Chapter 114 – [114] : [BONUS] – Encounter! The World Government’s Strongest Combatant!

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“SUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!” Luffy and Usopp roared, staring at Rowen, who had transformed into a colossal giant.

“GIANT! SUPER GIANT! SO AWESOME, ROWEN!” Usopp cheered, jumping up and down.

After witnessing Dorry and Brogy’s honorable warrior battles on Little Garden, Usopp’s dream of becoming a brave warrior of the sea had affirmed—one day, he too would be a man embodying warrior honor, journeying to the giants’ village, Elbaf!

Now, seeing Rowen as a super giant, Usopp was incredibly thrilled.

“SUGEEE! SUPER SUGEEEEEEE! Rowen, how does it feel?! So cool! What’s that flame cloud?!” Luffy, equally ecstatic, circled Rowen excitedly.

Becoming a super giant—was just too cool!

Luffy had already developed Gear Third, allowing him to gigantify parts of his body—his most powerful move.

Developing such a gigantification technique, based on his rubber body’s properties, was partly influenced by Dorry and Brogy on Little Garden.

Luffy, too, deeply admired giants as symbols of warriors.

Now, seeing Rowen as a super giant, Luffy was beyond excited. Especially that ribbon-like flame cloud coiling behind Rowen—combined with his super giant form, it looked unbelievably cool, making Luffy’s eyes sparkle.

“Feels… pretty good,” Rowen replied with a smile.

Awakened Zoan forms granted immense physical energy. Even for Rowen, whose physique had already reached Apex Gold, the enhancement was substantial.

His physique energy—doubled!

Previously, Rowen’s physique Trait had just entered Apex Gold, at the ‘1’ level. Now, after acquiring the Awakened Human-Human Fruit, his physique Trait advanced to the ‘2’ level within Apex Gold!

Zoan Devil Fruits, while perhaps offering the least direct combat power increase among the three types, provided the greatest physique enhancement upon Awakening.

——

—[Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) activated! Armament Haki enhanced!]

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His Armament Haki, under the influence of the Born of the Sea Trait, also grew stronger.

Though it didn’t double in power due to the inherent limits of Armament Haki itself, it became significantly denser and more potent.

After acquiring Haōshoku Coating, the relative importance of Armament Haki had diminished somewhat for Rowen, especially since Born of the Sea allowed him to recover Conqueror’s Haki during battle.

However, once Luffy’s Nika form Awakened and Rowen equipped its power, things would change entirely. Nika’s rubbery body merely resembled rubber—its true meaning was the ability to accommodate and reshape everything.

The Nika form could perfectly fuse Haōshoku Coating, Armament Haki, and Devil Fruit powers… Every punch, every kick, would carry the full might of Nika. This power level was inherently a tier above others.

Add the BUG-like power of Imagination, and Nika Luffy’s combat strength upon Awakening became absurdly exaggerated. Calling it the Strongest Devil Fruit was no overstatement.

So, enhancing Armament Haki would be greatly beneficial for Rowen in the future. And even now, it had its uses. While Born of the Sea could recover spiritual power (and thus Conqueror’s Haki) in battle, full-power Haōshoku Coating consumed immense spiritual energy—Stronger Armament Haki could provide a buffer, allowing time for Conqueror’s Haki to recover.

As for how to manage the timing, switching between Armament Haki and Haōshoku Coating? The Human-Human Fruit was the perfect tool for that.

What set humans apart from other creatures, allowing them to become rulers of the world, was primarily the power of intellect—and the Human-Human Fruit enhanced human intelligence.

Upon Awakening, this enhancement reached an even higher level!

Rowen felt his mind clear, a brilliant light of wisdom shining in his eyes. With enhanced intellect, his thoughts became sharper, his brain processed information more efficiently, allowing for deeper levels of strategic thinking.

(Sengoku owed his title largely to the Buddha-like wisdom granted by his Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Daibutsu. Relying on intellect and strategy alone, Sengoku was feared by many great pirates.)

Rowen, after Awakening his Human-Human Fruit, likewise gained the wisdom of an ‘Ultimate Human’—In combat, this manifested as the ability to rapidly analyze and identify an enemy’s weaknesses!

In the One Piece world, with its brutal ‘Survival of the fittest’ power system, true powerhouses were forged through countless horrific life-or-death battles.

Their bodies often carried numerous injuries, many of them hidden, latent wounds. Like Whitebeard, hailed as the World’s Strongest Man—in old age, his accumulated hidden injuries flared up, forcing him to rely on constant medical treatment, a shadow of his former peak self. (Though in their prime, these hidden injuries remained dormant.)

But Rowen, as an ‘Ultimate Human’ with Awakened intellect, could swiftly pinpoint an enemy’s most vulnerable points—and using the incomparably violent and destructive Haōshoku Coating to strike those hidden weak spots—one could only imagine the terrifying damage it would inflict.

