Rocks, to this day, is the one legendary figure of the sea about whom Rowen knows the least.
He was a great force from the era before the "Three Great Legends" of the last generation, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Roger, who once dominated the New World.
Back in the day, that old bastard Garp earned his title as the "Hero of the Marines" not because he arrested Roger, but because he defeated Rocks.
When it comes to this name, Rowen knows only three facts:
Rocks once possessed the blueprint for the Ancient Weapon Pluton, but his ambitions were thwarted by Garp, and the blueprints were ultimately destroyed.
Both Big Mom, who died by Rowen's hand, and Kaido, whom he had recently encountered, had deep ties to Rocks. Whether they were actually his crewmates remains unconfirmed.
The currently surviving Yonko, Red-Haired Shanks, is definitely related to Rocks. After all, on Shanks' bounty poster, his full name includes the suffix "ROUX", his full name is "Rocks D. Xebec"!
This is why places like Impel Down Level 6 are still necessary. When the government says it wants to erase all traces of a person, they mean every aspect, history, memory, and record.
Most of the escaped prisoners from Impel Down still left behind some scraps of information. While incomplete, it was at least something.
But when it came to Rocks, Rowen couldn't find anything at all. Like a dog biting into a hedgehog, he had no idea where to even begin.
So it's only logical to believe that, given enough time, the currently escaped criminals might someday meet the same fate, completely forgotten by future generations.
Watching Rowen fall into silent contemplation, Kureha took a sip of her liquor and shook her head.
"Say… You actually call Roger by his full name, Gol D. Roger?"
"Hmm? Is there something wrong with that?" Rowen raised his head, confused.
"No, it just reminded me of the time when that little punk Roger had just become the Pirate King. For a while, every newspaper and even the Marines themselves only referred to him as Gol Roger…"
Having lived over 140 years, Kureha considered even senior CP0 members like Bald Zero to be mere "kids."
She narrowed her eyes slightly and continued:
"And the middle initial, 'D', was deliberately erased by you Marines, because you were afraid of it!"
The "Will of D", the enemies of the gods.
Whether the "gods" here refer to the Celestial Dragons, who call themselves the "descendants of gods", or some other entities remains unclear. But one thing is certain: the "D" poses a threat to the current world order.
After all, it's common knowledge, if any "gods" truly exist in this world, they only reside in Mary Geoise, the Holy Land.
Roger was the only man in 800 years to reach Raftel and become the Pirate King.
To prevent the world from associating the "D" in his name with the Will of D, and from connecting that with the influence of the Pirate King, there truly was a period where his full name was actively suppressed.
But,
"Oh? Is that so?" Rowen casually raised an eyebrow. "So even our predecessors had such embarrassing moments?"
Kureha's face darkened. She lifted her wine bottle and glared.
"What do you mean by that?!"
"Gol… D! …Roger."
Rowen stepped forward, his massive 3-meter-tall frame like an immovable bronze statue. He stared down at her, his tone calm yet commanding.
Fear? Reverence?
No.
In his eyes, there was only cold indifference and scorn.
Kureha stared in disbelief as Rowen said: "There are always people in this world who feel the need to justify why the strong are strong… using things like status, lineage, or bloodline. They say things like, 'They're special,' or 'We're helpless,' to cover up the fact that they're just weaklings."
"Take Big Mom, who died at my hands, she ruled both the underworld and the pirate world. Was she one of the D clan?"
"What about the Marine legends, Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu, who've shaken the seas for decades? Are they from the D clan?"
"Last generation's strongest man, Whitebeard, was he a D?"
Rowen grinned as he looked at Kureha's dilated pupils.
"Then what about me, who killed Whitebeard and wiped out nine-tenths of the pirates in the Grand Line? Am I a D too?"
To this… Kureha remained silent, her body trembling slightly.
"The weak always dream of rebelling against the government but never have the guts to act. So they pin all their hopes on the so-called Will of D, praying, no, forcing, them to shoulder a responsibility they themselves are too cowardly to bear."
"The funniest part? Even the government started to believe it. They actually think the D clan is chosen by fate… their greatest threat."
"But all of that… has nothing to do with me!!"
Rowen had every right to say that, because the extermination of the Celestial Dragons had been planned and executed by him alone.
He proved with action that man can defy fate.
"So-called destiny… is just a lie the entire world takes part in weaving together."
"Everything depends on human will. Don't credit the accomplishments won through someone's hard work to the so-called legend of the D. Doing that would insult even Roger, as his enemy, even I would find that unfair!"
BOOM! Rumble rumble!!
His calm words were like spring thunder, shattering the silence of night.
The two doctors in the room were stunned, staring at Rowen with wide, disbelieving eyes filled with fear and awe.
This wasn't mere arrogance or tyranny, this was vision.
Like Roger before him, Rowen stood on a higher plane of thought, seeing clearly through the world's illusions, and choosing to walk his own path.
A path not of pursuit, like Roger's…
…but a path of challenge!
After a moment of silence, Crocus let out a long sigh.
"Captain Roger… he really did say the same thing, back then."
He seemed to be recalling that afternoon when the pirate crew's disbandment was announced, and he had gone to confront Roger.
"The fate of the D clan? Who cares about that nonsense!"
The setting sun had poured through the window behind the man with the upturned mustache, casting a long, heavy shadow.
"I just want to do this. Besides, Crocus… don't you think that instead of keeping this game exclusive to us so-called D clan folks… it'd be way more fun to let the entire world join in?"
If you want to do it, then do it. That's freedom.
And who would've thought… for a reason that sounded almost like a joke, Roger had really been willing to give his life.
"That's why I said… you're a lot like Rocks."
Suddenly, Kureha's voice pulled Crocus back to the present. He glanced at Rowen, brow tightly furrowed.
"He had the same views as you. He even said nearly the exact same words… That idiot!"
"Oh?" Rowen immediately locked onto the key point. "Sounds like you knew him pretty well?"
"No. I only know about the man he used to be. What happened to him later… I didn't bother to follow."
Kureha's tone seemed genuine, and it made Rowen frown deeply.
But before he could press her, Kureha waved him off.
"The specifics should be known to someone in the Marines. And if not, well, some of his old crew are still out there. If you really want to know, go find them yourself."
"What I wanted to tell you… was about the road he chose. Even though Roger already showed me that knowing or not knowing doesn't make much difference… since it was his request, I still want to fulfill it."
Rowen's expression turned solemn.
"Please, go on."
Taking a slow sip of liquor, Kureha gazed out toward the sea and began:
"I won't go over everything from before. It's just like what you said, that man… also never believed the D clan was anything special."
"But he was a man of immense pride and showmanship. And at that time, no one agreed with his ideas."
"So he decided to prove it with actions, to prove that even someone who wasn't part of the D clan's so-called chosen bloodline… could still shake the heavens and move the earth!"
Rowen's eyes went wide.
What the hell?!
(End of Chapter)
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