~ Since we didn't reach 300 Power Stones... perhaps there won't be a bonus chapter today. Even if we manage to hit the target today, the chances of not having bonus chapter tomorrow are much higher—so don't slack off with the Power Stones!
~ Things are about to get really exciting in Little Garden and the Arabasta Kingdom.
~ Before long chapters, we used to rank in the Top 7/8, Now we're down to Top 25…
~ 18 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
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After composing herself, Robin reverted to her usual mature and composed demeanor. She sipped her coffee elegantly, hardly resembling a captive woman.
She watched Rowen thoughtfully.
This man—had already dispersed the smoke constructs, placing absolutely no restrictions on her freedom. It was as if his earlier words about her being a captive with no choice were merely a jest.
Robin had a feeling that if she truly insisted on leaving right now, this man wouldn't stop her at all. He acted as if he were absolutely certain she would eventually join his crew.
Interesting... A subtle, intriguing curve touched Robin's lips.
Truthfully, she had no intention of leaving anyway.
The information this man possessed about the Poneglyphs held immense interest for her. Besides, her woman's intuition told her Rowen was telling the truth. A man like him had no reason to deceive a woman he could kill at any moment.
For Robin, who had lost all her family and friends in the Ohara Incident, finding the True History was her life's sole pursuit. Even after being branded a criminal with a 79 million Beri bounty at the age of eight, enduring countless pursuits, Robin had never abandoned this dream.
Despite this, years of searching had yielded no clues about the True History. Even Robin had begun to feel disheartened.
But now, this man told her the True History was on the final island, placed there by the Pirate King himself.
For someone chasing a dream, the most terrifying thing wasn't the difficulty of achieving it, but the absence of hope. Now, seeing a glimmer of hope, Robin naturally wanted to seize this opportunity.
Plus... this man was incredibly mysterious.
Robin rested her chin elegantly on her hand, stirring her coffee thoughtfully.
On these seas, the most talked-about super rookie right now was undoubtedly the man before her!
Sky Sovereign Rowen!
Clashing with Hawk-Eyes Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords and the World's Greatest Swordsman, before even entering the Grand Line! A bounty of 100 million Beri!
This bounty wasn't like hers—issued because her ability to read the Poneglyphs posed a threat to the World Government. It was genuine recognition of this man's strength. Their clash was even hailed by the papers as a 'Clash of Kings'.
And this man somehow knew her secrets, Crocodile's secrets, and information about the Poneglyphs. He knew so many hidden truths despite supposedly never having entered the Grand Line.
Powerful, mysterious... these words seemed synonymous with this man.
What was most important for an excellent historian? Naturally, an insatiable curiosity to uncover the true history. Only with such curiosity could one truly pursue a past that seemed almost non-existent.
This man's strength and mystery thoroughly piqued her curiosity.
Robin's lips curved into an elegant smile.
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"Shishishi! I can't wait to see what the next island is like!" Luffy grinned excitedly from his special seat on the Merry's figurehead, looking out at the sea ahead.
Rowen and the crew were now en route to their next destination.
"I can provide that information. The next island is called Little Garden," Robin offered, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
"Little Garden? Then leave it to Usopp the Brave to explore this island!" Usopp declared boldly. The name sounded harmless enough.
"That island name—sounds kind of familiar," Nami murmured thoughtfully.
"Mr. Sky Sovereign, you should know about this island, shouldn't you?" Robin asked Rowen, looking at him with interest. Surely a man who knew so many secrets wouldn't be ignorant of this place.
"The Prehistoric island—Little Garden," Rowen confirmed with a calm smile.
"Prehistoric island?!" Hearing this name, Vivi's expression instantly changed.
"Because of the Grand Line's chaotic magnetic fields, islands rarely interact. Combined with this sea's unique climate, many islands remain isolated, frozen in different eras. A 'Prehistoric island' is one still stuck in a prehistoric state. Little Garden—is still in the age of dinosaurs," Rowen explained, his smile widening with genuine interest.
Dinosaurs!
Anyone from Earth would surely be fascinated by them. Now having the chance to see them in reality—Rowen definitely wouldn't miss it.
"D-Dinosaurs?!" Usopp immediately burst into tears of terror.
Nami also looked frightened, instinctively grabbing Rowen's arm, then feeling a wave of reassurance from his presence.
"SUGEEE! I smell adventure!" Luffy's eyes shone with intense excitement.
"As expected of the Grand Line! It even has creatures like dinosaurs!" Zoro grinned fiercely.
"Dinosaurs, huh? Wonder how they taste cooked... Moss-head! Remember to catch some edible ones! Replenish our supplies," Sanji instructed Zoro.
"Hmph. I'll hunt prey you couldn't even dream of catching," Zoro retorted deliberately.
"Huh?! I can't pretend I didn't hear that! Just watch—The prey I bring back will put yours to shame, you idiot!" Sanji flared up, veins popping on his forehead.
