-faced Usopp on the back, laughing.
"I-I think I need... m-more training first," Usopp stammered, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
"Hahaha," Rowen laughed at Usopp's reaction.
He was mostly teasing, anyway. None of them had even awakened Haki yet.
Even Rowen himself needed more 'training'.
Rowen then pointed ahead.
"Soon... we should be able to see it. Reverse Mountain," Rowen stated, his lips curling into a smile.
Soon, following Nami's directions through the storm, a colossal mountain, so vast its peak was hidden by clouds, loomed before them.
"LOOK! I see it!" Luffy yelled.
"It's huge!" Usopp gasped, his mouth agape.
"That current! It really is flowing up the mountain!" Nami exclaimed, clutching Rowen's arm tightly in amazement
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Veiled by clouds, the Red Line—a continent so immense it seemed borderless—loomed majestically over the sea.
Before Rowen and the crew lay the specific section containing the entrance to the Grand Line.
Most astonishingly, cutting through this seemingly endless landmass was a narrow, uphill channel.
Currents from all four Blues converged here, funneling into this channel and surging upwards towards the mountain's summit—hence the name, Reverse Mountain.
Ships from the four Blues wishing to enter the Grand Line simply needed to ride these currents up the channel!
"SUGEEE! The current is really climbing the mountain!" Usopp yelled, utterly amazed.
"Truly magnificent," Rowen laughed, listening to the roar of the current and watching the colossal stream surge uphill.
Such a majestic spectacle could only exist in the unique seas of the One Piece world.
Before the awesome power of nature, human strength seemed insignificant.
Of course, in the One Piece world, the truly strong could conquer this sea, conquer nature itself!
Rowen gazed at the massive, reverse-flowing current, the crimson-black light in his eyes intensifying.
"But... if you miss the entrance, can't you just turn the ship around, recalibrate, and try again? Why did you say more than half the ships are destroyed before even entering the Grand Line, Rowen?" Zoro asked, voicing a logical question.
"Because Reverse Mountain... is a Winter Island," Rowen replied, smiling towards Nami.
"Ah! I see!" Nami instantly understood upon hearing Rowen's explanation, gasping slightly.
"What does that mean?" Zoro and the others asked curiously.
"Because Reverse Mountain is a Winter Island within the Grand Line, the currents that crash against it plunge from the surface down into the depths. If you don't enter the canal precisely, the currents will smash your ship against the Red Line—shipwrecked and doomed," Nami explained, applying her navigational knowledge.
"Basically, it's an incredible mountain!" Luffy concluded with a smile, rubbing his chin, showcasing his usual terrible naming sense.
"Forget it. I don't expect you to understand," Nami sighed helplessly, then turned to Rowen with a smile. "But Rowen, you're amazing! You know so much about navigation too!" Nami's eyes sparkled.
Her dream was to draw a map of the entire world; navigation was her passion.
Being able to discuss these topics with Rowen filled her with happiness.
"Well, since your dream is to map the world, and you're so skilled at navigation, Nami, it's only natural I'd learn a little too," Rowen replied, seeing the sparkle in Nami's eyes, his lips curling slightly.
He silently initiated the equipping process for Nami's Navigation Trait in his mind.
Hmm, didn't expect this Trait would have such... conversational benefits! Must talk more with Nami about navigation later.
Rowen saw the affection in Nami's eyes and gently patted her head.
Given their current bond, the Trait equipping process completed almost instantly.
Nami felt incredibly touched, her eyes shining brightly.
"So... there's no turning back?" Zoro asked, looking towards Reverse Mountain, a feral grin spreading across his face.
"Of course! To conquer the Grand Line, there's never any turning back! Only... forging straight ahead!" Rowen declared, standing tall on the deck, gazing at the rapidly approaching entrance to the Grand Line, laughing powerfully.
"Take the helm! The current's pulling us in!" Nami yelled, immediately taking command as they neared the upward-surging canal.
The powerful currents converging from the four seas made steering too difficult for Usopp alone. Sanji rushed over to help him manage the helm.
"Hah!" Rowen planted himself firmly at the bow, his arms erupting into dense smoke.
"White Out——!" Rowen unleashed the full power of his Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
Vast plumes of smoke wrapped around the Going Merry, then—pulled forcefully!
Having now equipped Nami's Navigation Trait, Rowen could clearly sense the ship's trajectory through the smoke. Combined with his Logia powers, he guided the Going Merry smoothly into the skyward-bound channel.
WHOOSH!
The Going Merry caught the powerful updraft, surging towards the mountain's summit!
"YAHOOO! We're in!" Luffy yelled, standing on deck with arms outstretched.
"GRAND LINE! YAHOO!" Sanji and Usopp threw their arms around each other's shoulders, laughing excitedly.
"Amazing ability, Rowen! We thought the rudder was going to break! Your smoke really helped!" Sanji and Usopp exclaimed, doing a nonsensical celebratory dance while looking gratefully at Rowen.
——
—[Kingly Disposition increased! Born of the Sea activated. Conqueror's Haki intensity increased!]—
——
Seeing the notification and hearing Usopp and Sanji's praise, Rowen smiled.
