Chapter 56 – [56] : The World Reacts!

~ As Usual. Bonus Chapter Every 300 Powerstones 🙂

~ Long Chapter—1.8K Words!

~ 18 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

<><><><><><><><>

Syrup Village.

“M-Miss Kaya!” Merry burst frantically into Kaya’s study.

“What is it, Merry? Why are you so panicked?” Kaya looked up from the sea map she was studying, wearing her reading glasses.

Kaya was waiting for Rowen’s return. Once her health recovered, she wanted to travel with Rowen to many places. Just looking at these maps filled her mind with images…

Of course, having never been to sea, Kaya couldn’t truly picture the sights beyond her island yet. But where they went wasn’t important; who she went with was. Rowen’s face was vividly clear in her mind.

“P-Please look at this!” Merry held out two wanted posters.

“Rowen!” Seeing Rowen’s poster, Kaya immediately stood up and took it.

Because Captain Nezumi had been killed by Rowen, the photo used on Rowen’s poster was still the one taken by the World Economic News Agency. Luffy’s poster also now featured the WE News photo.

Click.

Kaya walked to the window, opened it, and looked out at the distant sea.

She held Rowen’s wanted poster close to her heart.

“Rowen—I’ll Wait for you to take me to sea.” Kaya hugged the poster tightly, gazing at the distant ocean, her eyes curving into a smile.

<><><><><><>

Baratie.

Rowen’s and Luffy’s wanted posters were pinned up in the most prominent spot.

After arranging the kitchen duties, Zeff stepped out onto the deck, looking out at the sea.

“A bounty like that—As expected of that man, Sanji… Fulfill your dream,” Zeff smiled faintly.

<><><><><><>

An unnamed remote island.

“Hey! Th-That guy is—!” Two pirates, observing the distant sea through a spyglass, suddenly exclaimed.

“H-He’s…” The other pirate quickly ran over. Recognizing the man’s figure, cold sweat drenched his forehead.

“Hawk-Eyes! What are you doing here?!” A group of pirates quickly surrounded Mihawk.

“Quiet. I’m not here for you. Where are your officers?” Mihawk asked calmly.

“B-Boss!” One pirate scrambled away, running deeper into the island.

“Boss! It’s Hawk-Eyes! He—” the pirate yelled towards a man with distinctive red hair and only one arm, who currently had his head bowed.

Emperor Red-Haired Shanks!

“Yo, Hawk-Eyes. Rare to see you here,” Shanks murmured, his head still bowed, his expression dark.

Mihawk had appeared before Shanks seemingly out of nowhere.

“I’m not feeling great right now. Did you come for a duel?” Shanks asked without looking up.

“I have no interest in dueling a one-armed man. Besides, you’re hungover, aren’t you?” Mihawk replied, pulling out two wanted posters.

“I encountered that interesting brat you mentioned—back in the East Blue.”

“Hahaha! Luffy! He already got a bounty?” Hearing this, Shanks finally looked up, laughing heartily as he saw Luffy’s poster. Thanks to the WE News report, Shanks already knew Luffy had set sail.

“However… there was another pirate who interested me more,” Mihawk stated, unfolding the second poster.

“100 million Beri?” Shanks recognized Rowen’s face; he’d seen it in the WE News report earlier. But the bounty amount still surprised him greatly.

100 million Beri—that figure held special significance.

Rookie pirates emerging from the Four Blues, after journeying through the first half of the Grand Line, converged at the Sabaody Archipelago.

Those rookies who rose rapidly upon first entering the Grand Line and reaching Sabaody, acquiring bounties exceeding 100 million Beri, were dubbed ‘Supernovas’.

Reaching that bounty level required surviving the entire first half of the Grand Line and distinguishing oneself among the top rookies of their generation.

Yet Rowen… received a 100 million Beri bounty—before even entering the Grand Line—This was unprecedented in history.

Calling it explosive news was no exaggeration.

“I clashed my Conqueror’s Haki against that young man’s,” Mihawk stated, looking intently at Shanks. “His future potential… might even surpass yours in terms of Haki, Red-Hair.”

Mihawk recalled the clash with Rowen. He had seen in that young man the nascent form of the same overwhelming Haki that the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, possessed—the power to conquer all.

Just like when Mihawk witnessed Roger’s execution. Just standing there, Rowen seemed to radiate light.

“Oh?” Hearing Mihawk’s assessment, the grogginess from Shanks’s hangover vanished, replaced by an astonishingly powerful flicker of Haki in his eyes.

“Well then… I’ll certainly look forward to meeting him. But before that…” Shanks looked at Mihawk, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

“Hm?” Mihawk raised an eyebrow.

“DRINK! DRINK! DRINK IT ALL! We’re celebrating today! Drink up! Hahahaha!” Shanks grabbed Mihawk, pulling him into an impromptu celebration.

“‘Sky Sovereign’ Rowen, hmm?” While urging Mihawk not to hold back on the drinks, a flicker of crimson-black light flashed deep within Shanks’s own eyes. ‘To receive such praise from Hawk-Eyes… I eagerly anticipate meeting him myself. And Luffy too!’

<><><><><><>

Rowen’s and Luffy’s wanted posters spread rapidly across the globe.

Rowen’s bounty, in particular, sent massive shockwaves through the seas.

Following the initial World Economic News Agency report, coupled with this explosive bounty issued by the Marines, Rowen’s name became legendary overnight.

The WE News Agency further emphasized Rowen’s clash with the Warlord Hawk-Eyes Mihawk, solidifying his unparalleled reputation.

Achieving a ‘Supernova’-level bounty and clashing with a Warlord before even entering the Grand Line!

From this day forward, across all the seas… who wouldn’t know the name of ‘Sky Sovereign’ Rowen?!