"Who are you calling an idiot?!" Zoro snapped back instantly, triggered by the word.
The two immediately started fighting again.
"Shishishi! Go Zoro! Go Sanji!" Luffy cheered them on from the sidelines.
"Don't you just stand there! Slacking off like this, when will you ever learn Haki?" Rowen's intimidating gaze, radiating faint crimson-black light, fixed on Luffy from behind, making Luffy break out in a cold sweat.
WHAM!
Rowen kicked Luffy straight into the middle of Zoro and Sanji's brawl.
FWOOSH! A cloud of smoke enveloped the three.
"Explosion!"
BOOM! Accompanied by the screams of Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji, fiery light erupted from within the smoke.
"Some of that smoke is infused with the Bomb-Bomb Fruit's power. Either figure out which parts are explosive and dodge—which will help awaken your Observation Haki—or awaken your Armament Haki to resist the blasts naturally. Train hard," Rowen called out, laughing heartily at their cries of pain.
Now possessing the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, Rowen no longer needed to physically beat Haki into them.
He could mix explosive smoke into the regular smoke, training their senses and helping them awaken Observation Haki.
Besides... watching the three get blown up was decent post-meal entertainment.
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"Don't worry," Nami said gently, walking over to Vivi and taking her hand with a smile. Seeing Vivi reminded Nami of her own past self as a thief in the East Blue.
"Thank you, Nami," Vivi replied, squeezing Nami's hand, a small smile gracing her lips.
"With Rowen here, everything will be alright," Nami added confidently, her eyes sparkling as she looked towards Rowen.
"Mm," Vivi nodded, watching Rowen laugh while tormenting the other three with explosive smoke. Her eyes also held a subtle shimmer.
'Causing such a ruckus... was it to distract her from her worries?' She did feel less anxious now. Vivi offered a small, genuine smile.
Robin watched the chaos aboard the Merry and smiled faintly too. 'This pirate crew—really is different from the others.'
Rowen, while continuing to blast Luffy and the others amidst their screams, kept his Observation Haki focused on Robin.
'She didn't offer an Eternal Pose to bypass Little Garden like in the original story—Looks like she wants to observe me more on this island?' Rowen smirked inwardly, unconcerned.
Looking out towards the vast sea, Rowen's eyes shone with startling intensity. Through feedback from the System, Rowen had reached a conclusion:
He should be able to perfectly acquire the Traits from those two Giants.
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Little Garden.
Being a Prehistoric island frozen in the age of dinosaurs, the flora and fauna here were also enormous. Even approaching the island, the surrounding sea teemed with unusually large fish and dolphins.
Upon entering Little Garden itself, monstrous roars echoed intermittently from the dense jungle. Giant, grotesque birds soared through the sky, reinforcing the prehistoric atmosphere.
"Adventure! Adventure! Sanji—My Pirate Lunchbox!" Luffy yelled excitedly, captivated by the ancient jungle teeming with primeval energy.
"Wait right there," Sanji replied, rolling his eyes.
Soon, the lunchboxes were ready, and Luffy charged eagerly into the jungle.
"Stupid cook! Watch me bring back a giant prey you couldn't even touch!"
"Watch me bring back prey that'll make you ashamed, moss-head!"
Zoro and Sanji shot each other glares, then headed off in separate directions into the jungle.
"Rowen, aren't you going exploring? You seemed so excited before we arrived," Vivi asked curiously, noticing Rowen hadn't joined the others heading into the jungle.
"Well, I'd need to be able to move first, wouldn't I?" Rowen replied helplessly, gesturing towards Nami, who was clinging tightly to his arm.
Nearby, Usopp considered hugging Rowen's leg for safety but quickly decided against it. 'What if Rowen decided to train him with explosive smoke too?!'
Throughout the journey here, Luffy and the others had screamed constantly from the explosions! Luckily, their inhuman physiques allowed them to recover quickly. Usopp knew his own body couldn't take that kind of abuse!
"Waaah! Can't we just wait on the ship until the Log Pose sets?" Nami pleaded cutely, looking up at Rowen.
"But I want to see dinosaurs," Rowen replied, looking fondly at Nami.
"F-Fine... I'll go with you then," Nami stammered, biting her lip, her expression one of tragic, self-sacrificing determination.
"Forget it. Let's just wait here for a bit," Rowen chuckled, gently flicking Nami's nose. He sat down on the deck.
"Y-Yeah! Staying on the ship is much better!" Usopp exclaimed, feeling immensely relieved that Rowen was staying.
"I'll stay too then," Vivi said, sitting down beside Nami with Karoo. Compared to exploring, Vivi felt calmer just being near Rowen.
"I suspect Mr. Sky Sovereign isn't staying behind solely because of the navigator, am I wrong?" Robin asked Rowen with keen interest.
"Being too clever isn't always good, Miss Historian," Rowen replied, mimicking Robin's earlier tone with a smile.
Compared to seeing dinosaurs, Rowen prioritized enhancing his own strength.
