Seeing the expression on his face, Kureha paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Yes… That's right! Roger had the exact same expression back then."
"That was when he first set foot on the Grand Line. He had only a tiny boat and just a couple of crewmates, Rayleigh, Jabba… barely anyone else."
Rowen: "…"
Kureha paused, her face carrying a trace of nostalgia.
"But still… he, Rocks… really was such a ridiculous man. He didn't know whether his beliefs were right or wrong… Or maybe he did. Maybe he knew the government would erase all traces of him… And just wanted to leave something behind, to prove that he had once existed."
"So he asked me to tell the next person I met, someone like him, why he had set out to sea."
"So you chose Roger?" Rowen asked quietly.
"Yes… and no. That brat only had a bit of Rocks' fearless, reckless aura back then. As for depth and vision? Totally incomparable."
"I chose him… because I wanted to see how far a 'child of D,' the type Rocks hated the most, could go. I did it out of a kind of… wicked curiosity."
Clang!
Suddenly, the sound of table and chairs scraping the floor echoed in the room. Crocus looked shocked, but then it all clicked. He slapped his hands together in sudden realization.
"So that's it! That's what it was!"
"No wonder Roger used to stand facing a particular direction, staring out at the sea.
Rayleigh once joked that he was 'communing with a ghost,' and I thought it was just a joke…"
"But now I realize… that direction must've been where Rocks died!"
Crocus had only joined Roger's crew three years before he became Pirate King, after accepting the invitation while searching for his lost companions from the Rumbar Pirates and their giant whale, Laboon.
So all this ancient history… he didn't know.
But now, he understood.
Maybe Roger returned to the Grand Line with his dying body… Not for any so-called "Will of D." But simply because… He didn't want to lose to that man.
This was the romance between men.
If he died of illness midway, it would be a draw. But if he was too afraid to even make the return journey, then he'd lose completely! Rowen had never heard these secrets before. He stared blankly at Kureha and suddenly realized, compared to himself, always used to scheming and power struggles…
Those two had really just been… pure idiots.
"After Rocks was gone… I waited almost twenty years and finally met Roger. Then I waited another twenty… and now, I've met you."
Kureha raised the bottle, finishing the last drops of liquor. She looked at the floor, as if remembering the distant past.
"Rocks said he was a Resister, a Resister of Fate. Roger said he was a Pursuer, a Pursuer of Freedom."
"So… what about you?"
Suddenly, she looked up and locked eyes with Rowen.
"Tell me, Azure Dragon… What do you think you are?"
"Resister… or Pursuer?"
It was a fitting contrast to the lives of Rocks and Roger: One who rose to fight fate itself; One who raced toward freedom without restraint.
Rowen fell into deep thought.
What was he?
A Challenger?
No… that was more of a lifestyle. A way of living.
So what truly defined him?
He didn't need others to define his life, but he also couldn't lie to himself.
And so…
After a long silence, Rowen slowly lifted his head and smiled.
"Tell me, ten, twenty years ago… Would either of you have ever imagined that you'd be standing face-to-face like this, having a conversation with a Marine Admiral?"
Hearing that, both doctors narrowed their eyes, their expressions deeply moved.
"If I had to define my life… Then I'd say I am, An Alterer… An Alterer of the World!"
As his declaration echoed, a powerful, but not aggressive, Haki burst out from his body.
From the battleship to the port, from the surface of the sea to its depths,
Everything fell into silence.
Fish stopped swimming. Waves dared not crash. Even hearts skipped a beat, unwilling to make the slightest noise.
…
Marine Headquarters – Fleet Admiral's Office
From the brief moment of stillness, Akainu suddenly snapped awake. He spun around in shock, eyes staring toward the port.
"...!!"
"What the hell?! He's getting stronger… just from talking?!"
The overwhelming pressure radiating from Rowen even made him feel like kneeling in reverence. This wasn't just a change in the quantity of Haoshoku Haki, it was a difference in quality.
And as everyone knew, Haoshoku couldn't be trained. The stronger the person, the stronger their Haki.
"Get me in touch with Vice Admiral Momonga right now! I want to know exactly what happened!"
"Yes, sir!"
On the battleship,
As Rowen's declaration echoed and his terrifying will surged, Crocus and Kureha exchanged glances. After a moment, Kureha gently shook her head.
"Alterer… huh? What a vague way to put it." She paused, then added: "But as an outsider, I don't have the right to criticize. Judging by the transformation I see in you,
you're not lying to yourself, You truly believe it, and you're prepared to pay any price for it."
"Let's end the reminiscing here. I think you've gotten the answers you came for."
Rowen stood up, adjusted his uniform, and pulled out a cigar to light.
"If there's nothing else… I'll be taking my leave."
"Wait!"
As he stepped forward, Crocus frowned and called out.
"You're sure you want to leave just like that?"
"Oh? Got more to say?"
Rowen asked calmly.
Crocus took a deep breath.
"There's something I think it's finally time I told you. After all, even Aokiji was left half-dead. You even mobilized an assassination unit just to drag my old bones out of retirement…"
"If I still can't tell how dire things have gotten, then my long life has been a waste."
"So?"
Rowen exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Are you trying to talk about… One Piece?"
"That's right. I--"
Before he could finish, a vicious, explosive surge of Haki filled the room.
"Shut your mouth, pirate."
Crocus looked up with difficulty, confused by Rowen's expression, which had turned utterly cold. Step by step, Rowen approached him. The suffocating aura closed in like a divine beast descending, unstoppable.
"One Piece isn't some lost tale from Rocks. It's always existed in this world. If I want it, I'll find it myself. So don't test my patience, got it?"
"And to protect that secret from falling into pirate hands, how many Rear Admirals have died over the centuries? How much blood has the Marine shed?"
"And now, after you pirates kept your mouths shut for decades, you're going to bring it up again, here, in Marine territory?! Don't you dare insult the countless fallen spirits of the Marine's 800-year history, you bastard!!!"
Under the crushing force of Rowen's Haki, Crocus's face turned as pale as death, nearly fainting on the spot.
Rowen turned and walked away, leaving him with a final warning:
"You'd better not have thoughts like that again… Or next time, I'll tear you into pieces and feed you to the dogs."
"Cough… cough… cough, cough, cough!"
Crocus gasped for air, struggling to recover. After a while, he finally managed to breathe normally again. He glanced at Kureha, who was calmly sipping her drink, and smiled bitterly.
"Did I… say something wrong? If we don't speak up about what we've discovered, who knows what disasters might come of it."
"Idiot." Kureha gave him a sharp look.
"That's exactly why Rowen said not to insult them. They're Marines, for them, it's better to die standing than live on their knees."
"To learn the very secret you swore to protect from the mouth of a pirate and then survive? That's a disgrace."
"And don't assume everyone is as desperate to uncover the truth as pirates are.
One of the Marines' greatest missions is to ensure that no one learns that truth.
You were denying the very value of their existence. That's more dangerous than dancing on a blade."
Hearing this, cold sweat drenched Crocus's back. He smiled weakly, nodding.
"I see now… I really am an old fool."
"That's why he let you live."
Kureha shrugged.
As Crocus looked at her in stunned silence, she patted his shoulder and added:
"Because idiots don't overthink things. And idiots… are the ones who remember their lessons."
(End of Chapter)
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