Borsalino did not know how Rowan knew about his past, but that memory was indeed the one he could never forget.
Compared to the stability he gained after joining the Navy, the honor and authority of becoming an Admiral candidate, the cheers he once heard back then seemed to bring him far more joy.
A smart person?
At the very beginning, was he really a smart person?
No.
The year he joined the Navy alongside Sakazuki, his original intention had been to protect those smiles.
To wipe out all pirates, to let those children keep smiling, to let ordinary people live a little easier on this sea.
That had been his original goal.
But later…
Time and time again, compromise after compromise, until he became what he is now.
Diligently completing missions, cutting corners whenever possible. Pirates could never be completely eradicated, because Mary Geoise needed pirates. Human traffickers could not be eliminated, nor was it necessary, because the slaves on those ships were offerings to the Celestial Dragons.
The human-powered walkways in Mary Geoise, the piles of bones in the Bridge of Nations, the cries every time Celestial Dragons walked through Sabaody…
Scene after scene flashed through Borsalino's mind, until finally it settled on himself.
He was no longer the same person.
A hand glowed with golden light as Borsalino took out a pair of sunglasses from inside his coat and slowly put them on.
"I should have been wearing these all along. Thanks for the reminder."
Rowan spat lightly. "That's why I said you're a smart man. You can hide the emotions in your eyes, but you can't deceive your own heart."
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi in Borsalino's arms began to ring.
"Buru buru… buru buru…"
The instant he answered, a golden beam struck the ruins.
"Boom!"
"Well now, that's terrifying."
"Swish! Boom…"
Another beam followed. Borsalino spoke again.
"Seastone has no effect at all. And there's even a new ability. I almost died just now…"
As soon as he finished speaking, he crushed the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
At the same time, beams of light rained down around them. Some even shot out of the battlefield and exploded high in the air.
Rowan did not move at all. Through his Observation Haki, he could tell none of those attacks were aimed at him.
The lasers continued to fall. Borsalino looked down at Rowan.
"Everyone I've met makes their own choices, don't they?"
Their gazes met as the beams continued to tear apart everything around them, as if venting something unspoken.
After a while, Borsalino spoke again.
"Until you leave, the battle won't end. That's the mission they've given me as a Marine."
The explosions roared all around, but Rowan simply smiled.
This was why this man was the smartest of them all.
He had his stance, but he also had his own choices.
In Rowan's memory, during the Paramount War, Borsalino had aimed a laser that could pierce Luffy's heart, yet chose instead to target the much smaller key. That was giving face to Garp.
Casually toying with the Supernovas in a lazy, mocking manner, that was his ambiguous justice.
Facing Rayleigh and being stopped, he simply accepted it. That was enough reason for him.
This man was never some hidden ally. He was simply a smart person who completed his tasks.
Time passed second by second. The beams of light did not stop, and Rowan couldn't help but marvel at the stamina of an Admiral-level fighter.
Kuzan could freeze entire seas, Sakazuki could rain down magma like a volcanic storm, and Borsalino, their peer, had been using his ability for nearly three hours without showing signs of exhaustion.
Night had already begun to fall. Judging the timing, Rowan figured it was about enough.
"Borsalino, I look forward to where you stand in the future."
As his words fell, Rowan disappeared from the spot.
In the air, Borsalino let out a breath, removed his sunglasses, and in his eyes there was both fatigue and something else…
A faint trace of anticipation.
After landing, he did not approach the two charred corpses. He was wary that Rowan might suddenly return and strike him, even if they had just formed a faint understanding.
But as for the future… who could really say?
Borsalino's gaze turned toward Mary Geoise. If it was only that level of scorching power, it was far from enough.
For eight hundred years, there had never been a shortage of people who resisted. Yet not a single one had truly succeeded.
Half an hour later, the CP agents and Marines who had been ordered to stay back to avoid interfering with Rowan's teleportation ability finally rushed in.
But at this moment, aside from two charred remains, only Borsalino stood there alone.
That report would be difficult to write. With only himself left, no matter how he phrased it, the Navy would be suspected.