Just as expected! Conquering majestic nature also increases Disposition—mental strength—which in turn strengthens Haki!
And the magnitude of the increase seemed related to one's role as a leader or driving force during the act of conquering.
Take the Roger Pirates, who conquered the entire Grand Line. Roger, Rayleigh, and Gaban were undoubtedly the crew's main combatants. They likely gained the most mental strength during their journey, with Roger gaining the most of all, making him the man with the strongest Haki of his era.
Meanwhile, apprentices like Buggy and Shanks probably gained negligible amounts from the journey itself.
Haki is essentially the physical manifestation of willpower. The stronger the spirit, the stronger the Haki!
"Hahaha!" Rowen spread his arms wide, reveling in the sea energy surging from the upward current, laughing freely and joyously.
With the Born of the Sea Trait, all this sea energy nourished his spirit, making his Haki even stronger!
"Keep going straight up!" Nami excitedly jumped onto Rowen's back, pointing towards the summit of Reverse Mountain, her smile radiant.
"Amazing! We're above the clouds!" Luffy laughed heartily.
"Rowen, look! We're reaching the summit!" Nami cheered, hugging Rowen tightly.
"Yeah!" Rowen replied, holding Nami securely, a grin on his face.
WHOOSH! The Going Merry shot out from the top of the upward current, soaring briefly through the air.
"YAHOOO!" Luffy yelled, clutching his straw hat.
SPLASH! The next moment, gravity took hold, and the Merry plunged back down, landing in the descending current—the convergence point where the waters from the four Blues flowed into their final destination: the Grand Line!
"Just gotta ride this down, and we're in the Grand Line!" Rowen laughed, looking at the sea faintly visible below the clouds.
"Mihawk is out there!" Zoro declared, gripping Wado Ichimonji, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"The All Blue is out there!" Sanji added, a hopeful smile on his face.
"Proof of a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp rubbed his nose confidently.
"Gotta draw the perfect map..." Nami murmured, leaning against Rowen's back, feeling the rush of air, her eyes sparkling.
"This is it! The world's greatest sea—The Grand Line!"
"ONE PIECE—is out there somewhere on that sea!" Luffy beamed, flashing his widest grin, clutching his hat.
"One Piece, huh?" A smile touched Rowen's lips as well.
On his path to becoming a King, Rowen intended to see for himself what this legendary treasure truly was.
"LET'S GOOO!" Luffy yelled excitedly.
WHOOSH! The next moment, the Going Merry plunged into the clouds below.
"Wheee!" Nami squealed happily, enjoying the feeling of rushing through the clouds, hugging Rowen tightly.
"Moooooooooooo..." Just then, a low, mournful cry echoed faintly through the clouds.
"Did you guys hear something just now?" Zoro asked, frowning slightly.
"Sound? Probably just the wind! This terrain is pretty weird, after all!" Nami replied cheerfully, still caught up in the excitement.
"No... that wasn't the wind," Rowen stated calmly, his lips curling slightly.
"Eh?!" Nami, trusting Rowen implicitly, instantly tensed up. "R-Rowen! Don't scare me!" she pleaded, clinging tighter to his neck, her face paling slightly.
"Hey! Look! There's a mountain!" Sanji, perched on the main mast keeping watch, yelled down, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Mountain? How can there be a mountain? From here, past Twin Capes, it should be open ocean as far as the eye can see!" Nami exclaimed in disbelief.
"That's no mountain. It's a whale," Rowen corrected. His Observation Haki, spreading out, had already detected the presence of the massive Island Whale ahead—Laboon.
'Truly enormous... literally the size of an island. Easily as big as some giant Sea Kings.' Rowen felt a sense of awe.
"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The next moment, the Merry broke through the clouds, and Laboon's colossal form appeared directly before them.
"W-What do we do?! It's a whale as big as an island!" Usopp screamed, tears welling up in his eyes.
This wasn't one of his tall tales; this was real!
"Well? Wanna fight it?" Rowen asked, rolling up his sleeves.
"No! Rowen! Don't fight it!" Nami cried, almost sobbing.
Rowen looked at Nami's terrified expression, felt her clinging even tighter, and smirked inwardly.
Teasing Nami is quite fun.
"But it's blocking our path! If we keep going like this, we'll crash!" Zoro stated, gripping Wado Ichimonji—'Guess we have no choice!'
"Wait! It's like hitting a wall! We need to find its eyes first!" Sanji yelled, putting his strategic mind to use.
"Right! It's so huge, and we're so small! Maybe it hasn't even noticed us!" Usopp added hopefully.
"Looks like we can squeeze past on the left!" Zoro pointed towards Laboon's left side.
"HARD TO PORT!"
"It's no good! The current's too strong! Rowen, can you help out with your smoke power again?" Usopp and Sanji yelled, struggling with the helm.
"No need for that trouble! I've got a great idea!" Seeing his comrades struggling, a metaphorical lightbulb lit up above Luffy's head. He dashed into the cabin.
"Great idea?" Everyone except Rowen looked puzzled.
Luffy? Having a good idea?
