Aboard the Going Merry, the Straw Hat crew sat around the dining table, eating and chatting. They seemed incredibly curious as to why Rovick had appeared here.
"A giant skyward ocean current? Rovick, are you saying you encountered that three months ago?" the orange-haired navigator exclaimed. The probability of being struck by a Knock Up Stream while sailing the seas was barely higher than getting hit by a falling meteor, unless they were in waters where such phenomena occurred frequently.
"Yeah, it really was a terrible trip." Rovick swallowed the takoyaki in his mouth and shook his head with a bitter smile. "Luckily, I was quick-witted enough to hide inside a barrel, otherwise I probably would have drowned a long time ago."
"But because of that, I was forced to live on that island full of terrifying beasts for three months until I finished building that wooden boat." Recalling his past experiences, Rovick's face paled slightly.
"Ah? It actually took you three months to build that wooden boat?" Hearing this, Usopp wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. Recalling Rovick's incredibly shoddy, broken-down boat, the long-nosed bro felt he could have built something better using just his feet.
(Hiding in a barrel, huh? Come to think of it, I've done that before too.) The blockhead captain, his mouth stuffed with takoyaki, thought silently to himself.
"I see, no wonder you have so many hidden injuries," the blue-nosed little reindeer said with an understanding look.
Rovick laughed and scratched his head. "Well, even though my life on that deserted island was utterly miserable, my strength has also improved significantly. And more importantly, during those life-and-death struggles with the beasts, I actually awakened [Observation Haki]! I suppose that's the silver lining."
"Observation Haki?" Everyone was taken aback. This was their second time learning about this thing called [Haki]. The only difference was that they had previously learned about [Armament] from Luffy's brother, Ace, and this time it was [Observation].
Seeing the bewildered looks on the Straw Hat crew's faces, Rovick suddenly realized, "Oh, right. Haki is incredibly rare in the first half of the Grand Line, so it's perfectly normal that you guys don't know about it."
"Haki is divided into three types: Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and the rarest of all, Conqueror's Haki. Among them, both Armament and Observation can be awakened and strengthened through training."
Next, Rovick gave Sherlock and the others a rough explanation of the characteristics of the three types of Haki. Although he didn't go into great detail, it still gave Zoro, Sanji, and the rest a much more intuitive understanding of Haki.
(Heightening the five senses, enhancing the ability to predict...) Sherlock gently pushed up his glasses, the clear lenses reflecting two streaks of white light.
(Does that mean when I took Yinsangmona back in the Alabasta desert, I actually awakened [Observation Haki]? You can awaken this stuff by popping pills??? Also, the reason I didn't sense Rovick earlier was probably because his Observation Haki is stronger than mine.)
Thinking of this, Sherlock looked at the blue-haired young man with a calm expression. "You really know quite a lot, Rovick."
"Hahaha, not at all." Rovick scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed, and laughed loudly. "It's not like you don't know what I do, President. I'm a traveler and a part-time bounty hunter. Having traveled to so many places over the years, naturally, I know a few more things."
Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles; this was exactly what that saying meant.
"Oh, so you're a bounty hunter." The blockhead captain swallowed all the food in his mouth. "That makes things a bit tricky."
"Tricky? What's tricky?" Rovick was deeply confused.
"Because..." Luffy flashed Rovick a massive grin. "We're pirates."
"Pirates?" The blue-haired young man first tilted his head in confusion, but then his expression suddenly froze. He sprang right out of his seat, a massive reaction that took Nami and the others completely by surprise.
"Holy crap, I almost forgot this was a pirate ship!!!"
(Your reaction time is a bit on the slow side...) Nami, Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp silently retorted in their minds.
Rovick glanced over Luffy and the others in shock and uncertainty, his gaze finally settling on the Sorcerer, who was leisurely enjoying a cup of black tea.
"Um... President, you being on this ship—you weren't kidnapped by them, right?" Rovick was sweating profusely.
"I wasn't. I am also a pirate now." Taking a light sip and setting down his teacup, Sherlock's unique elegance felt entirely natural. He then pointed a finger at a certain straw hat idiot. "This here is my captain."
"Yo! My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!" Luffy's self-introduction was as simple and straightforward as ever.
(Good heavens, what exactly happened during the three months I was stranded on that isolated island?! Has the whole world turned upside down?)
Looking at the blockhead captain's idiotic face, Rovick was in shambles. He stiffly turned his head, his gaze towards Sherlock filled with astonishment and disbelief.
"Are you really Sherlock? The President of the Goldglint Trading Company?"
"The genuine article, though I am merely the former President now." Sherlock's tone was as calm and composed as always.
"How did you end up boarding a 'pirate ship' like this?! Good grief, are you still that two-faced 'profiteer' I knew?!" Rovick was on the verge of pulling his hair out, because in his memory, Sherlock would absolutely never do something so irrational.
"Indeed, why is that?" Hearing this, Sherlock gently adjusted his glasses, the corners of his mouth curling into a beautiful, ambiguous smile:
"Actually, that's what I've been meaning to ask myself..."
The two old friends, who hadn't seen each other in years, chatted for a while longer. Although he still found it incredibly unbelievable, Rovick eventually accepted the fact that Sherlock had become a pirate.
"I didn't expect you to have been stranded on a deserted island too, and that you even ate a Devil Fruit." The blue-haired traveler grinned. "You're extremely lucky, President."
Sherlock gave a noncommittal little smile.
"By the way, speaking of Devil Fruits, what exactly is your fruit ability, Rovick?" Robin asked, somewhat curious.
Hearing this, the Straw Hat crew all looked at Rovick, their eyes full of anticipation.
"Me? I ate the Paramecia-type Gale-Gale Fruit. My specific ability is... never mind, just come outside and I'll give you a demonstration."
And so, aside from a certain bespectacled man whose expression looked a little off, everyone else followed Rovick out of the cabin and onto the deck.
The blue-haired traveler walked to the bow of the ship and looked around. Seeing the clear weather and feeling the gentle breeze, he couldn't help but nod in satisfaction. He then turned to Nami and asked, "Miss Navigator, which direction is the place you're heading?"
Nami glanced at the Eternal Pose for Jaya in her hand and pointed in a direction. "Right over there."
"Alright, I understand." Rovick nodded, then took a deep breath, seemingly preparing for something.
"..." Seeing this, the onlooking Straw Hat crew also held their breath, clearly looking forward to Rovick's upcoming performance.
After a long moment, Rovick slowly reached his hand toward his waist, only to grasp at empty air.
"Eh?! Where's my sword!!!" the blue-haired young man let out an alarmed cry, then began frantically searching around.
(Isn't this guy a little too scatterbrained? How did it take him this long to realize his sword was missing?) Nami and the others all had dark lines on their faces, looking at Rovick as if they were watching a complete clown.
(Also, what does demonstrating a fruit ability have to do with a sword?)
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