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Grand Line, First Half. Marine Headquarters – Marineford.
Rowen's tightly shut eyes slowly opened, and the blinding sunlight made him briefly disoriented. He sniffed at the smell of disinfectant in the air, then sat up and stretched lazily.
"Senior Sister Ain, how long was I out?"
Hearing that, Ain, who had been reading nearby, brightened and looked up at him.
"You're finally awake, Rowen! You've been unconscious for a whole week. Yesterday, Vice Admiral Smoker and the others brought you back, and you were immediately transferred to the hospital."
Saying this, Ain puffed her cheeks in annoyance and furrowed her beautiful brows.
"Can you please not be so reckless next time?! With that level of exhaustion, a normal person would've been dead for sure!!"
A coma from exhaustion lasting a week, any normal person would have died from organ failure or cardiac arrest long before that. Even though Rowen had an Undying Body, this incident still scared everyone half to death.
Even Zephyr, who had been avoiding him ever since Garp's death, couldn't help but come see him once. Only after confirming that Rowen was alive and out of danger did he leave, stern-faced.
Rowen gave an awkward smile and raised his hands in surrender.
"Sorry, sorry. I'll be careful next time."
"Next time?!!"
"Uh… I promise there won't be one! Because…"
Rowen's lips curled into a grin.
"I've figured out a way to deal with Kaido… Until now, no matter how many contingency plans I had, they were all just ideas. But without actual combat experience, they meant nothing. But after this battle, it's different. Now I know how to deal with him, real knowledge comes from practice!"
"You…"
Seeing that even after waking up, Rowen was still thinking about battle, Ain helplessly covered her forehead.
"Heave-ho!"
With a quick kip-up, Rowen jumped off the hospital bed. He tore off his hospital gown and grabbed his neatly arranged suit and Justice cape from the coat rack, starting to dress.
Ain walked up automatically to help him straighten his clothes, but then suddenly stopped and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Rowen looked down at her, stunned for a moment, then softened his expression.
Whether or not he had made any promises, a woman who cared for him this much, who worried like this, Rowen would never willingly let her be hurt.
Ain rested her head against his broad chest and whispered softly:
"Promise me, Rowen… Really… don't let there be a next time."
Her years as a Marine had shown Ain countless deaths, and made her deeply understand the crushing loneliness and helplessness left behind for those who survived.
The mere thought of losing Rowen amplified that fear a hundredfold, making her heart ache beyond words.
Rowen fell into a long silence. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
Even someone as clever as him could be at a loss for words.
Everyone could tell that Rowen and Ain liked each other. They just hadn't officially acknowledged it, like a thin layer of paper separating them.
Why was it like this? Were they both too proud to make the first move? Not at all.
The reason was simple: Rowen didn't know if he would live, or when he might die.
Unlike Roger, who knowingly left behind Ace and Portgas D. Rouge even as death approached, Rowen couldn't do the same.
In his eyes, that kind of man didn't deserve to be a husband or a father; it was irresponsible.
He knew the path he walked was dangerous. He knew powerful enemies lay ahead. So he couldn't allow himself to make promises he might not live to keep.
Ain didn't know the full details, but she had sensed it through the countless times Rowen had fought to the death.
So she never pushed. She waited quietly. Waiting for the day Rowen felt ready to tell her everything.
But this time… he had truly scared her.
The last time Rowen had been in a coma this long was during the Dressrosa explosion, when he'd been declared dead.
"...I'm sorry."
Rowen gently wrapped an arm around her waist and lowered his head, resting his chin atop hers.
"For making you worry."
Hearing that, Ain felt a tinge of disappointment, but quickly shook it off.
This was exactly why she loved him.
A man who had his own convictions, who stuck to them, that was the coolest thing of all!
"Cough, cough… Sorry to interrupt…"
Suddenly, a coughing voice came from the doorway.
Startled, Ain quickly pushed Rowen away, blushing furiously. She didn't even dare look up as she grabbed her bag and fled the room in a flustered jog.
Watching her leave, Rowen reached into his familiar pocket and pulled out a cigar, lighting it calmly.
"You know… when my Heavenly Network detected your presence, I still chose to chat and flirt openly. Do you know why, Senior Borsalino?"
"Oh? Why's that?"
Kizaru, who had been watching gleefully, expecting to catch Rowen flustered, suddenly dropped his amused expression and asked seriously.
Rowen took a slow puff and said flatly: "Because I assumed… you were self-aware enough to know what that meant."
GULP...
Noticing the crackling thunder energy suddenly spreading through the space around him, Kizaru's face stiffened, and he instinctively swallowed hard.
"Wait, calm down Rowen, I think I can explain, "
"No need! Just die, you old bachelor!"
"Hey hey, that's a bit much, "
Zzzzt… BOOM!
Chaos instantly broke out at the Headquarters Hospital. An explosion scorched the outer wall of the third floor, triggering the fire alarm system.
In the hospital garden, halfway to the main gate, Ain turned back at the sound. Seeing the smoke and commotion, a bright, blossoming smile appeared on her face.
"Well… I guess that counts as a promise too, doesn't it?"
...
Marine Headquarters – Fleet Admiral's Office.
"Eh? Rowen, you're awake?"
In a corner of the office, Chaton looked up in surprise at the figure entering through the door.
"Yeah, just woke up. As soon as I got up, I heard Admiral Kizaru mention there was an incident, so I rushed over."
Rowen turned to salute the man seated at the head of the room.
"Fleet Admiral!"
"Glad you're alright. Find a seat and sit down."
Akainu's expression wasn't particularly pleasant. He forced the corners of his mouth into a semblance of a smile and gestured for Rowen to sit.
Rowen wasn't surprised by this attitude, after all…
"According to the intel Aokiji left behind before falling unconscious, we've confirmed there's a problem with Princess Shirahoshi. But as for how to interpret it, the Scientific Force is still working overtime."
The room was filled with people, but conspicuously missing two very important individuals:
Admiral Aokiji,
And Admiral Kizaru…
When Bald Zero arrived on the battlefield, the fight was already over. At first, they assumed Aokiji was either killed or captured.
However, based on the Vivre Card in Sengoku's possession, it was confirmed that Aokiji was still on the battlefield, barely clinging to life.
After extensive searching, they finally found him at the bottom of the sea.
He was encased in a thick shell of ice, frozen deep beneath the surface. That was his final life-saving technique: "Polar Ice Coffin", an Ice Mass so strong that not even he could easily escape, used to create a barrier that cut off all signs of life.
After retrieving his body, even the usually cold and stoic Bald Zero was visibly shaken.
Of the 206 bones in a human body, 117 were broken. His internal organs were almost entirely shattered. Only his heart managed to beat once every few dozen seconds, barely pumping enough blood to sustain life. Even his head was horribly deformed, no longer recognizable.
Calling him "alive" at that point was more symbolic than factual.
It was that tragic.
During the cleanup of the battlefield, they found a Sea King corpse with a large patch of purple-and-blue frozen flesh. Initially, no one thought much of it.
But Aokiji had frozen himself in a specific pose, with his arm raised, pointing directly at that Sea King.
This made Bald Zero suspicious. He approached the body, peeled away the fish skin from the frozen area, and discovered something strange.
On the surface, the skin looked evenly frozen, but internally, only a small portion of the muscle tissue was actually frozen, while the rest was normal.
It made people wonder, why would Aokiji go to such trouble during such a brutal fight?
When they took an imprint of the frozen area… everyone was stunned.
It was a string of numbers:
3, 6, 7!
There was no doubt, this was a code Aokiji left behind when he realized he was about to lose. It was a way to pass on critical information without the enemy realizing it.
Even if he hadn't had time to use "Polar Ice Coffin" and was killed instantly, the enduring nature of his Ice Mass meant reinforcements would've found this clue during cleanup.
Aokiji was then rushed to Mary Geoise for emergency treatment. His condition was so critical, he wouldn't survive even the short trip back to Headquarters, only the nearest location could be chosen.
No one could have imagined that a Sea King could possess such terrifying power!
Had Aokiji not intercepted and delayed her by chance, the consequences would've been unthinkable. Judging by her trajectory and the trail left behind, her intended destination had clearly been Mary Geoise!
After reporting all this, Vice Admiral Tsuru's eyes turned red with emotion.
"Furthermore… Aokiji's condition is dire. Vegapunk asked us… if we'd be willing to accept keeping only his brain alive and turning Aokiji into a cyborg."
"Are you kidding?! We're not at that point yet!" Akainu gritted his teeth.
"That guy… he won't lose! Send out invitations, call in the best doctors in the world!"
At his words, the room fell into silence.
Even the doctors serving the Celestial Dragons at the Holy Land were helpless. It was Vegapunk himself who issued the critical condition alert.
Would doctors from across the seas really be able to do anything?
Rowen stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"In terms of sheer medical technology… isn't there still one more option?"
"You mean…"
Akainu furrowed his brows for a moment, then suddenly, a light flickered in his eyes.
"That's right… aside from the Holy Land, there's another place known for cutting-edge medical expertise!"
(End of Chapter)