"Paramecia abilities aren't unbeatable."
Rowan's arm was coated in Armament Haki as he blocked two blades at once. With his other hand, he snapped a finger that was thrusting forward with Finger Gun, then kicked the attacker away.
The man clutched his broken finger and screamed in pain.
Zephyr frowned slightly and waved his hand, signaling for him to be carried off.
On the Grand Line, someone who couldn't endure pain had no chance of maintaining strong willpower. People like that would only come here to polish their resume before going back to the Four Seas.
Meanwhile, Rowan's mocking voice continued.
"Haki can force Devil Fruit abilities out of the body. Of course, with your level, that's impossible."
"So this is the power of the justice you believe in? Calling you trash is an insult to trash itself."
"If you want to uphold your justice, then show the strength needed to uphold it."
In the end, the training ground was filled with fallen bodies.
Every trainee here had been recommended from the Four Seas. Some even came from Grand Line G-branch units.
Yet all of them had been completely overwhelmed by Rowan.
In Rowan's memory, Vergo, who would later become a G-branch Vice Admiral, could coat his entire body in Armament Haki. Even so, he still couldn't project it outward.
Compared to that, these trainees were far behind.
The battle ended.
Rowan, newly promoted to Headquarters Major, stood victorious.
Medical staff entered and carried away the unconscious and injured.
The center of the field cleared.
"Whoosh!"
Rowan's Observation Haki picked up an attack from behind.
He instinctively stopped himself from using Flying Thunder God and chose to dodge instead.
But the movement was predicted.
Advanced Armament?
The punch didn't touch him.
Yet the force penetrated straight into his body.
"Bang!"
He was sent flying.
His abdomen hurt, but he wasn't injured.
Rowan looked at Zephyr. "Just now… you saw where I would dodge next?"
Zephyr lowered his fist. "I just guessed your movement after sensing your Observation Haki. Mine hasn't reached the level of seeing the future."
He paused. "Although Observation Haki can evolve into something like that, and I've seen people born with that level… that's not what you should focus on."
Rowan nodded. "It's the ability to attack without contact, to send force into the enemy's body."
Zephyr gave a slight nod. "Armament Haki isn't just about coating your body. Increasing hardness, boosting attack and defense, those are just the basics."
"For the real monsters on this sea, if your attack can't penetrate into their body, you won't even be able to make them feel pain."
Then Zephyr smiled, something rare.
"Well? Want to learn?"
Rowan smiled back.
"I thought there wasn't much worth learning here. After all, everyone I just fought ended up in the infirmary. But it seems I was wrong."
Armament Haki projection.
The ability to transmit force into the opponent's body.
In Wano, this is called Ryuo.
It's not an advanced stage of Haki, just a different way of using it.
Even Sentomaru can use it, though he isn't particularly strong.
The key is releasing excess Haki from a single point at the moment of attack.
It sounds simple.
But the hardest part is understanding the feeling.
And right now, Zephyr is the perfect teacher.
A month passed.
Rowan stayed at Marine Headquarters, only using Shadow Clone and Flying Thunder God at night to handle Revolutionary Army matters in Baltigo.
He had gradually figured out the rules of the prison treasure system.
Shadow Clone wasn't a forbidden multi-clone technique, but getting it from a Silver chest had already confirmed his earlier theory.
Sabaody Archipelago.
Rowan sat quietly in a tavern, drinking.
The next slave auction hadn't started yet, so he had time.
If no Celestial Dragons appeared, he would return later at night, sleep, then casually gather information about Kuzan's whereabouts.
An alibi only needed to exist for himself.
The scapegoat didn't matter.
At that distance, unless it was someone like Borsalino, no one could track him.
What Rowan wanted was suspicion, not certainty.
"Sir, your drink."
Another glass was placed in front of him.
The waiter had green hair.
He looked tired, but his eyes were bright.
Clearly, he still had hope for the future.
In Sabaody, as long as you avoided certain areas and stayed cautious around Celestial Dragons, survival was still possible.
Rowan took a sip and checked the time.
Nearby, the waiter was being urged again.
"Tesoro, hurry up and move these to the kitchen. After the auction, it'll get busy. And you're working until morning. No overtime pay."
"Got it, boss. As long as I can leave in the morning, I don't mind staying up."
"You're really working hard. Didn't you used to be a gambler? What changed?"
"People change, don't they?"
The boss laughed. "More like you're saving up for a woman!"
Laughter filled the tavern.
Rowan glanced over.
Tesoro.
Right now, just an eighteen-year-old.
Working endlessly to earn enough money to buy Stella from a human trafficking shop.
But Rowan knew how it would end.
A tragedy.
He thought quietly.
Tesoro had potential.
In the future, he would take the Gold-Gold Fruit from Doflamingo and awaken its power.
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