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~ 18 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
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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.
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"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!
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"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.
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"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!
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