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"FAKE NEWS! This has to be fake news!" Doflamingo shrieked, his voice cracking.
Sky Sovereign Rowen defeated Aokiji??
Doflamingo's forehead streamed with cold sweat.
Back at the Marine HQ and Warlord joint conference in Mariejois, he had personally experienced the impact of Rowen's Conqueror's Haki. It was strong, yes, putting him under considerable pressure.
But that was it!
Pressure, yes; perhaps the man was stronger than him, but not to the point of utterly overwhelming him!
But look at these reports now!
Even a Marine Admiral, Aokiji, in a direct one-on-one confrontation, was crushingly defeated by Sky Sovereign Rowen—Leg severed, severely wounded. If not for Hero Garp's timely arrival, Aokiji might have even been killed by Rowen.
What did that even MEAN??
Even Kaido—the man Doflamingo feared most, hailed as the World's Strongest Creature—had no such battle record!
But this implied, based on these reports—Sky Sovereign Rowen now possessed the qualifications to stand alongside his backer, Emperor Kaido!
The Fifth Emperor of the Sea!
If these battle records were true, then even Doflamingo had no grounds to refute that title... Such power—only the Four Emperors, reigning supreme over these seas, possessed it!
Calling him the Fifth Emperor, what was wrong with that?
Sweat poured uncontrollably down Doflamingo's forehead. In such a short time, this man had grown to Emperor level?
Emperors weren't common cabbages. Even Kaido—took until he was over fifty to reach that terrifying strength... Red-Hair was nearly forty.
And this brat?? Less than a YEAR since setting sail.
Hadn't even completed the first half of the Grand Line, hadn't reached Sabaody Archipelago—yet already possessed Emperor-level power?!
What kind of sick joke was this???
"FAKE NEWS!" Doflamingo roared inwardly.
It wasn't that he couldn't recognize reality; it was that he refused to accept THIS reality!
Sky Sovereign Rowen—had 'reserved his head' back in Mariejois. Being targeted for assassination by someone with Emperor-level power?! How could he possibly accept such a reality?
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"Young Master! Latest news! From the World Government!" The door burst open, and Trebol rushed in, his face pale with panic.
"Huh?!" Doflamingo looked up, a terrible premonition gripping him.
...
"Confirmed! Admiral Aokiji Defeated!"
"Sky Sovereign Rowen Possesses The Vicious Ability To Steal All Of Another's Powers! He Is The Man Who Can Steal Everything! The World's Most Dangerous Man!"
"Sky Sovereign Rowen Possesses Not Only The Rumble-Rumble Fruit But Also The Human-Human Fruit, Enhancing His Intellect! In Terms Of Strategy, He Is Comparable To Fleet Admiral Sengoku The Buddha... An Ultimate Human!"
"And He Has Completely Mastered Haōshoku Coating!"
"World Government Ban! Marine HQ, All World Government Departments, And The Seven Warlords Of The Sea—Are Forbidden From Engaging Sky Sovereign Rowen Without Explicit Orders From The Highest World Government Authority!"
"Sky Sovereign Rowen! Latest Bounty: 3,000,000,000 Beri!!!"
"This Man—Is Now, In Name And Reality—The Fifth Emperor Of The Sea!"
...
Trebol babbled frantically, each sentence striking Doflamingo's heart like a sledgehammer.
The ability to steal all of another's powers, the most vicious ability in history. Was this the true face of this man? Was this the truth behind his rapid growth?
Doflamingo trembled uncontrollably.
Even worse... his head had been targeted by this scary man! He was being hunted by someone with Emperor-level power?
Doflamingo recalled his humiliating experience being chased by Vice Admiral Tsuru, his forehead veins throbbing. That was just Tsuru... Her strength was nowhere near Emperor level!
Now he was facing a frightening combatant who defeated Aokiji one-on-one, who could have killed Aokiji if not for Garp's intervention.
Possessor of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, one of the Logias hailed as nearly invincible, with unmatched sensory range and super long-range attack capability!
