Meanwhile aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' ship the crew was seething with indignation. Some were already shouting that they should declare war on the Revolutionary Army.
After Marco and the others recounted everything that had happened Jozu exaggerated the story even further. Only Izo wore a troubled expression.
After all he had only just learned that the Cloaked Man was the benefactor of his homeland. Yet now things had already escalated to the brink of conflict.
"We're the Whitebeard Pirates! In the New World a bounty doesn't necessarily represent true strength! We'll show him what the Whitebeard Pirates are capable of! We'll make him kneel and beg for forgiveness!"
"So what if it's the Revolutionary Army?! He actually dared to call Pops nothing more than a brute!"
"Kill that Cloaked Man! Gather every division commander! War with the Revolutionary Army! War!"
The Moby Dick echoed with furious shouting as it surfaced into the waters marking the entrance to the New World. Whitebeard looked at his sons.
There was a smile on his face. Yet at that moment he spoke.
"Actually, that brat wasn't wrong."
Those few words instantly silenced the entire ship. Everyone turned toward their father, their faces full of confusion.
According to Jozu's account that Revolutionary had called their father nothing more than a brute. Such an insult was unforgivable.
"Gurararara..."
Whitebeard laughed heartily.
"That brat said that someone who possesses only strength while remaining intellectually ignorant is merely a brute. So tell me, do you think your old man is intellectually ignorant?"
Marco immediately shook his head. "Of course not! Pops is the greatest pirate in the world!" Jozu quickly chimed in. Soon one son after another began praising Whitebeard's greatness.
But Whitebeard, seated upon his massive captain's chair, merely watched them with a smile.
The greatest? Compared to the man who surrendered himself to the World Government he couldn't claim that title. That fool had gambled his own life on the future.
He had paid with his life to usher in the Great Age of Pirates. He had drawn the eyes of the entire world toward the final island, Laugh Tale.
Bearing upon himself the sins of all those who would lose their lives because of the Great Age of Pirates, all for the sake of that distant future. That bastard was the greatest pirate.
The memory of their final drinking session together slowly surfaced in Whitebeard's mind. So that brat hadn't been wrong. Had he? Whitebeard didn't know how Rowan had come to understand him so well.
But from the days of the Rocks Pirates onward only two things had ever truly mattered to him. His family. And his homeland.
But he wasn't some ignorant brute. Although he never cared about the future Roger wished to create he had still lent a hand whenever he could.
However if that brat truly wished to become the future Roger had spoken of then he first needed to pass Whitebeard's test. That was the true purpose of this fight.
Strong Haki, yes. But Haki alone isn't enough. Fish-Man Island concerned the future of the entire world.
Whether it was Princess Shirahoshi or the red Road Poneglyph both were part of the future Roger had entrusted with his life.
"Pops."
A voice interrupted his thoughts. Whitebeard looked toward Izo who had stepped forward. "As my son, is there anything that you can't tell your old man? You've looked hesitant ever since earlier. That doesn't seem like you, Izo."
The next instant Izo dropped to both knees. He lowered his head deeply.
"Pops! From the conversation before you arrived I learned that the Revolutionary and the Revolutionary Army are the benefactors of Wano. So I..."
Bang! A figure shot forward, sending Izo flying with a shoulder tackle.
Jozu glared at him.
"Izo! That bastard insulted Pops! And you want to plead for him?!"
Vista stepped forward as well.
"Jozu! Izo is our brother. If he's caught between two loyalties, we should understand."
Jozu turned toward him.
"So what? You think we should just let that guy off?"
On the other side, Marco scratched his pineapple-shaped hair. Although he was younger than many of the commanders, he seemed to understand that Whitebeard had never truly intended to wage war against the Revolutionary Army.
"I mean, aren't you all overthinking this? Pops already said it wasn't an insult."
"So giving that guy a proper lesson is enough."