Rowen simply smiled knowingly.
He had initially planned to use his smoke power to guide them, but with Nami clinging to him so tightly... well, compared to enjoying Nami's soft, trembling form pressed against him, letting Luffy handle this seemed like a fine alternative.
BOOM!
The next moment, the sound of a cannon blast echoed.
A cannonball exploded directly against Laboon's massive hide.
The force of the explosion acted as a retro-rocket, slowly bringing the Going Merry to a halt.
"A cannon?!" Seeing Luffy's "great idea," Usopp burst into tears of terror, while Zoro and Sanji face-palmed simultaneously.
Nami buried her face in Rowen's back, pretending to be unconscious, seeking security there.
Thwack!
"See? We stopped!" Luffy emerged triumphantly from the cabin, only to see the Merry's sheep figurehead broken off from the impact.
"MY SPECIAL SEAT!" Luffy's eyes instantly turned bloodshot with rage.
"It didn't react to the cannon!"
"Is it just really slow to react?"
"Who cares?! Let's get out of here while we can!" Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji, seeing the whale remained motionless, felt a surge of relief and prepared to row away quickly.
"YOU BASTARD! What did you do to my special seat!"
WHAM! Just as they thought they were safe, Luffy's rubber fist stretched out and slammed directly into the whale's massive eye.
"!!!" Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji felt tears stream down their faces in sheer despair.
"Waaah!" Nami simply gave up and buried her face deeper into Rowen's back.
MOOOOOOOOO!!!
Startled by the attack, Laboon's enormous eye focused directly on the Going Merry.
"Bring it on!" Luffy, still furious, roared defiantly, rolling up his sleeves.
THUMP!
"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY!" Zoro and Usopp simultaneously kicked Luffy, sending him flying.
"Hahaha! It's okay, it's okay! Leave it to me," Rowen laughed heartily, comforting Nami while finding Luffy's antics endlessly amusing.
Luffy truly is one of a kind.
MOOOOOOOOO!
WHOOOOSH! Laboon opened its colossal mouth and inhaled sharply.
RUMBLE!
A terrifying suction force pulled the Going Merry, along with vast amounts of seawater, towards the whale's cavernous maw.
"AHHH!" Luffy, knocked off balance by Zoro and Usopp's kick, went tumbling towards the giant mouth.
"I can't die here! Gomu Gomu no——!" Luffy stretched his rubber arm, grabbing onto one of Laboon's massive teeth, then scrambled up the whale's enormous body.
"Kyaa!" Nami screamed, but was instantly enveloped and secured by a tendril of smoke.
"White Launcher——!" Rowen's lower body dissolved into smoke, using the propulsion to carry Nami out of Laboon's closing mouth and up onto the whale's head.
"I thought... I was going to die..." Nami collapsed weakly into Rowen's arms.
CHOMP! Laboon's massive jaws snapped shut.
"Rowen! Nami! You're okay!" Luffy exclaimed with relief upon seeing them, but then immediately clutched his head in panic again.
"ZORO! USOPP! SANJI! Bastard—Spit out my comrades!" Luffy roared furiously at Laboon, eyes bloodshot.
"Calm down, Luffy. There's more to this whale's interior than meets the eye," Rowen said, holding the still-trembling Nami, his gaze fixed on a strange hatch set into Laboon's head.
"Let's go. They're alright." Rowen opened the hatch, revealing a man-made passageway inside.
"Eh? There's a passageway... inside the whale?!" Nami stared, dumbfounded.
"SUGEEE! Did you sense it with Observation Haki, Rowen?" Realizing his friends were safe, Luffy instantly relaxed and excitedly jumped into the passageway.
"Let's go. They'll be at the end of this passage," Rowen stated, a smirk playing on his lips.
His Observation Haki had already detected presences down there.
Including the person Rowen was looking for.
<><><><><><><><>
"Alright! Infiltration successful! Listen up, Miss Wednesday! The stomach is just beyond that door! That annoying old man is probably in there! We have to take him out! Everything... for the whale!" a man dressed strangely like royalty declared.
"Understood, Mr. 9. After all, this whale is a very important food source for our town," replied a beautiful woman with striking light blue hair and a curvaceous figure, wielding a bazooka-like weapon.
—Princess Vivi of Alabasta.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! Just then, the passageway began to shake violently, like an earthquake.
"Whoa! Can't stop! Rowen! Help me!" Luffy, thrown off balance by Laboon colliding with the Red Line, couldn't stop running uncontrollably down the passage.
"Luffy! Ram that door! Zoro and the others are right behind it!" Rowen, flying smoothly with Nami using his smoke powers, pointed towards the door at the end of the passage—and the two figures standing before it—his lips curling into a knowing smile.
Found her. Vivi.
"Zoro and the others? Watch this!" Hearing his comrades were nearby, Luffy abandoned all caution and charged headfirst towards the door.
"Yah! What the—?!" Vivi and Mr. 9 yelled in alarm.
"White Out——!"
WHOOSH! A tendril of smoke shot out, instantly capturing Vivi.
Luffy and Mr. 9 crashed violently through the door leading into Laboon's stomach.
<