Troublesome.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
After returning from Sabaody, Borsalino immediately went to Sengoku's office to report the situation.
After all, the five elders in Mary Geoise would definitely question Sengoku first, and might even issue a warning to this newly appointed Fleet Admiral.
Previously, when the first Celestial Dragon was killed, Kong had taken responsibility and stepped down, even though he was later appointed as Commander-in-Chief. It still counted as an explanation to the Celestial Dragons.
Now, two more had died. Three in total. Removing a newly appointed Fleet Admiral was not realistic, and since the latter two incidents involved CP and the Five Elders, the Navy's responsibility had been somewhat reduced.
After hearing the report, Sengoku told Borsalino to remain in the office and wait for the Den Den Mushi call.
Sure enough, it rang not long after.
"The only survivor is Borsalino. The World Government requires an explanation as to why Seastone had no effect."
Sengoku frowned deeply.
"The Navy can confirm that the Seastone restraints were applied. However, the target's teleportation ability still functioned. The cause should be investigated by CP, not questioned from the Navy, which was only acting as support."
There was a brief silence on the other end before another voice spoke.
"Have Borsalino cooperate with questioning. All Navy records regarding the cloaked figure are to be handed over to the World Government."
The order was issued, and the call was cut.
Clearly, Mary Geoise had begun to doubt Borsalino's sense of justice.
Sengoku sighed. To be honest, even he could not understand it at this point.
Teleportation, appearance transformation, freezing, and now an entirely new ability with extreme high-temperature flames. Flames that turned the ground into crystal and left the area hot enough to cook a person even afterward.
Was that really just fire?
The Flame-Flame Fruit could never achieve that. The temperature, according to Borsalino, surpassed even Sakazuki's magma. How could it be the inferior version of the Magma Fruit?
Four abilities, yet unaffected by Seastone.
It was absurd.
"The World Government will question you next. Just recount everything as it happened. They need pirates, and they also need the Navy."
After reassuring Borsalino, Sengoku instructed him to remain at headquarters for the time being and await questioning.
After leaving the office, the look beneath Borsalino's sunglasses was complicated.
They need pirates, and they also need the Navy?
Ever since becoming an Admiral candidate, he had learned fragments of the truth of this world. But after hearing those words from that man, this time he could not suppress it anymore.
Mary Geoise, the Room of Authority.
"Seastone containing P substance is the bane of all ability users. Even if it does not completely paralyze them, it should still prevent the use of abilities."
"Has Borsalino's justice wavered?"
"He is a smart man. He would not make such a choice."
"Then why?"
"The Admiral positions will soon be finalized. Before that, they need to be reminded of their role as dogs."
"The tide of pirates is surging, and the Navy's strength must increase as well. But they must understand who the true master is."
"Then regarding the cloaked figure…"
"There are only two possibilities. Either he is not a Devil Fruit user and is therefore not affected by the P substance, or he has found a way to block contact with Seastone."
"According to Borsalino's preliminary report, the target was wearing Seastone cuffs in the later stages. Contact was inevitable."
"Perhaps it is some kind of racial trait."
"Like the Lunarians."
"Among the races we know, there is no such being with multiple abilities."
"What we need to discuss now is not his background."
Silence fell over the Room of Authority.
The mobility granted by teleportation made encirclement and pursuit meaningless.
Combined with the fact that he had already killed an Admiral-level combatant, Mary Geoise itself could now be subject to sudden attacks.
Unable to capture him, unable to surround him, that was the real problem.
After a long pause, Saint Saturn spoke.
"We seem to have forgotten that he is part of the Revolutionary Army. Not all of those rats possess teleportation."
Saint Nusjuro nodded.
"The five islands in the Grand Line can become his grave. As long as those people are still there, he will not be able to escape alone."
Saint Peter added, "Operating alone and operating with an army are two different things. Even if he escapes in the end, the next time he appears, he will be blasted to pieces."
As he finished speaking, the other four turned to look at him.
"Should we report this to Lord Imu?"