"Besides, even if we wanted to fight the Revolutionary Army, where would we find them? Even the World Government doesn't know where they are. So how exactly are we supposed to start a war?"
Newgate reached out and pressed a hand onto Jozu's shoulder.
"You're brothers. Wano is my son's homeland. And it's also the homeland of that fool Oden."
"I don't know why Wano owes them a debt. But if it's a debt of gratitude, then we acknowledge it. Isn't that right, Jozu?"
"Even pirates have their own code of honor, my sons."
"Yes, Pops!"
The Moby Dick erupted in unison. Whitebeard laughed loudly.
"Gurararara! We'll show that brat how formidable we are. That is the test I'm giving him."
"But because he's the benefactor of our Izo, and that fool Oden, we'll also acknowledge him, if he proves worthy."
With just a few words from Newgate, the anger that had filled the Whitebeard Pirates quickly subsided.
Whitebeard then asked Izo to explain everything he knew about Wano, and the Revolutionary Army.
Unfortunately, even Izo himself didn't know very much. He only knew that the matter involved Kaido, and that the crisis had already been resolved. Oden was still alive. And Rowan had suggested that Izo should return home sometime.
"Do you miss your homeland?"
Whitebeard patted Izo's shoulder.
"If the Revolutionary Army helped Wano, then they should still have contacts there. Entering through the hidden harbor shouldn't be too dangerous."
"After this is over, your old man will accompany you home."
Tears streamed down Izo's face.
"Thank you, Pops!"
"Gurarara. You foolish son. Why are you thanking your old man? We're family, aren't we?"
Whitebeard laughed heartily.
The Moby Dick continued sailing toward a deserted island. Waiting for nightfall. Before long, darkness descended.
On the island's shoreline, a three-pronged Flying Thunder God kunai had been embedded in the sand. Marco stared at the strange weapon.
"Fish-Man Island is nearly sixty kilometers away in a straight line. Can his teleportation ability really reach this far?"
Satch glanced at Marco.
"I wasn't there with you today, but I've never seen anyone speak to Pops like that."
Marco kept his eyes fixed on the kunai.
"The face we saw wasn't even his real one. He said so himself. Pops didn't consider that disrespectful. He only remarked that the World Government places extraordinary importance on him."
Satch fell into thought. Simply revealing his true face would be enough to provoke the World Government into action? Still, killing five Celestial Dragons, sneaking into Mary Geoise, and freeing every slave, those were truly incredible accomplishments.
Just then, several figures appeared beside the kunai. One of them casually pulled it out of the sand.
He brought people with him?! Seeing two fish-men arrive together with Rowan, both Marco and Satch were momentarily stunned.
He had teleported nearly sixty kilometers while carrying two other people?
"Hmm. So you've been waiting for me?"
Rowan's voice brought them back to their senses. Marco and Satch exchanged a glance. Then Marco stepped forward.
"If you want to challenge Pops, you'll first have to make it to where he's standing."
A challenge? When did "having a fight" turn into a challenge? Still, there wasn't much difference between the two.
Rowan pointed toward the interior of the island beyond the beach.
"So I have to defeat all of you before I can reach him?"
Satch answered,
"To be honest, I don't think you'll even make it to Pops. We'd never heard your name a few years ago."
"So you're still pretty young, aren't you? Over the years, countless youngsters have come to challenge Pops."
"I remember one Logia user who ended up losing an arm."
Rowan stepped forward. Then spoke to the two fish-men behind him.
"Wait here for me. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll take you back before sunrise."
Marco frowned.
"'If nothing unexpected happens'? You're just as arrogant as before."
"So, are you ready?"
The instant those words left his mouth, Marco's Observation Haki suddenly sensed something approaching. But before he could react, Rowan's voice was already behind him.
"You've already lost."
Azure flames erupted. The flames of the Phoenix blazed into existence. Marco was about to protest when he realized Rowan's hand was already gripping his throat.
Under the effect of Armament Haki, his true body had been seized.