The power of the ‘Ultimate Human’—even for Rowen, already one of the peak powerhouses on these seas—provided a significant boost.

And… the flame cloud did look pretty cool.

Rowen smiled, looking at the distinctive ‘flame cloud’—hallmark of an Awakened Zoan—coiling behind him.

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“That flame cloud is the sign of an Awakened Zoan Devil Fruit user—” Rowen explained, answering Luffy’s earlier unspoken question.

“AWAKENED?! ROWEN, YOUR HUMAN-HUMAN FRUIT AWAKENED TOO?!” Everyone stared wide-eyed.

They had witnessed the scary power of an Awakened Devil Fruit back on Skypiea. It symbolized a fruit reaching its peak state, unleashing its full potential.

Before meeting Rowen, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp hadn’t even seen a Devil Fruit, considering them mere legends.

On the Grand Line, while ability users were more common, they were still rare.

As for Awakened users? If not for Rowen, they wouldn’t even know Devil Fruits could Awaken!

“SUGEEEEEEEEEEE! So Awakened Zoans get that flame cloud? What about my Nika form?” Luffy, whose brain usually jumped erratically, now seemed to regain focus when it came to cool appearances.

“Of course. Mythical Zoans are still Zoans. Upon Awakening, they also get a flame cloud. And the Nika form has a special white flame cloud. Plus, after Awakening, the Nika form can also achieve gigantification,” Rowen chuckled.

“SUGEEE! Luffy, you can become a giant too!” Usopp cheered, hugging Luffy excitedly. Seeing his comrades look cool made Usopp genuinely happy.

“Shishishi! Sounds awesome!” Luffy grinned.

VMM! With a flash of light, Rowen reverted from his giant form back to normal.

(Thanks to the Human-Human Fruit’s power, even with gigantification, his clothes changed size accordingly, not tearing—just like Luffy and Chopper in the original story.)

After obtaining the Awakened Human-Human Fruit ability, Rowen’s ‘Ultimate Technique’ Traits also updated:

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Ultimate Human – Haōshoku Coating (Apex Gold)

Ultimate Human – Thunder Gloves (Apex Gold)

Ultimate Human – Flame Gloves (Apex Gold)

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Attacks in giant form received a massive power boost.

Whether it was Luffy’s pre-Awakening Gear Third/Fourth, or his post-Awakening Nika Gear Fifth—his strongest ultimate moves always involved a gigantified fist.

Gigantification naturally increased power through sheer mass—

And Rowen, as an ‘Ultimate Human’, could push the Human-Human Fruit’s power to its absolute limit, maximizing his own strength and skin durability.

Furthermore, a gigantified fist, due to its increased volume, could be infused with even more Haki at once—though the consumption increased, as a finishing move, the payoff was immense.

(And ‘Thunder Gloves’ was Rowen’s technique of concentrating Rumble-Rumble Fruit power into his fists, combined with Haki. Since Rumble-Rumble was already Awakened, and its offensive power inherently surpassed Flare-Flare, Thunder Gloves were a tier above Flame Gloves in destructive capability.)

The Awakened Human-Human Fruit upgraded Rowen’s combat power once again.

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“As for the Human-Human Fruit’s Awakened power…” Rowen looked towards Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy.

“Analyze.” Rowen’s eyes flashed with the energy of the Human-Human Fruit. His brain, enhanced to its peak, processed information at incredible speed.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Rowen’s fingers darted out like lightning, poking Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji in specific spots on their bodies.

“AAAGH! SO PAINFUL!!!” Luffy shrieked, rolling on the ground.

Zoro and Sanji also collapsed, gasping in pain, cold sweat drenching their faces.

“I didn’t use much force. Those spots—are where your hidden injuries lie,” Rowen stated calmly.

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had all accumulated numerous hidden injuries since childhood.

Luffy, from Garp’s ‘training’ and prematurely developing Gear Second and Third, had many.

Zoro, with his self-destructive training style—even with his Demonic Physique Trait—some cellular damage had inevitably become hidden wounds.

Sanji too, endured a tragic childhood, suffering many injuries while training his kicking techniques.

Rowen then looked towards Chopper.

“As a fellow Human-Human Fruit user, you should be familiar with this power, right, Chopper?” Rowen asked with a smile.

“Mm~ I can also analyze enemy weaknesses! But hidden injuries like these… are harder to see,” Chopper replied, quickly grabbing his medical tools and rushing to the trio’s side.

Once the latent injuries were aggravated, Chopper could diagnose them.

“Next, we’ll properly condition your bodies, get you all into peak state. I’m counting on you, Dr. Chopper,” Rowen smiled.

