Rowan watched everything unfold, his thoughts drifting to Wano.
Based on the timeline, Oden should already have become the so-called fool lord, dancing every day, acting mad just to maintain a fragile peace in Wano.
He moved from place to place not just to perform, but to observe whether Orochi was honoring their agreement.
Before this, Rowan never fully understood.
When Oden left the ship, Rayleigh had asked if he needed help. Yet after understanding Wano's situation, Oden did not seek Roger or Whitebeard.
Now it made sense.
Under Wano's isolation policy, there were almost no people who understood navigation. Add to that the whirlpools, waterfalls, and extreme geography, plus the hidden ports controlled by Orochi and Kaido, and leaving the country was nearly impossible.
Even Big Mom had once been knocked into the sea by the carp pulling ships up the waterfall, losing her memory.
So it was not that Oden did not want to ask for help. He simply could not leave.
The Barrier Fruit under Orochi was not unbeatable. It could be bypassed with time or strategy.
But Kaido was the real problem.
Oden knew he could not guarantee victory, especially since Kaido was not alone.
King of the Lunarians had already been saved by Kaido ten years ago. Queen had likely joined after MADS disbanded. Jack was still young, but who knew if he was already there.
So…
Rowan looked at Hikichiro. "How many of you set out to sea?"
Hikichiro's body trembled.
"There were thirty-two of us. As far as I know… I am the only one still alive."
Rowan nodded.
Not everyone had the Straw Hats' luck.
Climbing the waterfall required carp pulling the ship and a skilled helmsman avoiding whirlpools. Descending meant surviving the drop and avoiding being swallowed.
And the New World's weather could turn deadly in seconds.
For him to survive at all was already a miracle.
Rowan grabbed him and pulled him up. "That's enough. Rayleigh isn't here. If you kill yourself now, you'll just die for nothing."
Behind the bar, Shakky narrowed her eyes.
In that brief moment, she saw Rowan's face beneath the cloak.
A Marine.
And not just any Marine. The natural-type monster who had followed Garp for years. A future admiral candidate.
But…
Her thoughts became chaotic.
So Wano might be real. But the one who brought this samurai here was a Marine.
Was he here to deal with her?
After all these peaceful years, was it time to move again?
"Oh? You saw it?"
Rowan smiled, then took out a white mask and put it on.
"Let me introduce myself again. Revolutionary Army instructor,Spark. Here for Wano. Former Empress of Amazon Lily, captain of the Kuja Pirates, Shakky."
The cigarette fell from Shakky's lips.
"That's quite the information. You're really telling me all this? With your position in the Marines, you're being groomed as a future admiral, aren't you?"
With Kuzan's face under the cloak, Rowan replied calmly. "The justice of the World Government has never been the justice of the Marines. For the sake of stability, or something close to it, most chose the Marines path. My path lies in the future."
He turned and gestured. "Let's go. Rayleigh isn't here. Waiting is pointless. When he returns, she'll tell him."
Hikichiro hesitated, still kneeling.
But in the end, he bowed deeply to Shakky and followed.
Rayleigh alone could not save Wano. Roger had said as much.
That was why he was told to find Whitebeard.
Leaving the lawless zones, Rowan casually sent a few more small fry into the prison space before bringing Hikichiro to a temporary residence.
Along the way, Rowan thought deeply.
He was not a good person.
Even helping the Revolutionary Army build its ideology had one core goal, to overthrow Mary Geoise.
During the God Valley incident, he was only one year old. But his transplanted soul had awareness.
Massacres, exterminations, entire nations wiped out. Coming from a peaceful world, the fear he felt back then was real.
Still, he had his own principles.
Destroying Mary Geoise was one thing. But after that, the world still needed order.
Would the dragon slayer become the next dragon?
That question had always guided him.
Rowan's thoughts surged.
He was neither purely good nor purely evil.
So his desire to change the world came from his original stance, the stance born at God Valley.
Wano held Pluton.
That alone made it a force worth having.
Pirates should not exist. The Celestial Dragons on Mary Geoise should not exist either.
"I can take you to the New World."
Hikichiro froze, then looked up in disbelief.
When Rowan repeated it, he immediately dropped to his knees again, pressing himself to the ground.
"My lord… I am forever grateful!"
Rowan waited for him to calm down. "This is not without conditions. Before that, I need to go to Wano with you. This is not something you can decide."
Hikichiro replied quickly, "I have heard of the Revolutionary Army even while on slave ships. You wish to change the world. My lord will support you!"
Rowan shook his head. "You cannot decide that."
He paused.
"And we are not going immediately. I still have things to handle. Oden still has three years left. There's no rush."
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