Garp didn't truly believe the two brats would mess things up, but he secretly hoped they wouldn't, as his old bones really didn't want to go on an errand. Sengoku, on the other hand, was fully supportive of Rowan's decision to send Zoro and Luffy. He was quite curious about Zoro, Rowan's first official (though unrecorded) disciple since his return at the age of one hundred.
Rowan had briefly considered bringing Nami along, but remembering that Gekko Moria had the lecherous, invisible Absalom under his command, he immediately dismissed the idea. As for the Vivre Card for Big Mom that Lola carried? He didn't care for it. After all, a Yonko had already been repelled by his hand.
Now, Rowan had another important task to attend to, located not far from the Florian Triangle...
"Garp, tell Sengoku I'm heading out to sea."
"The Old Man is heading out again? Didn't you just get back? At your age, you need to watch your health," Garp said with genuine concern.
Rowan looked at Garp's white hair and shook his head. "Garp, you should worry about your own body first. Mine is in better shape than it was when I was young."
Garp burst into a hearty laugh. "I feel the same way! I feel like I've got more kick in me than I did forty years ago!"
"The Old Man went back to sea?"
When Sengoku asked the question, Tsuru and Momousagi, who were passing by the office, stopped in their tracks. They pushed the door open without even knocking.
"He just got back and left already? Why the rush?"
Tsuru had wanted to see him the moment she heard he returned from Alabasta. To her disappointment, he was already gone before they could even exchange a word.
"His ship is headed for the first half of the Grand Line. Probably following Rear Admiral Kameji toward the Florian Triangle. Looks like the Old Man can't stop worrying about those two brats!" Garp said, munching on a cracker, completely unconcerned.
No one worried about Rowan's safety. With his current strength, he could practically gallop across the oceans, especially in the relatively "peaceful" first half of the Grand Line. Tsuru, however, looked uncharacteristically despondent at missing him.
The sea breeze felt refreshing against his face. Rowan's ship maintained a significant distance from Kameji's, ensuring they wouldn't notice him. When they neared their destination, Rowan veered off onto a different route.
His target: Jaya Island.
Specifically, the part of Jaya that had been launched ten thousand meters into the sky—the Sky Island, Skypiea.
But before heading up, he didn't mind stopping at Jaya for a taste of the local spirits. Donning a wide-brimmed sun hat and leaving his Marine cloak on the ship, Rowan stepped onto the island alone.
News Coos flew overhead, scattering newspapers and bounty posters across the town. Rowan adjusted his hat, ignoring the clutter, and walked into a local tavern. The place was rowdy and loud—just the way he liked it.
"Good wine, good meat," he told the bartender as he sat down.
The food was served promptly. Gulp, gulp... One glass down, and the unique flavor of the local brew hit him perfectly. He began to eat heartily.
BANG!
A gunshot rang out, instantly silencing the tavern. Everyone turned toward the door—everyone, that is, except Rowan, who continued to chew his meat with focus.
"Everyone out! Our boss is booking this whole place!" a shrill, sycophantic voice barked. The patrons immediately scrambled to leave.
"Hold it! Where do you think you're going? Today, I'm buying! Everyone sit back down, eat your fill, and drink till you drop!"
"Yes, sir! Whatever you say, Boss!" "Woo-hoo!"
The atmosphere shifted from terror to cheering in a heartbeat. Such a capricious little pirate in the first half of the Grand Line? Rowan snorted, continuing his drink without even turning his head. The locals seemed used to these pirates who flipped between being thugs and "generous" hosts.
"Hey! Didn't you hear me? I said I'm buying! Why are you pulling out money?"
Rowan had finished his meal and was placing berries on the table when a hostile, arrogant voice sounded from behind him. Rowan couldn't be bothered with a small fry who hadn't even seen the New World. He left the money and prepared to walk out.
"Stop right there!"
Rowan's path was blocked by something strange. He tilted his hat back slightly to get a better look.
It was... a spring?
Ah, it was him. Rowan recognized the man immediately. The "Hyena" Bellamy, a deluded fanboy of Donquixote Doflamingo. Bounty... well, a mere 55 million Berries.
"Little brat, I suggest you stay your hand. It'd be a shame to regret it after you've been taught a lesson," Rowan said calmly, not even bothering to look up.
"Hahahaha!" The tavern erupted in mockery.
"Old man, do you have any idea who our boss is? In all of Jaya, no one dares to even breathe loud in front of him!"
"Regardless of who he is, blocking an old man's path is rather rude, don't you think?" Rowan kept his head down. He didn't want to expose his identity yet. Even though Garp and Sengoku wouldn't stop him from sailing, he knew the Five Elders had been watching him closely since he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki.
"You senile old fool!" One of Bellamy's cronies launched a kick at Rowan.
"ARGH!" The crony suddenly found himself doing a full split on the floor, the sound of tearing fabric and ligaments echoing through the room. It looked as if he had simply overestimated his own flexibility and missed.
The man he tried to kick was already standing outside the tavern door. Rowan stood there in his casual clothes, his back turned to a now-frowning Bellamy. No one had even seen the old man move.
"Dammit!" Bellamy cursed, grabbing the fallen crony and tossing him aside. His legs transformed into coiled springs, vibrating with stored energy.
"Stop right there, you old bastard!"
Bellamy launched himself with a massive Spring Jump, flying out of the tavern in pursuit of Rowan. The patrons turned their heads away, not wanting to see the old man get smashed into pulp.
BOOM!
After a violent crash, Rowan was seen still standing in the same spot, gently adjusting his hat before continuing his walk as if nothing had happened.
As for the sound of the impact... it had come from Bellamy. The wall of a nearby building now had a massive hole in it, surrounded by a pile of rubble. Two twitching springs sticking out from the debris confirmed that it was, indeed, Bellamy.