<><><><><><>

At that moment, having resolved the Cocoyasi Village incident and finalized the core crew lineup, Rowen and the others were sailing on the Going Merry.

Their destination: Loguetown—the ‘Town of the Beginning and the End’, birthplace and execution site of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—located near the entrance to the Grand Line.

Aboard the Going Merry.

“Thwip!“ Nami, having just bought a newspaper from a News Coo and grumbled about the price increase, stared wide-eyed at the two wanted posters that fell out.

“Rowen! Luffy! You have bounties!” Nami yelled in alarm.

“What?! I got a bounty?!” Luffy, previously lounging on his special seat at the bow, instantly dashed over, thrilled.

“Look! Look, everyone! I got a bounty! 45 million Beri!” Luffy excitedly showed his wanted poster to his comrades.

For a pirate, nothing showcased strength and fame better than a high bounty. Luffy had dreamed of getting a massive bounty.

Zoro and Sanji also felt a surge of competitive spirit. Bounties were acknowledgments of a pirate’s strength. Since they had chosen the path of piracy, of course, they aimed for incredibly high bounties too.

“Shishishi! Rowen’s bounty is only 10 million Beri? Too bad!” Luffy then picked up Rowen’s poster, grinning cheerfully, his poor math skills evident.

“10 million? Rowen? No way,” Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro chorused in disbelief. They had all witnessed Rowen’s strength; he was clearly far stronger than Luffy. How could Rowen’s bounty be so much lower?

“Let me see,” Sanji took Rowen’s poster from Luffy and examined it closely.

“Ones… tens… hundreds… thousands… millions… tens of millions…” As Sanji counted the zeroes on Rowen’s bounty, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.

“IDIOT! This isn’t ten million Beri!” Sanji exclaimed, utterly shocked.

“This is… ONE HUNDRED MILLION BERI!!!”

“EH?! O-One hundred million Beri?!!!” Hearing the staggering number, Usopp’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head in terror.

“O-One hundred… million Beri?!” Nami covered her mouth, her face pale with disbelief, fine beads of sweat forming on her brow.

One hundred million Beri?! What did that even mean?!

Arlong’s bounty was only 20 million—the highest in the East Blue! In these waters, anyone exceeding 10 million was considered a major pirate! Nami had never even heard of a pirate in the East Blue with a bounty reaching one hundred million!

Looking at Rowen, Nami’s eyes filled with worry. With a bounty like this, Rowen would surely become a target for powerful Marines and pirates…

“One hundred million Beri?!” Luffy stared wide-eyed, yelling in surprise.

Rowen’s bounty was that much higher than his?! Luffy looked enviously at Rowen’s poster, then clenched his fists, renewed determination filling him.

Luffy wasn’t jealous of his comrade; instead, he saw it as motivation. He too would get a super high bounty! He’d catch up to Rowen!

“Finally arrived, huh? One hundred million Beri?” Rowen took his wanted poster from Sanji, a slight curve playing on his lips. For a first bounty, Rowen was quite satisfied.

——

—[Kingly Disposition increased. Conqueror’s Haki intensity increased.]—

——

A notification appeared.

Just as expected. A pirate’s bounty amount can enhance ‘Disposition’, thereby strengthening Haki.

Seeing the exaggerated reactions of Sanji, Usopp, and Luffy, Rowen smirked faintly. This feeling… was quite enjoyable.

The process of increasing one’s bounty, gaining ‘Disposition’, and strengthening Haki fit perfectly with the brutal, ‘survival of the fittest’ nature of the Haki system.

A higher bounty attracted stronger Marines and other pirates seeking fame by defeating high-value targets. Those who survived this culling process naturally forged stronger Haki.

“One hundred million Beri,” Zoro murmured, his expression turning serious upon hearing the astonishing figure.

As a former bounty hunter, Zoro understood the significance of such a number better than anyone. Forget the East Blue; even on the Grand Line, a bounty like that marked someone as a major pirate!

With bounties like these, the enemies they would face in the future wouldn’t be mere branch Marines or small-time crooks. They would be facing Marine Headquarters itself! And other powerful pirate crews!

Zoro assessed his physical condition post-training. Though still sore, he felt recovered enough to continue training.

“Zoro? Where are you going?” Luffy asked curiously, seeing Zoro stand up and head towards the cabin.

“To train,” Zoro replied, his eyes filled with steely determination.

He had promised Rowen and Luffy. He would never lose again!

Facing enemies far stronger than before meant he had to cherish every second, dedicating it to getting stronger.

“I’ll join you,” Rowen said with a smile, understanding Zoro’s thoughts.

“Me too! I’m gonna learn Haki!” Luffy yelled, jumping up, eyes burning with fighting spirit. Rowen’s 100 million Beri bounty had ignited a fierce competitive fire within him.

“Today’s meal prep is mostly done. Guess I’ll go train a bit too,” Sanji said seriously, taking a deep breath. Rowen and the others had set him on the path to chase his dream. Though he was the cook, he also needed to contribute his strength for his comrades.

“Yosh! Brothers! Let’s learn Haki together with Rowen!” Luffy exclaimed, grabbing Zoro and Sanji’s arms.

Zoro and Sanji’s eyes twitched, but seeing Luffy’s infectious enthusiasm—and knowing he wouldn’t let them off the hook if they didn’t comply—they reluctantly raised their fists alongside him.

“Oh! Oh!” But despite their reluctance, a determined light shone in both Zoro’s and Sanji’s eyes.

Haki—they absolutely had to learn it!

For their dreams and ambitions!

And for their comrades!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 18 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)

<><><><><><><><>

~# Keep the Chapters coming — Support with Power Stones!

~# Every 300 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep