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Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape, utterly speechless.
Before them stretched a chasm—a scar torn through the island, as if a prehistoric giant had thrust a spear through the very earth and sea.
The shockwave Rowen unleashed had blasted straight through the jungle, pierced the island-sized goldfish in the ocean, and continued far out into the distant waters.
Such a display of power—for Luffy and the others, who had only just entered the Grand Line—was like having a door kicked open to an entirely new world of possibilities.
Especially for Zoro.
Though he had clashed with Mihawk back in the East Blue, that encounter was a crushing defeat; his opponent hadn't revealed any of his true strength.
Later, witnessing the clash of Conqueror's Haki between Rowen and Mihawk had already broadened Zoro's horizons immensely.
But only now did Zoro truly begin to grasp the absurd levels of power possessed by the true titans of this sea.
However, this realization didn't dampen Zoro's spirit; instead, it ignited a fierce fire within him.
This kind of challenge—this was what made it interesting!
This was precisely why he had set out to sea!
As for surpassing Mihawk and becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman? Zoro held absolute faith in himself.
It wasn't just his own steadfast determination.
Rowen himself had declared that he, Zoro, was the man destined to become the world's Greatest Swordsman!
"Rowen..." Nami and Vivi covered their mouths, staring blankly at the scene before them.
They knew Rowen was strong, of course.
But what they just witnessed shattered their perception of reality.
A single punch—carving a trench through a jungle and across the sea? Such power felt beyond human capability; it seemed almost Godlike.
Especially for Vivi. If previously she merely saw hope in Rowen defeating Crocodile, now, she felt absolute confidence.
Vivi had seen Crocodile fight before. To maintain his image as Alabasta's hero, Crocodile often dealt with pirates causing trouble in the kingdom. His Sand-Sand Fruit ability was undeniably powerful, capable of conjuring terrifying sandstorms.
But its destructive display paled in comparison to the sheer force of Rowen's single attack—it wasn't even close.
Vivi gazed at Rowen, her eyes shining brightly.
Beside her, Robin's eyes also held immense shock.
As a survivor of Ohara, Robin's knowledge of the world far surpassed Nami's and Vivi's. Though she had encountered many powerful individuals, she had been too weak then to witness their true strength.
A display of power on this scale—Robin had never seen anything like it before.
No wonder... this man dared to take her in, knowing her past and the fact that she faced the monolithic World Government.
Following this man—perhaps her dream truly could be realized. And perhaps... she could finally find—a place where she truly belonged. Robin's eyes began to shine as well.
Branded with a 79 million Beri bounty since the age of eight, despite possessing the Flower-Flower Fruit, Robin had only ever survived by hiding in the shadows.
Since the Ohara Incident, the vast sea held no safe haven for her.
Every temporary refuge eventually turned hostile upon learning her identity, seeking to trade her for the bounty. Betrayal and pursuit had been constants in her life.
Although Rowen knew the truth about Ohara, Robin hadn't previously believed he possessed the power to truly contend with the World Government. She assumed she would eventually have to leave his crew as well.
But now... Robin felt things might be different.
The ability to steal everything from others—such a vicious, dangerous power, unheard of... Who could possibly predict the future of a man possessing such strength? Perhaps... this man truly could challenge the World Government someday.
A place to belong...
For Robin—who had endured the horrors of Ohara at age eight and lived a life defined by pursuit and betrayal ever since, this desire was second only to her lifelong quest to find the True History.
And now, in this man, Rowen, Robin truly saw hope—hope for achieving both of her greatest dreams. Robin's eyes shone with a newfound, intense brilliance.
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Compared to the stunned onlookers, Dorry and Brogy were even more flabbergasted.
"Th-That was... our Spear of Elbaf! Hakoku Sovereignty! Un-Unbelievable! Rowen! You can use Hakoku Sovereignty?!"
Dorry and Brogy stared, their giant eyes wide with utter disbelief.
Hakoku Sovereignty!
The Spear of Elbaf!
The technique symbolizing the ultimate honor of Elbaf warriors!
Even among Elbaf's giants, only the most exceptional warriors could master such an attack—And performing it required the combined effort of two such warriors!
Unbelievably, this man had seemingly learned it instantly... and could unleash it alone!
At this moment, even the proud warrior hearts of Brogy and Dorry were overwhelmed with shock and awe.
"The stamina drain... is certainly significant," Rowen commented, extremely satisfied with Hakoku Sovereignty's power.
But as expected of a Deep Gold tier skill Trait—and one fueled purely by physical energy—it was demanding.
Even Haki wasn't simply coated onto the attack's surface like usual; it felt integrated within the shockwave itself.
And even with Rowen's current physique and Haki levels, he could likely only fire it once in short succession. It was definitely his ultimate trump card for now.
Physique and Haki both at Pale Gold tier—plus the synergistic combination of the Smoke-Smoke, Bomb-Bomb, and Kilo-Kilo Fruits—Even within the Pale Gold combat tier, Rowen's current strength was absolutely among the forefront.
Add the Deep Gold Hakoku Sovereignty technique... Crocodile was now completely beneath Rowen's notice.
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"Thank you both, truly," Rowen said sincerely, turning to Dorry and Brogy.
"GABABABA! Rowen, you helped us so much! This little strength is nothing!"
"GEGYAGYA! Well said! Besides, our strength—we can recover it quickly if we wish!" Dorry and Brogy replied after recovering from their shock, laughing heartily.
"And Rowen, you've truly shown us something incredible! We've lived for centuries, but never have we met a man like you!" Dorry and Brogy added, unable to hide the lingering astonishment in their eyes.
"Rowen, what should we do with these three?" Zoro asked, gesturing towards the unconscious Miss Goldenweek, and the terrified Miss Doublefinger and Mr. 1.
"That little girl... just leave her here. Whether she survives is up to her own luck," Rowen stated calmly.
Don't let Miss Goldenweek's appearance fool you; partnering with the treacherous Mr. 3 for years meant her hands weren't clean. Plus, her abilities relied entirely on special paints; she wasn't a Devil Fruit user, making her useless to Rowen.
"As for these two..." Rowen looked towards Miss Doublefinger and Mr. 1.
"This guy is the user of the Dice-Dice Fruit. A Blade Human who can turn any part of his body into blades. And his insides can turn to steel. Zoro—he's a suitable opponent for you. Whether you can awaken the power to cut steel... depends on today," Rowen stated.
His words made Zoro's eyes narrow instantly. Then, a predatory glint appeared as he fixed his gaze on Mr. 1.
"Blade Human... I remember now. Your face... you're that famous bounty hunter from the West Blue. Didn't expect you'd end up as someone else's dog," Zoro commented, tying his bandana around his head, looking at Mr. 1 like prey.
Through Rowen's explanations, combined with his own master Koushirou's teachings, Zoro now fully understood the path of swordsmanship.
To become a true 'Swordsman' (Ken-go), one had to reach the state of cutting steel—hearing the 'breath' of all things, then cutting along that breath to sever anything!
Even steel. Hence, the 'Steel-Cutting Realm'.
"Kill me if you're going to. Sky Sovereign Rowen—you are indeed strong. Unbelievably so. But surely you won't offer some foolish ultimatum like 'fight him to survive', will you?" Mr. 1 stated coldly. He too had his pride.
"No. I won't say that," Rowen replied, looking at Mr. 1 with a powerful smile. "I just want you—to die like a warrior."
Rowen's words made Mr. 1's pupils constrict sharply. Then, he silently stood up.
'As expected... of the man with such incredible power.'
'What magnanimity!'
"Come on then. I remember you too—the East Blue bounty hunter. The Pirate Hunter," Mr. 1 suddenly laughed coldly. To die like a warrior! Though this man was unbelievably strong, he showed him respect!
CLANG!
Without further words, Zoro clashed fiercely with Mr. 1.
His current swords couldn't cut Mr. 1's steel-hard body, transformed by the Dice-Dice Fruit. Soon, numerous cuts appeared on Zoro's body.
"Sparkling Daisy Cutter—!" Mr. 1 roared, transforming his forearms into spinning blades, unleashing his strongest attack.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed violently as Zoro's chest was shredded by countless blade edges.
Yet, facing this desperate situation, Zoro's eyes slowly closed. Memories flashed through his mind—his past training, his crushing defeat against Mihawk, Rowen's Haki-based training...
"Hooo... Suuu..."
A distinct sound—the 'breath'—emanating from Mr. 1 reached Zoro's ears.
"I see now... Rowen is so much stronger than you—yet under his training, why couldn't I grasp how to cut steel? Is it only in this moment, truly facing death... that one can hear—the breath of all things?"
Zoro sheathed Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu.
He held only Wado Ichimonji—in one hand.
"Do you deserve the acknowledgment of Sky Sovereign Rowen?! Do you deserve such respect from that man?! If not—then die beneath my Dice-Dice Fruit!" Mr. 1 roared, his blade-arms slashing towards Zoro.
"Ittoryu Iai... Shishi Sonson (Lion's Song)!"
SLICE!
Blood sprayed. A horrifying gash appeared across Mr. 1's chest, stretching down to his abdomen.
"As expected—of a man acknowledged by Sky Sovereign Rowen," Mr. 1 murmured, then slowly closed his eyes.
"Plunder." Rowen commanded.
A stream of purple light was extracted from Mr. 1's body, merging into Rowen.
Mr. 1, truly Crocodile's trump card—his physique energy yielded seven Deep Purple Upgrade Materials for Rowen.
