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Syrup Village.
"Miss Kaya! Y-You have to see this!" Merry burst into Kaya's study, holding several newspapers, his eyes wide with horror and disbelief.
"Is it more news about Rowen?!" Kaya exclaimed, excitedly jumping up from her desk upon seeing Merry.
"Y-Yes! Un-Unbelievable! M-Mr. Rowen, he—!" Merry gasped for breath, so agitated he couldn't speak properly for a moment.
Kaya quickly took the newspapers from Merry and began reading intently. As she read, her delicate hand flew to cover her mouth, her beautiful face filled with utter shock.
"Mr. Rowen... is too incredible. His previous bounty over 1.1 billion Beri already made him a major figure... But now—he defeated a Marine HQ Admiral! And he trampled upon the Celestial Dragons! he's now being called the Fifth Emperor of the Sea, alongside the Four Emperors..." Merry trailed off, unable to find words to describe it.
A Marine HQ Admiral!
That was one of the highest combat powers of Marine HQ, of the World Government itself! An absolute super-powerhouse on these seas!
In their East Blue, the highest Marine rank was only a Branch Vice Admiral, not even comparable to an HQ Vice Admiral, let alone one of the three exclusive Marine HQ Admirals.
This powerhouse—was defeated by Mr. Rowen!
Merry recalled the day Mr. Rowen and his crew set sail, feeling as though it were all a dream. It hadn't been that long ago... yet he had already become such a colossal figure.
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Kaya picked up a different newspaper article.
It was the Marine HQ clarification regarding the Alabasta incident—Kaya knew how gentle Rowen was—she hadn't believed a single word of the reports claiming he colluded with the Alabasta princess to overthrow the kingdom.
Seeing this clarification now made Kaya incredibly happy.
"Miss, isn't the more important thing that Mr. Rowen has now become the Fifth Emperor of the Sea?" Merry, though happy for Kaya, couldn't help but point to one of the more sensational headlines.
"Rowen... is just Rowen. Whether he becomes an Emperor or eventually retires to a quiet life... I'll wait for him here. Wait for him to take me to sea. We made a promise," Kaya replied, her smile radiant and unwavering.
"But you're right. Rowen becoming so strong means the day he returns should be even closer! Oh dear, I need to make even more preparations!" Kaya suddenly felt a sense of urgency.
"Hehe," Merry chuckled, watching Kaya's happy flurry, then his gaze fell upon another article, his eyes filling with joy and pride:
[SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN'S PIRATE SHIP! THE LEGENDARY! GOING MERRY!]
Seeing the Going Merry, alongside Rowen, now famous across the entire world, Merry, its creator, felt his eyes moisten.
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Windmill Village.
"HAHAHAHA! AMAZING! Luffy's comrade defeated a Marine HQ Admiral!"
"Incredible! Having a super great pirate in the crew!"
"The Fifth Emperor of the Sea! What a super big shot!"
"And he even took on the Celestial Dragons! What incredible guts!"
"Luffy's bounty is 300 million Beri too! He's a great pirate as well!"
"Hahaha! This calls for a celebration! DRINK!"
Inside Makino's Partys Bar, the villagers of Windmill Village raised their cups repeatedly, laughing uproariously.
Luffy's wanted poster was proudly displayed in the most prominent spot—Just looking at it made them want to drink more.
"QUIET, ALL OF YOU! A great villain has emerged from this village! And you're all celebrating?!" Mayor Woop Slap stormed in, thumping his cane angrily on the floor.
"Hahaha! Mayor, come have a drink too!" Seeing Woop Slap, the villagers, far from quieting down, laughed even harder.
This old stick-in-the-mud... no need to listen to him; everyone knew he was one of the people who cared most about Luffy.
"Honestly, these people," Woop Slap sighed, sitting down at the bar, looking helplessly at the smiling Makino.
"Well, it is Luffy, after all," Makino giggled, unable to suppress her smile as she thought of the boy she watched grow up, now a great pirate with a 300 million Beri bounty.
'Luffy... is steadily marching towards his dream...'
"But... he really has turned the seas upside down. Luffy's comrade... Sky Sovereign Rowen, was it?" Woop Slap picked up a newspaper, his own eyes filled with shock as he read.
"The Fifth Emperor of the Sea... With this powerful comrade, Luffy's dream should be easier to achieve," Makino commented, deeply impressed.
"Honestly! If this village really becomes the hometown of the Pirate King, our reputation will be ruined!"
Makino chuckled. 'This stubborn old man.'
"Sky Sovereign Rowen..." Makino murmured, reading the articles about Rowen.
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Cocoyasi Village.
A feast was underway.
The villagers cheered endlessly for Nami and Rowen.
Rowen, who had saved them, becoming such a super big shot—the villagers were genuinely happy for him.
Nojiko looked at Rowen's and Nami's wanted posters in her hand and smiled. "Nami, 30 million Beri bounty—that's even higher than Arlong's was. Knowing Nami's personality, she must be terrified—"
Nojiko's smile was radiant. "But... with Rowen by her side, Nami will definitely be alright."
Nojiko looked at Rowen's bounty poster—the man now hailed as the Fifth Emperor of the Sea, and smiled.
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Sea Restaurant Baratie!
"Hahaha! That's right! 'Black Leg' Sanji came from here!"
