"What a pity. Such a cool move, and yet almost no audience. No wonder the Faith Points barely budged."
Listening to the system notifications in his mind fall silent so quickly, Rowan wore a look of disappointment. That single strike had only yielded an increase of less than ten Faith Points—and all of those had been provided by Luffy.
But it was expected. These pirates held a completely different stance from him. At most, his move would inspire terror; it was impossible for a group like that to suddenly feel respect or admiration for him, let alone "Faith."
"So cool!"
Luffy, eyes sparkling with stars, rushed over and began circling Rowan in excitement. "Great-Grandpa, that move just now was way too cool! Why haven't I ever seen you use it before? Can you teach me? It was so awesome, I really want to learn it!"
As he spoke, Luffy began to mimic Rowan's earlier posture, clutching at the air as if holding a sword and bringing it down with a cold expression. He even imitated the whistling sound of the air being sliced.
"Swish! Swish!"
The sight was as comical as it could be.
However, looking at the clowning Luffy, not a single surviving pirate on the water could manage a laugh. They were either clinging to the wreckage of their ships or standing waist-deep in the seawater, trembling as they watched Rowan. They didn't even dare to breathe too loudly, fearing that if this terrifying man grew slightly annoyed, he'd send another slash to finish the job.
In fact, many pirates were cursing inwardly.
Damn it, if I'd known we'd run into a monster like this, I never would've chosen to be a pirate.
And that guy Krieg... wasn't he always bragging about being the 'Strongest Man in the East Blue'? Saying that after two more years of growth, we'd conquer the Grand Line, find the One Piece, and live like kings? We haven't even left the East Blue and we've been sliced in half! We didn't even have a chance to fight back. 'Strongest Man'? More like the 'Strongest Bullshitter.' That title belongs to the white-haired old man over there!
"You want to learn?" Rowan asked, looking at Luffy's adoring face.
As he spoke, he reached out his hand. The scabbard lying on the beach acted as if it were alive, letting out a hum before flying into Rowan's hand. This display drew another gasp from Luffy.
"Yes, yes! Great-Grandpa, I want to learn!" Luffy nodded frantically like a woodpecker, terrified that if he were too slow, his Great-Grandpa would change his mind.
But Rowan immediately poured cold water on his enthusiasm. "It's no use. When it comes to the sword, your talent is... 'seven holes open out of eight'."
"What does that mean?" Luffy scratched his head, confused.
"It means the one that matters is blocked. You have zero talent," Rowan said, sheathing the famous blade at his waist. "Stick to your physical arts. This stuff isn't for you."
"Ah? I can't learn swordsmanship?" Luffy's excitement instantly deflated. He believed Rowan's words implicitly; if his Great-Grandpa said he couldn't do it, then he truly couldn't.
Ignoring the pouting boy, Rowan looked out at the sea.
With that one strike, the once-imposing Krieg Armada had been reduced to a floating graveyard. Every ship had been cleaved in two. Aside from a few relatively intact cabins floating on the surface, the rest was just debris. Thousands of pirates were now treading water, clinging to planks, and holding their hands up in a terrified gesture of surrender.
They had completely accepted their status as prisoners. They didn't know who this old man was, but they knew that surrendering was their only hope for survival.
Rowan took a long drag of his pipe and blew out a cloud of smoke, frowning as he surveyed the scene. This was actually a bit of a headache. He had enjoyed himself with that strike, but he hadn't considered where to put all these captives once their ships were gone.
They were pirates, sure, but he couldn't just launch another slash and slaughter them all. He wasn't some bloodthirsty psychopath like Shiryu of the Rain.
After thinking for a while, Rowan pulled out the sea chart Nami had given him to locate the nearest Marine Branch. He then beckoned to a thin, armored pirate nearby. "Hey, you. Yes, you. Come here."
The pirate was startled, but quickly realized he was being summoned. He ran toward Rowan with a fawning expression, bowing low and rubbing his hands together. "Great Sir, please give me your orders! As long as I can do it, I'll go through fire and water for you without blinking!"
His expression was so solemn it was as if Rowan were his long-lost master. Rowan actually had a bit of respect for the man; to be able to suck up to the enemy who just destroyed his fleet with such a straight face required a incredibly thick skin.
It also proved that the "brotherhood" of the Krieg Pirates was worth less than dog spit.
Rowan didn't care about the attitude change. He asked flatly, "What's your name, and what's your position in the crew?"
The pirate immediately replied, "Great Sir, my name is Pearl. The brothers call me 'Iron Wall' Pearl. I am the Commander of the Second Unit of the Krieg Pirates."
"Commander of the Second Unit?"
Rowan was slightly surprised. This guy, covered in heavy shields, was actually a high-ranking officer. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place him. Not that a small fry like this deserved his focus.
Rowan waved a hand. "Do you have a Den Den Mushi (Transponder Snail)?"
He and Luffy had no way to transport these prisoners. He had to call the nearest Marine base. He could have called Sengoku to solve it, but he knew the "little brat" was the Fleet Admiral and busy as could be, so he decided not to bother him.
"A Den Den Mushi?" Pearl blinked and shook his head. "Sir, I don't carry one on me personally."
"So, you don't have one?" Rowan's eyebrow twitched.
Seeing the change in Rowan's gaze, Pearl immediately panicked. "I remember now! The communications team in my unit has them! I'll go call them over for you right now!"
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