"I told you, you've already lost."
"You still have a lot of room to grow. Your Mythical Zoan, your Observation Haki, and your Armament Haki are all still too immature."
Rowan released his grip. Marco rubbed his neck. The look in his eyes had completely changed.
"What was that just now? I sensed something closing in. It felt incredibly dangerous."
Rowan looked at him with an amused expression.
"What makes you think I'd answer a question like that? At the moment, we're enemies. So why would you assume I'd explain my ability to you?"
Even the Marines, and the World Government, had only managed to analyze some of the limitations of Rowan's teleportation after paying for that knowledge again and again.
Rowan then looked toward Satch.
"So, you're next?"
Satch had been carefully observing Rowan's every movement. As Whitebeard's son, he couldn't simply allow a challenger to walk straight up to Pops.
But at the same time, they weren't going to gang up on him either.
Pops had already said this man wasn't an enemy. This fight was more like a test. And the fact that Rowan had casually released Marco only confirmed that.
Still, Satch possessed his own pride as a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. That teleportation ability had to have a weakness.
Marco's Observation Haki had sensed something just before Rowan appeared. Perhaps that was the key.
There! In an instant, through Observation Haki, Satch noticed a black object flash across the ground.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Three kunai flew through the air. Satch's attention had been completely focused on the rapidly moving spatial marker.
The sudden appearance of three more kunai made his heart skip a beat.
That's right. The kunai themselves are teleportation markers too.
"Haah!"
Armament Haki coated his fist. He threw a powerful punch.
Smack! His fist was caught. Rowan had appeared instantly, grasping it with one hand. It didn't even look as though he was exerting any strength.
Yet no matter how hard Satch struggled, he couldn't break free.
How? How is this possible?! Could this guy actually be as old as Pops? How could someone so young possess this kind of power?
"Armament Haki also has levels."
"Projecting it outside your body to strike an opponent from a distance is merely one application of it."
Rowan spoke calmly. He had no intention of revealing the weaknesses of his own ability. But he didn't mind openly pointing out the flaws in his opponent's use of Haki.
"Haki grows through battle. But when two evenly matched opponents fight, the one with the stronger will will ultimately emerge victorious."
"And through that struggle, their Haki is strengthened as well."
"Your pride is the pride of the Whitebeard Pirates. Isn't it? But that very pride also makes you believe that you cannot lose."
"And because of that, you'll always find an excuse for losing. For example, right now."
Boom! A surge of force burst from Rowan's palm. Satch was blasted backward. His eyes widened in disbelief.
It wasn't that having his fist caught meant he couldn't fight back. It was the overwhelming strength contained within the hand gripping him.
Even with Armament Haki covering his body, he could clearly feel that Rowan could have crushed every bone in his hand at any moment.
The difference between them simply wasn't on the same level. It felt exactly like facing Pops' Tremor-Tremor Fruit. No matter how desperately he defended, it would all be meaningless.
After being knocked back, Satch flipped through the air before landing steadily on his feet. He looked at Rowan. "I lost. So you've earned the right to lecture me."
"You're very strong. But we're not weak either."
Rowan merely spread his hands, then continued walking deeper into the island. The Flying Thunder God Technique was an incredible ability against weaker opponents.
But once someone understood how the markers worked, in a world where Observation Haki existed, it became much harder to exploit.
Before long, Rowan entered the island's dense forest. One Whitebeard commander after another cracked their knuckles, waiting for him.
However, the current Whitebeard Pirates were still relatively young. Marco himself was only twenty-nine years old, far from reaching the level he would display during the Summit War.
The era when countless ambitious pirates challenged the Four Emperors every year hadn't even begun. Soon, Rowan reached the island's interior.
The sealed Zanpakutō at his waist, Ryūjin Jakka, never left its sheath.
Relying solely on his Steel Body talent, the Flying Thunder God, and Haki was already enough. Bang! A crisp impact rang out. Jozu looked at Rowan.