"Huh? His strength? Well, he was about evenly matched with me!"
"Sky Sovereign Rowen? Now that's a great man! HAHAHA!"
Patty weaved through the customers, hands on his hips, laughing boastfully.
Though Sky Sovereign Rowen was already a super great pirate—his fame now had reached an absolute peak. Even the Four Emperors, many people still didn't know exactly who they were.
But now... even the most common civilian—who wouldn't know the name Rowen?? The Fifth Emperor of the Sea?? More importantly, this was the scary figure who attacked the Celestial Dragons.
People often lacked a concrete concept of how scary an Emperor of the Sea truly was. But the Celestial Dragons—they were universally acknowledged as beings one absolutely must not anger!
But now? Even a Marine HQ Admiral had been defeated at Sky Sovereign Rowen's hands—and this news report let everyone on the seas know about it!
Instantly, among the common people, Sky Sovereign Rowen, this super big shot hailed as the Fifth Emperor of the Sea—his fame even surpassed that of the Four Emperors—
—Many even believed Rowen was far stronger than the Four Emperors. After all, there had never been news of an Emperor defeating a Marine HQ Admiral. Nor had any Emperor ever dared to directly attack the Celestial Dragons.
Across the seas now, from the highest echelons of power down to the common folk—everyone was talking about one man:
The man who pierced the sky... Sky Sovereign Rowen!
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"Hey, Patty! Get back to cooking! The kitchen's swamped!" Zeff called out.
The Baratie was already famous. It had even become a hot tourist spot... Countless diners flocked here, not just for the delicious food, but also hoping to find some trace or story about Sky Sovereign Rowen.
"Truly... an astonishing man," Zeff murmured, stepping out onto the deck after arranging things in the kitchen.
He held Sanji's and Rowen's wanted posters in his hand, a shocked smile on his face.
Even now, it still felt somewhat unreal... Though he knew that man would rise, he never expected it to be so fast...
"The Fifth Emperor of the Sea! Incredible!!" Zeff smiled. With such an incredible man by his side, Sanji's dream was also one step closer.
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Mariejois! Pangea Castle!
"BASTARD! WORLD ECONOMIC NEWS AGENCY! WHAT UTTER AUDACITY!" Saint Topman Warcury roared.
Celestial Dragons had been killed in history before—for instance, by that man, Rocks D. Xebec.
Even the God's Knights sometimes executed Celestial Dragons who broke their established rules. But externally—no one had ever publicized such an event! The World Government's dignity was damaged!
"Calm yourself. This isn't the first time Morgans has risked everything for a big scoop—" Saint Marcus Mars stated gravely.
"I didn't expect even a powerhouse like Aokiji would fall to that man's hands. Fifth Emperor of the Sea... no one can argue with that title now," Saint Shepherd Ju Peter commented, his expression dark.
"Awakened Rumble-Rumble Fruit—And awakened Human-Human Fruit, BASTARD! With such a combination of abilities, even if we dispatch the God's Knights, we have no way to deal with him—according to Sengoku's report, Sky Sovereign Rowen's Observation Haki range has reached an inhuman level!" Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro slammed his famed sword onto the floor.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability allowed Rowen's Observation Haki range to become terrifyingly vast!
Even more terrifying than any previous Rumble-Rumble user they knew of.
And combined with the Human-Human Fruit ability, granting him 'Ultimate Human' intelligence—sending any number of pursuit forces would be useless—he'd sense them instantly and vanish...
"And the most troublesome part—that ability to steal all of another's powers! How can such an ability exist on these seas?!" Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, usually composed, was now also incredibly furious.
As a scientist, he couldn't tolerate the existence of something so unscientific... Sky Sovereign Rowen—had broken the rules of this sea!
"However, according to Sengoku's latest calculations, Rowen, having grown to this extent, gains almost nothing from stealing the powers of ants. We must not let him steal the power of a Marine HQ Admiral! As for the Four Emperors—if Rowen eliminates one or two of them, it wouldn't be a bad thing. After all, no matter how strong Rowen is, he's still just one man! Could he possibly be stronger than Joy Boy was?"
Saint Marcus Mars analyzed gravely.
"Powers useful to that man... Marine HQ Admirals are highly valuable. We absolutely cannot let him gain power of that level! Admiral Candidates would provide some benefit. Vice Admirals—negligible." Saint Shepherd Ju Peter stated grimly.
"And the Warlords... The Government's face cannot be further damaged! Aside from Mihawk, the other Warlords facing the current Sky Sovereign Rowen would just be committing suicide!" Saturn declared.
"Then—issue the order!"
"Marine Headquarters! And all World Government agencies! Including the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
"Without express orders from us, the World Government's highest authority—"
"ENGAGING SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN IS FORBIDDEN!"
"Raise this man's bounty! To signify his danger!"
"THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS MAN! THE WORLD'S MOST VICIOUS MAN!"
"BOUNTY: 3,000,000,000 BERI!"
The joint directive of the Five Elders was issued.
"YES, SIRS!" The Marine HQ Vice Admiral at the door, tasked with relaying the order, saluted, drenched in cold sweat.
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Dressrosa.
Doflamingo trembled, staring at the reports in his hand, cold sweat pouring down his face.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS FAKE NEWS?!" Doflamingo shrieked, completely losing his composure.
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