Doflamingo mentally reviewed the list—and not just his facial expression, his entire body began to twitch and tremble uncontrollably.
WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE WAS THIS??
Facing this Omnipotent-monster, did he even have a snowball's chance in hell of surviving?
His String-String Fruit abilities—felt like paper before this monster's power!
That bullshit about Devil Fruit strength depending on the user—That was just talk he used on weaker pirates to sound powerful, to show off!
In reality, after witnessing truly overwhelmingly powerful abilities, he knew the limitations of his String-String Fruit all too well.
Why was Kaido called the World's Strongest Creature, unbeatable in a one-on-one? Wasn't it because of that Devil Fruit, the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon??
And the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was in no way inferior to Kaido's! Forget everything else—that fruit alone could blast him to cinders... Not to mention, the man had also fully mastered Haōshoku Coating... If he really fought Rowen, Doflamingo doubted he'd survive even a second!
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"Young Master! What should we do?!" Trebol, knowing Doflamingo was targeted by Rowen, was also terrified.
Though their Donquixote Family seemed all-powerful, with the Young Master as one of the Seven Warlords, even having taken over Dressrosa, turning it into a pirate kingdom, using the Hobby-Hobby Fruit for perfect control, all of it—meant NOTHING before Sky Sovereign Rowen...
An Emperor—wasn't just a descriptive title.
"Have Caesar speed things up! Accelerate SMILE production! Then deliver them to the Beasts Pirates!" Doflamingo ordered, cold sweat drenching his forehead.
The reason Kaido valued him was because his scientist, Caesar, could produce artificial Devil Fruits—SMILEs.
Kaido was a war maniac, always dreaming of inciting the greatest war imaginable. For that, Kaido needed an army of artificial Devil Fruit users.
Facing imminent pursuit by Sky Sovereign Rowen—with his own power, Doflamingo had zero chance of survival. His only hope was the protection of his backer, Emperor Kaido!
But he couldn't just directly ask Kaido for protection.
Having served under Kaido for years, Doflamingo knew exactly what kind of man he was—an absolute war maniac and a raging alcoholic.
Directly looking for protection would be seen as a sign of weakness by that war maniac—and Kaido had no need for the weak.
Forget protecting him. Kaido might just kill him himself one day when drunk, even before Rowen got to him. Otherwise, Doflamingo wouldn't fear Kaido so much.
To gain Kaido's protection, he had to demonstrate value. Producing more artificial Devil Fruits was the best way to show value. With value, Kaido wouldn't let Rowen kill him.
This was his only path to survival now...
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"Tell Caesar! There's no time for him to dawdle with research! Maximize SMILE production—AT ALL COSTS! ALL OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT! GO! NOW!"
Doflamingo completely lost his composure, roaring at Trebol.
"Y-Yes! Understood!" Trebol scrambled away to the Transponder Snail room. Being targeted by an Emperor, even this man who had guided Doflamingo onto the path of darkness—was utterly terrified.
Caesar, currently engrossed in research, soon received Trebol's orders.
Learning of their current predicament—Caesar, already not a very brave man, was also horrified. Fear was the best catalyst; Caesar immediately began working with frantic intensity.
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On an island in the Grand Line.
"ZEHAHAHAHA! Defeated Aokiji? Good thing I managed to avoid him! Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard roared his signature laugh, looking at the news reports, cold sweat also on his brow, but still laughing wantonly.
"Unbelievable... I sensed that man's terror back in Mariejois... I never imagined he was THIS strong—" Laffitte murmured, wiping cold sweat from his brow, remembering Rowen's Haki.
"Zehahahaha! Luck is also key to achieving supremacy on these seas!" Blackbeard laughed.
"Captain, should we change our target?" Burgess asked.
They had previously been trying to track Sky Sovereign Rowen. Before this, their captain had even considered taking Rowen's head to secure a Warlord position. But now, the situation had completely changed.