“Even if you call me ‘Dr.’, it won’t make me happy~ you bastard!” Chopper exclaimed, then immediately started doing his happy dance, even spinning on his head.

“He’s delighted…” Nami, Vivi, and Robin chuckled, watching Chopper.

“Chopper, I can infuse the ‘Desire for Awakening’ of the Human-Human Fruit into you. You just need to digest it, and you too can Awaken, and gradually learn to control that giant form—”

Rowen said, placing Chopper on his shoulder with a smile.

“Rowen! You know? My giant form goes out of control!” Chopper stared wide-eyed. He knew eating Rumble Balls allowed him to access seven transformation points for his Zoan fruit.

But eating three within six hours made him lose consciousness and transform into a rampaging giant monster.

Earlier, watching Rowen’s giant form, the reason Chopper hadn’t joined Luffy and Usopp in their usual ‘adventure trio’ excitement was because he remembered his own uncontrollable giant form.

“Of course. We’re comrades. Don’t worry, you’ll master your giant form soon enough,” Rowen reassured him, ruffling Chopper’s fur.

“Mm!” Chopper nodded firmly, tears welling up in his eyes.

“I’m gonna get stronger too! OOOHHH!!!” Chopper leaped off Rowen’s shoulder, his entire body radiating fighting spirit.

He too—would contribute his strength for Rowen!

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After mastering the Awakened power of the Human-Human Fruit, Rowen and the crew continued exploring Long Ring Long Land.

They encountered Tonjit, the old man on stilts who missed the island’s migration and was separated from his tribe, and helped rescue him, leading to a heartwarming reunion with his horse, Shelly, who had waited ten years for him.

After exploring most of the island, since Rowen already had their next course plotted (thanks to the System

), they didn’t need to wait for the Log Pose to set here. The Going Merry set sail once more.

Under Rowen’s command, the Merry arrived at an uninhabited island.

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“Once the Log Pose sets here, the next island is Water 7. A city built on water—and more importantly, home to the world’s best shipwrights,” Rowen stated, looking at the uninhabited island with a smile.

“YOSHA! SHIPWRIGHTS! We can upgrade Merry!”

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper cheered, huddling together and performing their unique celebration dance.

“That’s great, Merry! With all our gold, we can definitely give you the best upgrades using the finest materials!” Nami gently stroked the Merry’s main sail, a sweet smile on her face.

When it came to upgrading Merry, Nami wouldn’t be stingy with money.

The others also smiled.

The Going Merry was also their precious comrade!

To prepare for the voyages ahead, of course, they had to give their comrade the most perfect upgrades.

“Alright. While the Log Pose sets here, we can also replenish some supplies. More importantly—there’s a very strong guy on this island, waiting for us,” Rowen announced, an intense gleam of lightning flashing in his eyes.

His Rumble-Rumble Fruit-amplified Observation Haki had detected Aokiji’s presence here long ago. A very, very powerful presence…

(Before arriving, Rowen had already scanned the entire sea region at maximum range, confirming that, like the original story, only Aokiji was present. After the Mariejois incident, if more Admiral-level threats had been lurking, Rowen would have adjusted his strategy accordingly for Nami and the others’ safety.)

As for now—

Rowen’s eyes flashed with an astonishing crimson-black light as he stepped onto the island.

“A very strong guy?” The others blinked, looking at Rowen with disbelief.

For Rowen, at his current strength, to call someone ‘very strong’—just how powerful was this person???

But seeing Rowen confidently step onto the island, the others naturally followed. Anyway, with Rowen around—his grasp of any situation had always been flawless.

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, especially, looked eager, wanting to test the strength of this ‘very strong guy’ Rowen mentioned.

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“Ararara… You’ve arrived, have you? Nico Robin.” A lazy voice drawled.

A tall figure lay sprawled on a wide, open grassy field—A man wearing a white suit vest over a dark blue shirt, a green eye mask pushed up onto his forehead, slowly removed the eye mask.

—The World Government’s Strongest Combatant! One of the Three Marine Admirals! User of the Ice-Ice Fruit—Aokiji!

The moment Rowen and the others stepped onto the island, Aokiji’s Observation Haki had detected Robin’s presence. Aokiji remembered Robin’s presence from the Ohara Incident—he wouldn’t forget it.

“Ararara… What a strong presence! Quite different from what the Fleet Admiral described… Sky Sovereign Rowen—” Aokiji commented, slowly rising to his feet, looking at Rowen and his crew as they appeared before him.

For once, his eyes held a rare hint of seriousness…

The intel Sengoku gave him—was vastly different from this reality!

This man—WAS INCREDIBLY STRONG!

“Marine Admiral! Aokiji!” The moment she saw the man, Robin gasped, cold sweat drenching her forehead.

“ADMIRAL???” The others exclaimed in shock.

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