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A few minutes later, the main force, realizing the sentries had lost contact, rushed to the scene, only to find it already empty. Not a soul in sight, only corpses left behind, silently telling the story of what had occurred.
"Commander, we just received word, the last group they encountered was the Straw Hat Pirates."
"Damn it! They escaped again?!"
The samurai commander, who already harbored no goodwill toward the Straw Hats for their repeated crimes within the country, roared angrily, "Split up and search! They can't have gotten far!"
The unique geography of Wano Country and the surrounding seas made every voyage feel like an ascent to heaven, fraught with danger, with little hope of survival.
Now, with not a single ship in sight along the coast, unless the Straw Hats could burrow into the ground, there was no way they could have disappeared without a trace.
And then…
They really had burrowed into the ground!
Walking through an underground tunnel, abandoned for who knows how many years, Rowen seemed to realize something.
"So that's it. You've already fought with them, huh? And? Did you find anything of value?"
At those words, the group fell into a heavy silence.
"…Nothing."
"Hm?"
Rowen looked back at Nami, curious. She seemed… frightened?
"Didn't find anything at all…"
Sanji picked up the explanation, speaking slowly: "To be precise, we didn't even meet the main figures. Not the Celestial Dragon rebel Orrick, who has a 10 billion Belly bounty, nor Kurozumi Orochi, the Shogun of Wano, nor Kaido, leader of the Beast Pirates."
"Before we even saw them, one man alone stopped all of us. Kin'emon and the others risked their lives to help us escape."
Bam!
Up ahead, Zoro slammed his fist into the hard wall, knuckles bleeding.
"That's the second time! This helplessness… One person stopped the entire Straw Hat crew?"
Rowen was slightly surprised. "Oniwabanshuu? One of the Flying Six?"
"No."
Suddenly, Rowen had a realization. He asked, "Nibelung Lirisk, right?"
Aside from those three, the only ones Rowen could imagine stopping the Straw Hats alone at this point were Lirisk and Ryokugyu.
Even someone like 'Plague' Queen couldn't manage that. If the Straw Hats could be casually taken down by a mere officer, they wouldn't have survived this long.
"Yeah. That guy is a total monster!"
Sanji exhaled smoke and sighed deeply. "I've never seen martial arts like his! Not only did he perfectly fuse Half-Beast Form with his hand-to-hand combat skills, he could still use Marine Rokushiki techniques even after fully transforming."
Marine Rokushiki is a martial style developed based on the human body. Most Zoan users in Half-Beast form suffer bone and structure changes that impair their ability to maintain previous levels of performance, let alone in full-beast form.
The scene where a massive lizard, more than ten meters long, used Geppo to step through the air, spun in midair, and tail-whipped Franky, Brook, Chopper, and Usopp into the horizon was etched into Sanji's mind.
Which is why only the four of them were still mobile, the rest were seriously injured and needed recovery.
"I swear I'll defeat him!" Luffy raised his head, eyes blazing with fury. "Anyone who hurts my friends… is unforgivable!"
"Hmph, you said that to me too… that was years ago." Rowen poured cold water over the moment, nearly making Luffy trip.
"But relax. I'm not really interested in you right now." After laughing, he lit a cigar and said casually, "Do you know what that old bastard Garp said before he died?"
The group stopped walking.
Luffy quietly lowered the brim of his hat. "What?"
"He asked me to look after you… Even as he was dying, he was still thinking about stuff like that. Asking someone like me, a Marine, for such a thing. Ridiculous, right?"
Though those were his words, no one felt angry.
The smile on Rowen's face was one of self-mockery, a kind of helpless nostalgia, mourning a lost comrade.
"I don't need it!"
Suddenly, Luffy raised his head and met Rowen's eyes without flinching.
"If you want to catch me, go ahead and try. As long as I'm alive, I'll find a way to escape and continue searching for the One Piece!"
To that, Rowen nodded as if he'd expected no less.
"I thought the same thing. That's how you all made it this far."
Straw Hats: "..."
That comment… was too on point.
But also… not wrong.
At Soryu's (Azure Dragon's) speed, if he really wanted to catch them, there was no way they could escape.
The only thing worth being thankful for was that they hadn't caused a major incident in the New World, yet. They weren't significant enough to warrant an Admiral being dispatched.
Even in this era, there were still countless pirates across the world, while there were only three Marine Admirals… So only the top-level pirates, like their current target, Kaido, were worthy of having Admirals take action personally.
But they all knew, as long as they kept moving forward, one day they would cross that threshold, and Rowen would start treating them as real enemies.
That would be when the true test began!
"The future's uncertain, huh…" Sanji chuckled bitterly and shook his head, snuffing out his cigarette.
"But for now, it's actually a good thing…"
A faint light appeared at the end of the tunnel. Sanji continued: "We were planning to circle around the coastline to sail out the other side and return to Zou Island to bring back reinforcements. But now that we've run into you, that won't be necessary."
Rowen's power might be a massive obstacle they'd have to face someday, but right now, it was their greatest support!
"Hey everyone, I brought reinforcements."
"Sanji! You're back?!"
Wrapped in bandages and grinding up herbs on a stool, Chopper perked up at the sound and excitedly hopped down, running over.
"That fast? Where'd you find reinforcements?" Franky, while repairing his arm with parts, raised his head in confusion.
"Trust me, you couldn't ask for better reinforcements." Sanji smiled mysteriously and stepped aside to let the figure enter.
Clack.
A leather shoe stepped into the stone chamber hidden underground. Judging by the size, the figure must be at least three meters tall.
Reading by oil lamp, Nico Robin seemed to sense something. She looked up, then immediately held her breath.
"It's… him?!!"
Clatter!
Usopp froze mid-carry with a toolbox in his hands, which fell to the ground, scattering parts everywhere. The moment they saw who had arrived, the chamber fell completely silent, you could hear a pin drop.
"Ah… I really want to wipe out all of you Straw Hats in one go."
Glancing at Chopper hiding behind Sanji's leg, Rowen grinned ferociously.
…
Meanwhile – Flower Capital, Orrick Residence
Bang!
Kurozumi Orochi slammed open the doors and shouted: "Orrick! Hand her over!"
"Eh? General Kurozumi, what brings you to my home?" Orrick stepped out of an inner room, feigning surprise.
"Cut the crap! You know Komurasaki is mine! Tell that bastard son of yours to bring her back right now!"
Kurozumi Orochi was trembling with rage. He had been pursuing Komurasaki for ages, but as a geisha, she followed geisha rules. Forcing himself on a geisha who didn't sell herself would invite ridicule from all and go against the samurai code of honor, so he hadn't dared to act.
But in just the blink of an eye, Lirisk had forcibly taken her away. By the time Orochi heard the news and rushed out, they were already long gone.
"Is that so? Then I'm afraid I can't help you." Orrick shrugged indifferently.
"Young people having fun is perfectly normal. I don't know where they went either."
"You…!!"
Glaring furiously, Orochi raised a hand.
"Fine, then I'll find them myself! If he dares break the rules of Wano Country, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
"Suit yourself, if you're capable of it. Just don't forget, we're Nibelung Family. We're not like those pig-headed fools with their silly hang-ups."
At those words, Kurozumi Orochi gave a cold snort and turned away.
"We're leaving!"
(End of Chapter)
PS- Hey Guys I have picked up 2 new fanfictions
New Fanfiction— 1. One Piece—Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki!
2. One Piece—Master Of Devil Fruits