"Of course! Now is not the time to clash with him! Zehahahaha! Set sail, brothers! Find other targets! Sky Sovereign Rowen has become the Fifth Emperor of the Sea! We need to speed up our plans too! Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard roared with laughter.
The gears of fate turned once more. On the next island the Blackbeard Pirates landed, a certain man was waiting for him.
Fire Fist Portgas D. Ace!
The Summit War—the countdown had begun!
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The Going Merry, now sailing towards its next destination: Water 7!
Along the way, Rowen and his crew also saw these reports.
The Fifth Emperor of the Sea!
The Man Who Can Steal Everything!
The World's Most Dangerous Man!
Bounty: 3 Billion Beri! Sky Sovereign Rowen!
Rowen—whether in terms of strength, title, or bounty—was now truly being treated as an Emperor of the Sea.
This made the crew so happy they threw Rowen a celebratory feast.
....
After reaching this sea region, Rowen and the crew also encountered Yokozuna, the sumo frog constantly challenging the Sea Train and covered in scars.
They also met Granny Kokoro, who later shattered Sanji's mermaid illusions. After a friendly exchange, Kokoro gave them a letter of introduction to her good friend, Iceburg, the mayor of Water 7 and owner of its best shipyard.
After a smooth voyage, the Going Merry arrived at Water 7—
"So dreamlike!" Nami and Vivi stood at the bow, their eyes sparkling as they gazed at the great aquatic metropolis, Water 7.
"It certainly is beautiful," Rowen nodded with a smile. This city, modeled after Venice, was indeed fantastical.
"According to Granny Kokoro, the Log Pose will take a week to set for Water 7. We have plenty of time to modify and strengthen Merry," Nami commented, looking at the Log Pose on her wrist with a smile.
"That's great, Merry!" Luffy yelled joyfully. The others also smiled. Merry was already their precious comrade.
Though currently, without mist, Merry still couldn't manifest. But with Rowen around, Merry would eventually be able to appear before them freely. They firmly believed this.
"But where do we enter from?" Vivi asked, looking at the complex waterways ahead, somewhat confused.
"Hey! Pirates! Coming in through the front isn't a good idea! You should use the back channels!" Just then, an old man who specialized in guiding pirates waved towards Rowen and his crew.
"Oh? The people here aren't afraid of pirates? They even seem to welcome them! Kinda like Whiskey Peak back then," Nami commented, smiling towards Vivi.
Hearing this, Vivi's eyes also filled with reminiscence—
Back then, she had just met Rowen, then was saved by Rowen, and then... fell in love with him—thinking back to Whiskey Peak now. It truly was a beautiful memory.
Vivi looked at Rowen and smiled sweetly.
"This place has the biggest shipyard—many pirates come here for repairs. Of course, the residents aren't afraid of pirates. Besides, a city this prosperous must have its own means of defense," Sanji analyzed, being the second sharpest mind in the crew after Rowen.
Everyone nodded, feeling it made sense! The people here! Truly extraordinary! Not even afraid of Rowen! Even though Rowen was hailed as the Fifth Emperor of the Sea! This feeling of not being feared—hadn't experienced it in a long time—felt pretty good! They all thought.
"HEY! ARE YOU CRAZY?! LOOK CAREFULLY AT THAT SHIP!!!" Just then, the old man guiding Rowen's crew was yanked back violently.
"That's—THE GOING MERRY!!!" A terrified voice shrieked from the person who pulled him back.
"Quick! Notify The Galley-La Company!"
"The Fifth Emperor—Sky Sovereign Rowen Has Arrived Here!!!"
Accompanied by screams of terror, the personnel who had been guiding Rowen's group instantly vanished.
"....." Sanji, who had just offered his insightful analysis, froze awkwardly.
The others' eyes also twitched.
'Damn! And they thought the people of this city were brave, not even afraid of Rowen! Turns out—they were just slow to react!'
As the news spread, Water 7 began to tremble.
The Fifth Emperor Sky Sovereign Rowen. Had descended upon Water 7!
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