Chapter 21 – [21] : [BONUS] – Standing There, Terrifyingly Strong!

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~ Next Bonus at 400 Powerstones~

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“Check Traits.” Rowen prompted inwardly. A screen materialized before him.

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Rowen Traits: Navigation (White), Beast Strength (Blue), Conqueror’s Haki (Pale Gold), Faction Fortune (Apex Gold), Born of the Sea (Apex Gold);

Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple) (Equipping…): [|||||…..]

Demonic Physique (Deep Purple) (Equipping…): [||…..]

Asura Aura (Special) (Equipping…): [|…]

Sun God (Apex Gold) (Equipping…): [||…..]

Born of the Sea (Apex Gold): Born for the sea! Possesses unparalleled swimming talent, supreme in all the oceans. Simply by swimming in the sea, can enhance one’s own Kingly Disposition! Thereby strengthening Haki.

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The ‘(Discarded)’ label was gone.

This Apex Gold Trait, which had dimmed after Buggy ate the Chop-Chop Fruit, now blazed brightly within Rowen’s body, fully reactivated.

Born of the Sea (Apex Gold)—the ultimate Haki training cheat code—was finally his!

Rowen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Whoosh.

The sea breeze caressed Rowen’s face.

“Everything… is different now.”

Rowen slowly opened his eyes, a distinct curve forming on his lips—an expression reflecting Rowen’s newfound ‘Kingly Disposition’.

As expected of a cheat code for Enhancing Disposition and Haki.

Even without entering the ocean yet, just feeling the sea breeze felt completely different than before.

Rowen could clearly perceive it now—the energy emanating from the sea itself, carried on the wind.

In the One Piece world, the sea’s energy was ubiquitous. Whitebeard’s saying, “Everyone on the sea is a child of the sea,” wasn’t just empty words.

It was just that most people couldn’t sense this energy at all.

Those who could directly perceive the sea’s energy were either Devil Fruit users, rejected by the sea itself,

Or individuals like Rowen now, possessing a Trait like Born of the Sea (Apex Gold).

However, Devil Fruit users were rejected by the sea; they couldn’t even move freely when submerged in its energy.

But Rowen, through Born of the Sea (Apex Gold), could utilize this sea energy to become even stronger!

Confidence—absolute confidence! It felt as though he had become the sea’s favored child.

Even without swimming, just feeling the sea’s energy in the wind caused a profound shift in Rowen’s mindset.

It felt like a fish returning to water—utterly comfortable. And the positive feedback from the sea’s energy filled him with immense self-assurance.

This feeling… it was simply too wonderful.

Rowen gazed out at the distant ocean, feeling an overwhelming urge to dive in and swim. Just by swimming in the sea, he could enhance his Disposition, thereby strengthening his Conqueror’s Haki!

With the Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) Trait, reaching the level of fully mastered Conqueror’s Haki – Infusion (Apex Gold)—achieving the strength of a peak Emperor—was a matter of time.

Furthermore, possessing Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) meant Rowen’s Haki ‘potential’ now stood at the Absolute Zenith of the One Piece world!

Kaido himself had said: Only Haki can transcend all else.

Therefore, possessing the strongest Haki potential in the One Piece world… meant Rowen was destined to stand above all!

A confident, almost domineering curve touched Rowen’s lips.

His earlier declaration—originally intended just to gain fame, secure a cool epithet, and test Luffy’s reaction for Trait equipping—had felt somewhat overly dramatic at the time.

But now, having acquired the Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) Trait, it felt perfectly natural, completely justified.

Making arrogant claims without the strength to back them up was foolish. But with sufficient power, such claims became the ambition of the strong.

Rowen’s mindset had fundamentally changed.

———

“B-Bastard! How dare you treat me like this!” Just then, Buggy finally regained consciousness from the excruciating pain.

Instinctively, he activated his Chop-Chop Fruit, splitting his entire body into even more pieces.

If those two bastards landed a couple more solid hits like that, his weak spot would truly be shattered beyond repair.

“You’re pretty tough, huh?” Rowen commented, now in an excellent mood. He even looked at Buggy with a measure of goodwill.

Without Buggy, he wouldn’t have obtained such an incredible potential-boosting Trait.

More importantly, this Trait had given Rowen the true mindset befitting a powerful individual.

“Why do I feel like… you’re somehow different from before?” Buggy, though furious and wanting revenge on Luffy and Rowen, hesitated for a moment upon looking at Rowen again.

Having spent years on Roger’s ship, Buggy, despite his current weakness, still possessed a keen eye.

Previously, although Rowen possessed powerful Conqueror’s Haki, Buggy hadn’t perceived Rowen himself as a truly strong individual.

It wasn’t just about raw power; the earlier Rowen lacked the aura of the strong.

People like Captain Roger or Vice-Captain Rayleigh… just standing there, even without using Haki, they radiated an aura of terrifying strength.

That was the presence born from the mindset of a top-tier powerhouse.

But the Rowen standing before him now felt completely different.

‘Strong!’ Just standing there, this man felt terrifyingly strong!

It was like a complete metamorphosis compared to before.

Buggy felt a sense of disorientation, then shook his head vigorously.

‘What the hell is wrong with me?’ For a terrifying instant, he thought he saw a shadow of Captain Roger in this guy.

That same imposing air—Ready to challenge anything, ready to trample everything underfoot.

———

“Enough talk! You messed me up good! Watch me flashily finish you off!” Perhaps reminded of his own spirited days on Roger’s ship by Rowen’s presence, and contrasting it with his current state, Buggy flew into a rage fueled by shame and anger.

“Chop-Chop… Parts Assemble!” Buggy roared, intending to bring all his separated body parts back together.

Whoosh!

“!!!” Buggy stared down at himself, bewildered.

Only… his feet had arrived.

“Ah! My body parts!” Buggy looked over and let out a cry of shocked rage.

Nami had used a rope to neatly tie up all his other detached limbs and torso.

Right now, Buggy consisted only of a head, two hands, and two feet.

“Shishishi! That thief is amazing!” Luffy grinned, stretching both his arms far behind him.

“Fly away, Buggy!”

“Gomu Gomu no——!”

“AHHHHHHH! Stop!” Buggy shrieked in terror, watching the rapidly approaching rubber fists.

“BAZOOKA——!” Luffy yelled. Buggy was sent flying high into the sky, becoming a twinkling star in the distance.

“Hahahaha! We won!” Luffy cheered, throwing his hands up.

Knowing Buggy didn’t have information about Shanks, and realizing his rubber attacks couldn’t deliver a fatal blow to the Chop-Chop Fruit user anyway, blasting him away was the best option.

“Huh. So getting blasted away really does turn you into a star. Interesting,” Rowen mused, shielding his eyes as he watched Buggy’s star disappear, a smile on his face.

Whether Buggy managed to find his body parts like in the original story remained to be seen.

Straw Hat Pirates vs. Buggy Pirates—Straw Hat Pirates win, complete victory!

And Rowen, having acquired Born of the Sea (Apex Gold), was the biggest winner of all.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep