Chapter 125 – [125] : A Walking Ancient Weapon! Meeting of Emperors! The Seas About to Explode!

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Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral’s Office.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!” Sengoku completely lost his composure, staring incredulously at the Transponder Snail in his hand.

Sky Sovereign Rowen Obtained the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and Awakened it??

—And completely mastered Haōshoku Coating, possessing power comparable to an Emperor? Aokiji, in his clash with Rowen—lost a leg and was severely injured?

Aokiji, One of the Marine HQ Admirals! One of their Strongest Combatants. This formidable strength was the bedrock of the Navy’s confidence in facing the Four Emperors.

Marine HQ—compared to any single Emperor’s crew, was undoubtedly the Strongest single force on these seas.

But there were Four Emperors.

Relying solely on Marine HQ, against the endless tide of pirates in this Great Pirate Era, their forces were already stretched incredibly thin.

Furthermore, top-tier assets like the Admirals were needed to Guard HQ and the Holy Land Mariejois, making their available manpower even more scarce.

For a crucial asset like Aokiji to lose a leg and be severely injured—meant that until Aokiji recovered, Marine HQ would be short one Admiral!

Even more scary—that man Sky Sovereign Rowen, has the ability—to steal All of another person’s powers!

The power to steal Devil Fruit abilities—the most evil ability, the Dark-Dark Fruit, could achieve that.

Though powerful, Sengoku felt confident he could face it…

Devil Fruits always had pros and cons; even if one could wield multiple abilities, more wasn’t always better—Fruits only unleashed their full power upon Awakening.

Possessing multiple fruits could interfere with each other, delaying the Awakening process—Unawakened Devil Fruits were of little concern to the absolute top-tier powerhouses of this sea.

And the ‘Desire’ within Devil Fruits could hinder the user’s Haki development.

In Roger’s era, and in the current Great Pirate Era—the strongest Haki users were invariably those who hadn’t eaten Devil Fruits:

Roger, Garp, Shanks!

Who among even the strongest Devil Fruit users claims to be definitively stronger than those three??

The more fruits one ate, the stronger the interfering ‘desires’, further impeding Haki growth… Pros and cons—that was the nature of Devil Fruits.

But Sky Sovereign Rowen’s ability was different!

He directly stole all of another’s powers. If he stole an already Awakened Devil Fruit, then in his hands, it remained Awakened—And he could directly steal another’s Haki!

No wonder his estimations of this man’s strength had been so catastrophically wrong, REPEATEDLY! This man possessed such a vicious, such a dangerous ability!

Just as Aokiji said. This man was, without a doubt, the most dangerous man in the world!

If one failed in battle against him—this man would strip them of everything!

Even Aokiji—if Garp hadn’t decided to visit his grandson and thus been in the vicinity for a quick rescue—Aokiji’s powers too would have been completely stolen by that man!

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Sengoku clutched his forehead, his expression still somewhat contorted from the lingering side effects of overusing his own Devil Fruit ability.

“Something… isn’t right, Sengoku,” Tsuru stated, standing up and looking gravely at Sengoku and the Transponder Snail before him.

“Hm?” Sengoku looked towards Tsuru. His cognitive abilities hadn’t fully recovered from his own power’s overexertion.

On the other end of the Transponder Snail, Aokiji, Garp, Gion, and the others waited for the Great Staff Officer’s analysis.

“Though the ability to steal others’ powers is indeed dangerous and vicious,” Tsuru began, “it still doesn’t explain how this man’s strength reached such a terrifying level so quickly. During the Alabasta incident, his combat power was only comparable to Gion’s…”

“In such a short time since then—he completely mastered Haōshoku Coating and obtained an Awakened Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability. Even if he can steal others’ powers—could he, in this brief period, have stolen all the power from a powerhouse who had fully mastered Haōshoku Coating AND an Awakened Rumble-Rumble Fruit, someone with the strength of an Emperor?”

“From his desire to steal Aokiji’s power, it seems he needs to defeat, or even kill, his opponent to do so! A fighter at Gion’s level—could he defeat an Emperor? Impossible! This man definitely harbors other great secrets!” Tsuru’s eyes gleamed with wisdom.

The logic simply didn’t add up—

According to Aokiji, to steal someone’s power, Rowen needed to at least completely defeat, if not kill, the target…

At least, he couldn’t steal Aokiji’s power while Aokiji was only severely injured with a lost leg.

So, could Rowen, with strength ONLY comparable to Gion’s during the Alabasta incident, have defeated a super-powerhouse on par with an Emperor?

And where would such a super-powerhouse, previously unknown, even come from??

If beings of that caliber were so easily defeated, the Navy wouldn’t struggle so much against the Four Emperors, needing to ally with the Warlords just to maintain a balance—

—A super-powerhouse of that level, especially one with an ability like the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, could escape if they wished… just like Kizaru with his Glint-Glint Fruit—no one on the seas could stop him if he truly wanted to flee.

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“Are you saying… Sky Sovereign Rowen harbors even more terrifying secrets? Secrets that allowed him to achieve Emperor-level power in such a short time?” Sengoku muttered, clutching his forehead, his expression incredibly grim. Though his fruit’s overuse still affected him, his reasoning was returning.

“At the very least, he definitely has more than just this one secret!” Tsuru stated with absolute certainty.

“But regardless—against Sky Sovereign Rowen, now possessing the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit—we currently have no way to deal with him,” Tsuru continued, her expression equally grim.

Forget Rowen’s potential hidden secrets—just the power he currently displayed was already overwhelmingly problematic!

Power comparable to an Emperor—and an Emperor-level powerhouse wielding the troublesome Rumble-Rumble Fruit and fully mastered Haōshoku Coating—

—Plus, the intelligence enhancement from his Awakened Human-Human Fruit meant that even if the Navy designed a specific plan against him, Rowen would likely see through it…

He was simply a monster!

Tsuru, whose Wash-Wash Fruit ability allowed her to ‘wash away’ distracting thoughts and maintain absolute calmness when strategizing, couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

Right now, even if the Navy deployed all its forces to hunt him down, they would most likely achieve nothing!

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Hearing Tsuru’s assessment, Sengoku—and Aokiji and Gion on the other end of the Transponder Snail, all felt their hearts grow heavy.

“Bwahahahaha! Why so serious? Sky Sovereign Rowen is my grandson Monkey D. Luffy’s comrade! And judging by his actions so far, he’s not a bad guy, is he?! Hahaha! I was actually hoping to meet him, but with that Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability, he wouldn’t even let me get close!”

Garp suddenly burst into carefree laughter.

“BASTARD! YOU STILL HAVE THE NERVE TO LAUGH?! IT’S YOUR FAMILY AGAIN!” Sengoku instantly flared up.

But both Sengoku and Tsuru’s grim expressions eased somewhat…

Garp was right—based on his actions since setting sail, Rowen didn’t seem like a typical pirate.

Though shameful to admit, his actions so far had been remarkably… heroic.

At least, he wasn’t a war maniac like Kaido!

If a war maniac like Kaido possessed those scary abilities, the world truly would descend into chaos.

The destruction might even surpass what Rocks caused back then… Thinking of that name, both Sengoku and Tsuru felt a chill.

Aokiji, on the other end, opened his mouth, wanting to speak of the terrifying ambition Rowen has. But for some reason… the words wouldn’t come out.

He recalled Rowen’s words… Rowen had seen through his confusion regarding the Navy’s justice. He had even invited him—to help create a new world…

This man wasn’t a madman like Rocks, who met his end due to his own insanity. Sky Sovereign Rowen—was like a frog being slowly boiled, meticulously calculating and growing, step by step, to his current level.

Even the Navy, for now, had no good way to deal with him—

‘Do I… want to see what kind of future this man can bring to the world?? Or perhaps…’ Aokiji shook his head fiercely, banishing the distracting thoughts.

He was a Marine HQ Admiral!!

Even if disillusioned, he had to continue upholding justice! At the very least, Aokiji was certain—without the Navy, citizens would suffer even more in this Great Pirate Era.

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“What’s wrong, Kuzan?” Gion asked, noticing Aokiji’s strange expression.

Sengoku and Tsuru also tensed on the other end. Aokiji was the only one who had truly fought Rowen life-or-death. More intel could lead to better preparations.

“Ah, I forgot one thing. Sky Sovereign Rowen was very dissatisfied with how the Navy handled the Alabasta incident regarding ‘Desert Princess’ Vivi. He even issued me a warning—” Aokiji said, scratching his head.

“BASTARD!” Sengoku’s eye twitched.