"If we use that power, letting an island be buried along with him would be an honor for it."
"Issue orders to CP. Have them monitor the five nations and prepare to initiate the plan."
"Until then, do not disturb Lord Imu."
"Mary Geoise is the final line. Otherwise, only a purge remains."
Orders were then sent to the CP agencies.
However, half an hour later, the report that came back left the five elders staring at each other.
The furious voice over the Den Den Mushi made the CP leader break out in cold sweat. He had never expected that while all attention was focused on Area One of Sabaody, the five nations under surveillance by the Revolutionary Army had begun a large-scale evacuation.
There was no attempt at concealment. It was an open withdrawal.
Massive ships floated into the air, then were sent flying by the Paw-Paw Fruit's ability. Their destinations were completely unknown.
All Den Den Mushi used for communication were destroyed. The CP agents assigned to surveillance were discovered through aerial scouting and eliminated.
A cloud capable of carrying people through the sky?
And the Float-Float Fruit once used by Golden Lion Shiki, along with the Paw-Paw Fruit lost at God Valley.
The call ended, and silence once again filled the Room of Authority.
"That insect was stalling for time."
"If Seastone cannot restrain him, he could have left immediately after killing Rodenaz. But he did not."
"Golden Lion Shiki escaped from Impel Down and joined the Revolutionary Army. This is becoming more troublesome."
"According to CP's investigation afterward, Shiki was not present on those islands."
"And that flying cloud capable of carrying people. Even if a Devil Fruit ability can be given to objects, is that really the Float-Float Fruit?"
"They have mastered a power we do not understand."
"Not Devil Fruits. Aside from that Buccaneer race, the other abilities displayed may not be Devil Fruit powers at all."
"Perhaps Vegapunk's disappearance already explains it."
"It was done by those rats as well."
"Ban all Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise from going down to Sabaody Archipelago. Also, make the investigation of the Revolutionary Army the highest priority for the intelligence department."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Three days later, all Revolutionary Army members who had completed their ideological and training courses were split into smaller units. Each line operated independently, and the final roster was consolidated under Dragon.
The ideological and training courses for new members were also moved to remote islands across the sea. Aside from the highest-ranking cadres and a group of researchers, no one could reach Baltigo anymore.
All previously recorded Eternal Poses were retrieved.
After this operation, the Revolutionary Army shifted into deeper underground activity, quietly developing while moving between various nations.
A portion of their high-level combat forces was gathered and sent into the New World. Flying pirate flags and using the identity of a captured pirate as cover, they began expanding through warfare there.
Marine Headquarters.
Rowan lay on his bed, fast asleep.
His stamina had been completely drained. After returning from Sabaody, he ate a full meal and went straight to sleep, not even visiting the prison once.
He was truly exhausted. With his current Conqueror's Haki and physical condition, based on the power system of this world, he still could not fully unleash the power of Ryūjin Jakka's Shikai.
As for Bankai, that was still a distant dream.
One night passed. It was not until noon the next day that Rowan finally woke up.
After recovering, Rowan looked at the Asauchi in his hand.
In its sealed state, Ryūjin Jakka looked no different from an ordinary standard long blade. There was nothing flashy about it, not even a visible temper line on the edge.
But after achieving Shikai, even without releasing it, infusing Conqueror's Haki into the Asauchi could produce a burst of extreme speed in an instant.
A single swift slash.
In its sealed form, it could at least serve as a foundation.
"Grr…"
Hungry again.
Rowan grabbed his blade and went straight to the mess hall. After eating his fill, he headed to the training camp for lessons.
Even after Shikai, there was still Bankai. Learning proper swordsmanship was necessary, otherwise he would not even be able to control something like a firestorm properly.
To attend classes, Rowan even postponed dealing with the prison's accumulated crime points until nighttime. That was a huge amount, probably enough to last him another year or more.
For the next treasure chest, he needed something to enhance his physical condition.
A physique attribute card, or perhaps a bloodline that had never appeared before.
Maybe even something that could directly grant him a special lineage…
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