The giant, Brogy, should be arriving soon—drawn by the scent of alcohol (likely from their earlier ritual). Besides, time was plentiful; he'd surely see dinosaurs eventually.
"What do you mean? What are you two talking about?" Nami asked, confused.
"Because this isn't just a normal Prehistoric island, Miss Navigator. Don't you find it strange that an island teeming with dinosaurs and prehistoric beasts is called—Little Garden?" Robin asked Nami, smiling knowingly.
"W-Wait a second!" Nami suddenly remembered something and dashed into the cabin.
A moment later, she rushed back out, clutching a logbook from her collection, her face pale. She immediately latched onto Rowen, refusing to let go.
"Wh-What's wrong?!" Vivi asked anxiously, sensing Nami's sudden fear, subconsciously moving closer to Rowen and grabbing his arm as well.
"Don't scare me, Nami!" Usopp yelled, cold sweat pouring down his face.
"The reason it's called Little Garden... is because this island—filled with dinosaurs and giant beasts—is nothing more than a backyard garden... to the beings who live here,"
Rowen explained calmly, turning his gaze towards a massive shadow approaching through the trees.
"Right... Mr. Giant?" Rowen finished, laughing heartily as the colossal figure emerged.
"Check Traits." Rowen commanded inwardly.
——
Brogy Traits: Giant Physique (Pale Gold) (Overdrawn), Innate Warrior (Special).
Giant Physique (Pale Gold) (Overdrawn): The powerful physique possessed by the Giant race. However, due to a century of continuous battle, the body is completely overdrawn, weakening the physique's energy.
Innate Warrior (Special): A pure-blooded Giant of Elbaf. Upon reaching adulthood, automatically possesses immense strength inherent to their bloodline. Even if power is lost, as long as they haven't reached old age, can rapidly recover to peak strength.
——
Rowen looked at Brogy's Traits, understanding flashing in his eyes.
No wonder Brogy and Dorry performed so poorly on Little Garden in the original story, getting tricked by Mr. 3!
A century of non-stop dueling—over seventy thousand battles between them! Even for Giants, such relentless combat had completely overdrafted their physiques!
Exhausted to that extent, Haki naturally became unusable. Their physical energy was infinitely weakened, currently only registering at the Pale Gold level.
And the reason Brogy and Dorry could go from being vulnerable to Mr. 3's Wax-Wax Fruit on Little Garden—to fighting against the Five Elders during the Egghead incident, recovering their strength so quickly—was because of this Innate Warrior (Special) Trait!
Giants were born warriors. Upon reaching adulthood, they automatically gained immense power from their bloodline. And even if their bodies were completely overdrawn, weakening their physical energy infinitely, as long as they were still in their prime (not elderly), they could rapidly recover to peak condition after a period of rest!
But the drawback was also obvious: bloodline determinism. Pure-blooded Giants... their potential strength was largely predetermined at birth.
Like Prince Loki, destined from birth to be the strongest Giant of his generation. Such bloodline-based power systems were common tropes.
But this—works perfectly for him!
Rowen's eyes gleamed with startling intensity.
No wonder the System indicated he could perfectly acquire the physique Trait energy from Dorry and Brogy!
Because even if he took their physical energy, Dorry and Brogy could quickly recover their strength just by resting back on Elbaf!
Rowen's mind already formulated the perfect plan to obtain the physique Trait energy from both Dorry and Brogy simultaneously.
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"GABABABABA! Greetings, little humans who've reached this place!" Brogy let out his signature booming laugh.
"G-GIANT!!!" Nami screamed, tears streaming down her face as she clung desperately onto Rowen.
Usopp simply rolled his eyes back and collapsed onto the deck, playing dead.
Vivi's face turned deathly pale as well, grabbing Rowen's other arm tightly.
"Hm?!" Just then, a dinosaur lunged out, biting onto Brogy's back.
"Didn't you see I have guests?! Bastard!" Brogy roared, swinging his giant axe casually. The dinosaur's head flew off cleanly.
"!!!" Nami and Vivi screamed again, burying their faces into Rowen's chest from opposite sides.
"I am Brogy! The Strongest warrior of Elbaf!" Brogy declared proudly after dispatching the dinosaur, laughing towards Rowen.
"Rowen—Future King of the Seas!" Rowen laughed back boldly.
"GABABABABA! A spirited human! Interesting! Care to visit my home? By the way, do you have any booze?" Brogy laughed uproariously.
"Of course, we do! The question is, can you handle it?! Hahaha!" Rowen laughed back confidently, holding Nami and Vivi close, meeting Brogy's gaze without flinching.
"Can't handle it? GABABABA! Too interesting, Rowen!" Brogy laughed until tears streamed down his face.
"Giants..." Robin murmured, watching the colossal figure, then looking at Rowen, who stood fearlessly before the Giant, laughing just as powerfully, appearing even more commanding in comparison.
A nostalgic, familiar warmth filled her eyes.
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