The fall of one of the Navy's "Monster Vice Admirals" stirred unease among the rookie pirates in Loguetown. Some began to move restlessly, sensing an opportunity.
However, the moment Kuzan and Sakazuki were deployed, their overwhelming strength delivered a crushing blow to any ambitions those rookies harbored, instantly quelling the unrest.
True to their reputation as the Navy's three Monster Vice Admirals, Kuzan and Sakazuki swiftly suppressed every pirate who dared to act out in Loguetown.
This display of power made the pirate world take the Navy's Monster Vice Admirals more seriously than ever before. At the same time, it greatly amplified the reputation of Rosinante—the man who had defeated one of them.
Following Kuzan and Sakazuki's swift action, Loguetown gradually returned to a tense calm. None of the rookies could stand against them, and the veteran pirates, unwilling to provoke a full-scale war at this moment, chose to bide their time.
Yet, beneath this apparent tranquility, powerful undercurrents surged.
One thing was clear—despite the Navy's relentless pursuit, they found no trace of Rosinante. It was as if he had vanished into thin air. In the end, even Kuzan and Sakazuki had no choice but to return and report their failure.
"As expected," Sengoku said. "The Silent-Silent Fruit can suppress sound, but in Rosinante's hands, it has evolved into an incredible stealth ability. Even the World Government, despite mobilizing CP spies across the world and deploying users of special Devil Fruits, took an immense amount of time to track him in the past. Your mission was never about capturing him—it was to intimidate those reckless rookie pirates in Loguetown and remind them of their place."
"Now that Borsalino has regained consciousness, let's go see him," Sengoku decided.
"Yes, sir!" Kuzan and Sakazuki responded in unison, their expressions unreadable.
Sengoku, along with Kuzan, Sakazuki, and the Navy's chief strategist, Tsuru, made their way to the infirmary of the Loguetown Naval Base.
Surprisingly, Borsalino—normally relaxed and flippant—was uncharacteristically solemn as he recounted his battle with Rosinante.
Despite his usual lazy demeanor, Borsalino was incredibly proud. As a user of the Pika Pika no Mi (Glint-Glint Fruit), he had always been indifferent to most things, believing no one could truly challenge him. His casual attitude often came with an undertone of condescension.
But this time, his defeat had forced him to take things seriously.
"You're saying Rosinante's ability temporarily neutralized your Devil Fruit powers?" Sengoku's expression grew grave.
"I let my guard down, but yes," Borsalino admitted. "For an instant, my abilities were completely silenced. When I tried to reactivate them, it felt as though my powers had just woken up from a deep sleep—sluggish, unresponsive. Rosinante calls this ability 'Fruit Silence.'"
Kuzan, intrigued, muttered, "That's quite the terrifying ability."
Borsalino shot him a look, clearly irritated that Kuzan had stolen his usual line.
"A power that can suppress Devil Fruits… Is that really something the Silent-Silent Fruit is capable of?" Sengoku murmured, his expression darkening.
"It's not entirely impossible," Tsuru interjected. "Devil Fruits are known for their strange and unpredictable abilities. Most Devil Fruit users focus on developing straightforward offensive powers. If someone acquires a fruit that appears weak at first glance, they might not bother exploring its full potential. But Rosinante clearly has."
"If he can silence Devil Fruits… then what's stopping him from silencing physical strength, Haki, life force… or even space and time?" Tsuru speculated.
"If that's the case, then this is a serious threat," Sengoku said grimly.
"A sin like this must be eradicated immediately," Sakazuki declared coldly.
"There's no need for unnecessary panic," Sengoku countered. "I'll report this to Fleet Admiral Kong and have Rosinante's bounty significantly increased. For now, our top priority remains the execution of the world's greatest criminal—Gol D. Roger."
"What's Roger's current status?" Kuzan asked.
"Garp is handling his transport. He should arrive in Loguetown within the next few days," Sengoku replied.
"If Vice Admiral Garp is in charge, then there's nothing to worry about," Kuzan said simply.
### **Above Loguetown—Thousands of Meters in the Sky**
"Hmph… Now that my abilities have been exposed, pulling the same trick again won't be so easy."
The Navy could search all they wanted, but they would never find Rosinante. He wasn't on land—he was floating high above Loguetown, thousands of meters in the sky. Even if they turned the city upside down, he would remain beyond their reach.
Using the Silent-Silent Fruit, Rosinante had temporarily "silenced" gravity itself, allowing him to hover freely in the air.
Ever since awakening his Observation Haki, he had gained an acute sense of presence—both his own and that of others. Constantly being hunted by the World Government had forced him to develop a new technique: the ability to silence his own presence entirely.
This realization led him to a bold thought: if he could silence his own presence, could he silence other forces as well?
Could he suppress resistance, friction, impact force, elements, Haki… even life itself? Could he neutralize the abilities of other Devil Fruit users? Could he silence space and time?
The mere thought sent a shiver down his spine.
But then he asked himself—why not?
If someone like Bartholomew Kuma could develop the Paw-Paw Fruit to the point of deflecting everything, even teleporting people across vast distances, then why couldn't the Silent-Silent Fruit evolve into something just as terrifying?
Still, theories and reality were two different things. Even if his fruit held such potential, unlocking it wouldn't be easy.
His first breakthrough had been learning to suppress his own presence—something he achieved by sensing his own aura with Observation Haki. If he wanted to silence intangible forces like gravity or friction, he would first need to perceive them.
Luckily, his fusion of two souls had already granted him immense mental strength. As his body and spirit matured, so too did his Observation Haki.
Through constant experimentation, Rosinante gradually became capable of perceiving gravity, friction, and resistance. He had even begun to develop the ability to silence them temporarily.
He called this power **"Silent Force."**