Combined with Rowen's previous accumulation and the energy from Dorry and Brogy... Rowen's Superhuman Demonic Physique (Pale Gold) Trait was now only six Pale Gold materials away from reaching Deep Gold!
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Three-Sword Style (Apex Purple)
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Seeing Zoro's Three-Sword Style Trait advance to Apex Purple, Rowen smiled.
'Swordsman Realm achieved. Zoro's strength has increased immensely.' Reaching this stage would also make learning Haki much smoother for Zoro.
"Hah... hah... I won... Rowen... Luffy," Zoro gasped, lifting his blood-streaked face, pulling off his bandana, and grinning weakly at Rowen and Luffy.
"Shishishi! Awesome! Zoro!" Luffy beamed.
"Well done," Rowen praised sincerely.
"Need to stop the bleeding quickly!" Usopp frantically applied medicine and bandages to Zoro's wounds.
"Injuries like these really need a doctor. Let's head to Drum Island, like Crocus suggested, and find a ship's doctor," Rowen stated.
The insect that bit Nami in the original story had long since been eliminated by Rowen. With his System and Observation Haki—such a creature couldn't escape his notice.
"I'm fine. Stopping the civil war in her country is more important; we should hurry," Zoro protested weakly, pale from blood loss. Rowen wanted to help Vivi; Zoro would give his all too.
"No! We find a doctor first!" Vivi declared firmly, looking up with determination.
"That is the fastest route to Alabasta, isn't it?" Vivi then asked Rowen, smiling.
"Correct," Rowen confirmed with a smile.
"Well said, Vivi!" Luffy and the others cheered.
In that moment, Vivi was truly accepted by everyone as a comrade.
"This woman is the user of the Spike-Spike Fruit. Get some practice, Nami," Rowen suggested, smiling at Nami.
"Okay! Let me try!" Nami eagerly took out her Clima-Tact. Under Rowen's prompting, Usopp had constructed it ahead of schedule.
"D-Damn it!" Miss Doublefinger, seeing she was the only agent left, completely panicked. She activated her Spike-Spike Fruit, attacking Nami desperately.
Nami's fight, naturally, wouldn't be as bloody as Zoro's.
The One Piece power system was brutal; for a swordsman to first reach the 'Steel-Cutting Realm', hearing the breath of all things often required a true near-death experience. Only those who grasped it in that moment and survived could become true 'Swordsmen'.
But Nami, possessing the Climate Sense Trait, just needed to continuously increase her knowledge of weather patterns and utilize her climate weapon to grow stronger.
This battle was only for her to familiarize herself with the Clima-Tact.
Soon, Nami gained proficiency. The frantic Miss Doublefinger was then easily dealt with by Rowen's Conqueror's Haki.
Nami's path to strength lay in learning, not bloody battles; Rowen naturally wouldn't let her get seriously hurt.
"Plunder."
The Spike-Spike Fruit was plundered by Rowen. Miss Doublefinger's physique energy yielded one Deep Purple Upgrade Material.
Female physiques, aside from monsters like Big Mom, were significantly weaker than males', even with Devil Fruits.
"One more gift for you, Nami," Rowen added, smiling at her.
"Grant!" Rowen tossed two apples onto the ground.
The Spike-Spike Fruit Trait and the Dice-Dice Fruit Trait flowed into them.
Gurgle! Gurgle!
Under the stunned gazes of the crew, the two apples transformed. One bristled with sharp spikes, the other with gleaming blades, both now adorned with mysterious swirling patterns.
"Devil Fruits!" Luffy, having eaten one himself, recognized them instantly.
"The Spike-Spike Fruit and the Dice-Dice Fruit. They're yours, Nami. The Spike-Spike is average, but still worth over 100 million Beri. The Dice-Dice... probably wouldn't sell for less than 300 million," Rowen explained with a smile.
These two Paramecia fruits offered no combat enhancement to Rowen himself now. Better to make Nami happy.
"Kyaa! I love you, Rowen!" Hearing the potential value, Nami shrieked with delight, throwing her arms around Rowen and planting several kisses on his cheek.
Rowen watched the ecstatic Nami, smiling happily himself.
Vivi watched them, and without even realizing it, a deep sense of envy filled her gaze.
"Alright! Let's have a feast!" Rowen declared, still holding Nami, laughing heartily. After a pirate victory, a feast was mandatory!
"OOOHHH!"
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Alabasta.
"Buru! Buru! Buru! Click!"
"Buru! Buru! Buru! Click!"
Crocodile sat in darkness, repeatedly dialing his Transponder Snails.
But no matter how many times he tried—whether calling Mr. 3, Mr. 1, or Robin—there was only silence, no answer.
"What in the world... happened?!" Crocodile hissed, his eyes completely bloodshot.
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