After another strange Marine strongman appeared on the deck, another unexpected person showed up before the pirates.
He was a tall man, but he didn't feel bulky; he carried himself naturally.
He wore golden light armor and an eagle-shaped helmet.
At this moment, he was slightly bent over, holding a scepter in one hand and stroking his chin with the other, looking with interest at the "weapon" before him.
"Hmm, they've mass-produced this kind of weapon?"
As he uttered this peculiar remark, the gravel soldier, who had blocked a fearsome lava cannonball with a single shield, dragged its damaged body to the man.
The cannonball, created using lava, was indeed very powerful.
Even against heavy artillery, it was difficult to completely destroy the gravel soldier.
But at this moment, the gravel soldier's body was almost completely depleted.
Rowan gave a slight nod to the gravel soldier, who then, from top to bottom, dissolved into the wind.
"This kind of power really rivals a full-power attack from a Logia Devil Fruit user…"
Rowan was very curious. He carefully observed the special weapon in front of him, then reached out, feeling it over with care, trying to find something more interesting.
Such an action was, of course, understandable.
But the key problem was that, given the current situation, this action seemed so out of place.
After all, the pirates and Marines were still in a standoff not far away!
...
Beside him, a pirate immediately expressed his displeasure at Rowan's actions.
"Hey, who are you looking down on, you bastard!"
He raised the steel knife in his hand and swung it at Rowan.
But the moment the blade fell, a dark shadow flashed, splitting both the steel knife and the man holding it in two!
*Crack, crack, crack...*
A bone-chilling sound echoed. The people on deck looked closely and saw another hunched-over "gravel soldier."
However, unlike the previous heavily armored soldier with a shield, the sand that made up this gravel soldier's body was "black." He also didn't have extra armor, but instead wore light armor for mobility.
He held two swords in his hands, the blades' curvature clearly unusual, suggesting they were very special, unique weapons.
Gravel Imperial Guard!
After dealing with the tactless pirate, Rowan turned his head to look at the stunned pirate captain.
"Hmm, where did you get this thing?"
The pirate captain was clearly shocked by the scene before him.
First, there were the "terrifying" Marines on their sea skateboards, and then their secret weapon, in which they had placed their hopes, was so easily blocked.
This was completely different from what was in the intelligence!
But these pirates were not ordinary pirates; they had no retreat.
Therefore, even though they knew it might not work, they still offered the maximum "resistance" within their capabilities.
While Rowan's attention was elsewhere, another pirate suddenly rushed forward, loaded ammunition they had prepared into the special weapon, and then activated its switch.
After a moment of charging, the scorching lava once again erupted from the cannon's opening, heading straight for Rowan!
On the other hand, Rowan was still speaking slowly.
"By the way, I don't think I've told you yet."
*Swish!*
The instant the lava was about to hit Rowan, the previously hunched-over Gravel Imperial Guard turned into a black shadow, his dual swords aimed at the lava, which resembled a crimson hunting dog, and slashed down fiercely!
*Splash!*
The scalding magma was split in two, falling into the sea on either side.
"I split the prototype of this thing in half back then."
"What a dangerous toy..."
Rowan sighed with a smile.
Then, in that instant, a suffocating sense of pressure washed over the pirate captain's heart.
The pirate captain had once seen a Conqueror's Haki user display their Haki from afar, and this feeling now was very similar to that, yet slightly different.
But no matter what, the pirate captain couldn't withstand such terrifying pressure.
Rowan's voice also slowly echoed in his ears.
"So, who sent such a dangerous toy to my territory?"
...
The cleanup work went smoothly.
After all, very few people could maintain their combat ability while enveloped in Conqueror's Haki, let alone Ryan Rowan's variant Conqueror's Haki.
Adding to that the "persuasion" and "deterrence" from Baro and the Legion of Abandoned Ones, these cornered pirates had no chance to resist, even if they wanted to.
Baro and others handcuffed them, preparing to transport them to a nearby Marine branch for judgment.
— In a sense, this was an absolutely reasonable and legal procedure, but very few Marines still adhered to it.
Baro was one.
What is the biggest difference between pirates and Marines?
Every Marine would have an answer to this question, but one that was certainly included would be: rules.
Marines should act according to specific rules.
After capturing pirates, if they met the relevant conditions, they should not be immediately executed, but rather escorted back to the Marine branch for judgment by specialists.
Death penalty, imprisonment, or direct transfer to Impel Down, and so on...
Otherwise, pirates and Marines would simply be two opposing factions with no difference.
Was this fair?
Of course not.
Pirates might directly torture and kill captured Marines, but if Marines adhered to their rules, they wouldn't be able to execute surrendered pirates.
This was the difference between "good people" and "bad people."
So, being a "good person" often meant being mentally and physically exhausted; it was tiring.
Therefore, "good people" deserved respect.
Zephyr once told Baro:
"Those who vent their desire to kill are mere beasts, but those who control this desire are the truly strong."
On this vast ocean, killing was incredibly simple.
But "controlling one's power" was the act of the truly strong!
The man named "Baro" had once been trapped in his own bloodlust, and now he was trying hard to control his desires.
...
After all the pirates were loaded into the Marine warship, Baro and Rowan sat on the deck of the warship.
It had indeed been a long time since they had seen each other.
"Ahaha, this warship was assigned to me by headquarters, otherwise I might have had to use a raft to transport the criminals!"
Baro excitedly told Rowan about what had happened during this time.
"Honestly, I really didn't expect so many people would be willing to join the Marines!"
"I even called my teacher all night to learn how to train new recruits, for fear of delaying everyone!"
"I'm really happy! Ahahahahaha!"
Baro spoke excitedly, and Rowan listened with a smile.
As Baro grew more enthusiastic, he suddenly stood up and roared, "I swear in my heart that I will make the G-T branch the best Marine branch on the Grand Line!"
Rowan nodded.
"That's very good."
Then, he added, "Oh, and I plan to close the G-T branch for a few days."
Baro almost fell off the deck.
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