The World Government caused the mess, yet the Navy ended up taking the blame!

“Sengoku, increase the clarification efforts. Otherwise, if that man truly gets enraged, things won’t be as simple as him just unleashing Conqueror’s Haki in Mariejois like last time. The consequences of an enraged, Awakened Rumble-Rumble Fruit user—you should know how severe they can be,” Tsuru warned, her expression grim.

Rowen’s super long-range attack on Garp’s ship showed that even Gion couldn’t withstand such a blow.

If he truly got angry and started venting his fury on various Marine branches… the cost would be unbearable!

That man now—was practically a weakened version of an Ancient Weapon!

They absolutely could NOT anger him!

“I KNOW!” Sengoku roared, veins bulging on his forehead.

As for reporting this to the Five Elders? Sengoku had no such intention. This was an unspoken rule between him and them, between the Navy and the World Government—

The Navy did the dirty work. If things went wrong, the World Government could wash their hands clean, at worst replacing the Fleet Admiral.

“Aokiji, return and recuperate. News of your injury absolutely must not leak out! Otherwise, who knows what events might unfold on these seas,” Sengoku ordered gravely.

Aokiji’s strength was a cornerstone of the Navy’s stability. If that cornerstone wavered, the entire sea would erupt—

The Four Emperors in the New World, especially—none of them were to be trifled with. Particularly that war maniac, Kaido of the Beasts. No one knew what terrifying chaos that bastard might unleash.

“Understood,” Aokiji sighed.

BANG!

“FLEET ADMIRAL!” Before the call could be disconnected, a Rear Admiral burst frantically into the office.

“EMPEROR RED-HAIR! AND EMPEROR WHITEBEARD—HAVE MADE CONTACT—IN THE NEW WORLD!” The Rear Admiral was drenched in sweat, his eyes wide with terror.

“WHAT????” Sengoku’s pupils constricted sharply. He slammed his hands on the desk and shot to his feet.

On the other end of the Transponder Snail, Aokiji, Gion, and even Garp’s expressions turned extremely grave.

Two Emperors—had made contact!

And at a time like this!

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World Economic News Agency Headquarters!

“BIG NEWS! SUPER! SUPER! SUPER BIG NEWS!!!” Morgans’ body trembled with excitement, looking at the reports in his hands.

“MARINE HQ ADMIRAL! AOKIJI! DEFEATED! SEVERELY INJURED!”

“THE MAN RESPONSIBLE: SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN!”

Even Morgans’ eyes were now filled with utter shock.

Though he had been closely following this man and breaking many big stories about him, this latest development completely stunned him.

Marine HQ Admiral!

One of the World Government’s highest combat powers! This strength was what Marine HQ relied on to directly confront the Four Emperors!

And active-duty Admirals had rarely suffered such crushing defeats in history! The Navy was, after all, the most powerful military organization on these seas!

Though Emperors with Haōshoku Coating were immensely powerful, the Navy could deploy two or more Admiral-level fighters—Currently, no powerhouse could simultaneously defeat two Admirals.

Even legends like Golden Lion Shiki, or current Emperors like Kaido proved this.

The Navy held a significant advantage against any single Emperor crew. If they targeted an Emperor, they would deploy overwhelming force!

This meant active Admirals rarely suffered true defeats.

They were the face of the Navy, of the World Government.

Yet Aokiji, one of the Navy’s highest powers was defeated! At the hands of Sky Sovereign Rowen!

This could only mean one thing:

Sky Sovereign Rowen, in terms of raw power alone, already possessed strength comparable to an Emperor!

And—

“He also obtained the Rumble-Rumble Fruit! That Devil Fruit, hailed as one of the most invincible Logias—has fallen into Sky Sovereign Rowen’s hands! Unbelievable! Unbelievable!” Morgans shrieked excitedly.

“A crucial asset like Aokiji defeated—the Navy will definitely try to cover this up like crazy… Especially with Red-Hair and Whitebeard making contact—And don’t forget Sky Sovereign Rowen causing chaos in Mariejois!” Morgans cackled madly, looking at the other intel he possessed.

“GET THESE REPORTS DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE ENTIRE SEA!”

“LET THESE SEAS—BE COMPLETELY IGNITED!”

“THAT MAN, SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN! IS ABOUT TO—IGNITE THE ENTIRE WORLD!”

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