Marine Headquarters, Marineford Harbor.
After crossing the Red Line through the special passage from the West Blue, Rowan no longer enjoyed the treatment he had with Rem and the West Blue branch.
Along the way, almost no one spoke to him.
When he finally arrived and got off the ship, there wasn't even anyone to guide him.
Raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun, Rowan looked at the massive complex before him. The huge "Marine" lettering was imposing, though parts of the place were still under reconstruction.
Half a year ago, after Roger's capture, Golden Lion Shiki had rampaged through Marineford. As the center of the battlefield, the awakened power of the Float-Float Fruit had nearly destroyed everything.
Only because this world had supernatural abilities could it be rebuilt so quickly.
For a moment, a thought crossed Rowan's mind.
If infrastructure were built using Devil Fruits and individual power, then perhaps even the Red Line and the Calm Belt could be made passable.
And the so-called One Piece… might simply be a massive treasure that connects the entire ocean.
Shaking off the thought, Rowan walked forward.
Marine squads passed by one after another, glancing at him before pretending he didn't exist.
It was obvious. They were curious about him, but no one wanted to engage.
"Petty…" Rowan muttered.
He slowed slightly, then casually slipped in behind a patrol, walking side by side with the last soldier.
"They're just not giving directions, yet everyone in this huge headquarters is acting stingy. Don't you think?"
The marine beside him twitched his lips, clearly wanting to respond, but swallowed his words and ignored him again.
Rowan didn't mind and continued, "Is it your turn for duty today, or did you just come to take a look at me, the so-called disgrace of the Marines? You're about to reach your destination soon, right?"
No response.
"I've thought about it, and I've decided I like you the most out of everyone here. So I'll just follow you. Wherever you go, I go. Sounds good?"
Still nothing, but sweat had begun forming on the marine's forehead.
"Feeling the pressure? Makes sense. If you talk to me, everyone here who has a problem with me will be watching you."
Rowan tilted his head slightly. "How about this, you don't say anything, and when we pass by the right place, just blink. I'll understand."
⊙﹏⊙
The marine's eyes widened instantly.
At that moment, the patrol stopped in front of a building.
Rowan glanced inside. There was indeed a marine officer with branch insignia speaking to someone.
"Got it."
He patted the silent marine's shoulder. "Thanks, brother. Next time you mention my name around here, you'll probably get beaten even worse."
Before the man could react, Rowan jogged inside.
The poor marine raised a hand as if to stop him, then turned helplessly to his teammates.
"I… I didn't blink!"
The squad leader, a middle-aged man, looked toward the registration office and waved it off. "Only someone that sharp would be recognized by CP as one of their own."
With that, the squad left.
Kuzan's instructions before departure had been fulfilled. At least the guy wasn't stupid.
Registration Office.
After submitting his records from the West Blue 80th Branch, Rowan was carefully examined by a headquarters officer.
"So you're the Executioner from the West Blue. Your name has already spread to the Grand Line in the past six months, but here at headquarters, quite a few people want to cause you trouble."
Rowan shrugged innocently, then smiled. "If I beat them all up, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
The officer froze for a moment, then laughed. "If you could actually do that, you'd get scolded by Instructor Zephyr, but you'd probably earn the 'Monster' title for this batch."
"Monster?"
"Seven years ago, Vice Admiral Kuzan earned it. Nine years ago, it was Vice Admirals Borsalino and Sakazuki. All three are now Admiral candidates and are expected to become the Marines highest combat power. That's what the 'Monster' title represents."
Rowan nodded, then asked casually, "One more thing. You've talked to me the most today, so…"
The officer smiled. "You're already a Headquarters Major. I'm not your superior, you've got that reversed. But you can call me senior."
He extended a hand slightly. "Oms. Your training slot this time was arranged by Spandine through my superior. That should tell you enough."
Rowan clapped his hands. "Ah, one of our own. That explains it. But then why didn't anyone come pick me up?"
Oms hesitated, clearly awkward. "Yesterday, a Vice Admiral mentioned you… and since you're from the same batch as Kuzan…"
He didn't finish.
Rowan understood.
"So even here, there aren't many of 'our people,' right?"
"Cough."
Oms coughed and quickly changed the topic, explaining the arrangements for the training program and handing over the dorm key.
Clearly, a mere branch major from one of the Four Seas wasn't important. There was no meeting with the Fleet Admiral, not even a Vice Admiral.
If not for Kuzan, no one would have paid attention to him at all.
Leaving the registration office, Rowan now had a crude map of Marineford.
Crude enough that it only showed a few locations:
Dormitory, training grounds, cafeteria, lecture hall.
That was it.
Those four places would define his life here.
No more, no less.
He found the dorm first. The conditions were decent. Not a private suite, but a three-person room with everything necessary.
No one was inside.
Checking the time, it was ten in the morning. They were likely still training.
After unpacking, Rowan yawned and lay down to sleep.
The training grounds were probably full of people waiting to test him. Showing off could wait until tomorrow.
More importantly, he needed to observe.
When entering a new environment, the first rule was to understand where everyone stood.
Only then could real plans be made.
Steel Bone Kong would soon step down.
The next Fleet Admiral would be Sengoku, a man with his own sense of justice, but one who would still obey the World Government.
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