"So you're stronger than I expected. You actually made it here this quickly. Honestly, I thought you'd be beaten black and blue back at the cliffs."
Rowan replied calmly, "You'll fall even faster."
"...Huh?" Jozu instantly flared up. "Bastard! You dare look down on me?!"
Rowan looked at him. "No, I'm not looking down on you. Within the limits of physical ability and Haki, strength isn't always absolute."
"For example, if you fought a great swordsman, you'd likely be evenly matched. But if your opponent possessed the String-String Fruit, you'd be completely controlled."
The String-String Fruit? What kind of nonsense is that? How could strings possibly do something like that? Jozu didn't believe a word of it.
He charged straight toward Rowan. Half his body instantly transformed into diamond.
This time Rowan didn't evade with the Flying Thunder God. Instead, Armament Haki coated his right arm. Then he threw a punch.
Bang! Boom!
A violent shockwave erupted, centered on the two of them.
Rowan didn't move an inch. Jozu was sent flying backward. "Your ability to transform your entire body into diamond gives you astonishing defense. But it's only hardness."
Rowan opened his hand. "Being hard doesn't mean you can actually hurt me. But as for defeating you, I have plenty of methods. The simplest one—"
Before he finished speaking, Rowan suddenly lunged forward, appearing directly before Jozu. He placed a hand against Jozu's chest.
A small Seastone nail dropped into place. The diamond body instantly disappeared as his Devil Fruit powers were suppressed.
Even his entire body became weak. Rowan pulled the nail back out.
"You've never combined the hardness of diamond with your Haki to improve your offense. You have defense, but almost no attack. Even without Seastone, you still wouldn't pose much of a threat."
"Bastard!" Jozu, still unwilling to accept defeat after being countered by Seastone, swept his diamond-coated arm sideways. But Rowan effortlessly avoided the attack.
Charging forward once more, Rowan swung his Haki-hardened leg. With a single kick, Jozu stumbled forward and crashed face-first into the ground.
Compared to Satch, one of Whitebeard's earliest sons, Jozu's Observation Haki was lacking by more than a few levels.
His Devil Fruit's overwhelming power had made him rely too heavily on its abilities. It was obvious he hadn't fought a truly difficult battle in a very long time.
"If I walked straight in right now, could you stop me?" As Rowan spoke, he continued deeper into the island.
Behind him, Jozu's furious roar rang out once again. "You bastard!!" His entire body transformed into diamond. He charged forward at full speed.
Yet it accomplished nothing. Just as he was about to collide with Rowan, Rowan simply sidestepped. Jozu turned around and charged again. The result was exactly the same.
Every so often Rowan would casually stick out a foot, sending Jozu sprawling. Or his own Haki-hardened arm would come down with a sharp strike, knocking Jozu flat on his face.
How am I supposed to fight this? His diamond body was practically indestructible. But even if Rowan never used Seastone, Jozu couldn't even touch him.
Not to mention, during their very first clash he had already lost in a contest of raw strength.
After all, the force generated by charging forward with his entire body should have been far greater than someone throwing a punch from a standing position. Yet he had still been overpowered.
Before long, Rowan spotted Vista waiting ahead. "Hm? Jozu? What are you doing? Why are you chasing him all the way here?"
Vista looked utterly puzzled. But watching Jozu stubbornly charge again and again, he quickly understood the situation. Rowan sighed helplessly.
The instant Jozu rushed in again, Rowan reached out. He grabbed Jozu by the head, spun him around, then twisted both of his arms behind his back, pulling off his outer coat in the process.
In just a few swift movements, he manipulated Jozu's joints into positions where he could no longer exert any strength.
Then he bound all four of his limbs together and hung him from a tree branch.
Suspended in midair, with his joints twisted, Jozu couldn't generate any force. Nor could he use the ground for leverage.
All he could do was dangle helplessly, while cursing nonstop and yelling for Rowan to let him down.
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