November, Year 1508 of the Sea Calendar.
Ghost Hand Rowan killed One-Eyed Floro, the pirate captain with a bounty of 27 million Berries, seized the Floro Pirate Crew's ship, and officially established the Ghost Hand Pirates. Their pirate flag bore the image of a skull with a skeletal hand reaching straight toward the sky.
Early December, Year 1508 of the Sea Calendar.
Ghost Hand Rowan led the Ghost Hand Pirates to annihilate the Kuro Pirate Crew, whose captain carried a bounty of 17 million Berries, within the borders of the Turta Kingdom. When the local Kingdom Army attempted to suppress him, Rowan crushed them as well, further increasing his reputation throughout the West Blue.
Late December, Year 1508 of the Sea Calendar.
Ghost Hand Rowan wiped out the Blood Bull Pirate Crew, whose captain held a bounty of 25 million Berries. He also defeated the West Blue Marine Branch T-19 forces dispatched to eliminate him. This incident shocked the West Blue Marines and caused Rowan's prestige to rise dramatically.
Early January, Year 1509 of the Sea Calendar.
This year was also known as the eleventh year of the Great Pirate Era.
In the notorious pirate town of Bage Town, Ghost Hand Rowan successively exterminated the Giant Hammer Pirate Crew, whose captain had a bounty of 28 million Berries, and the Leopard Pirate Crew, whose captain was worth 19 million.
Soon after, he destroyed the infamous bounty hunter known as "Blood Hand" along with his entire gang, who had attempted to assassinate him.
By this point, Rowan's name had spread far and wide across the West Blue. No one dared to question his newly issued bounty of forty million Berries.
More than two months had passed since Rowan seized the Floro Pirate Crew's ship.
During this time, Rowan had hunted two pirates with bounties between 15 and 20 million Berries and three pirates between 20 and 30 million.
However, because the Talent System reduced rewards for repeatedly hunting pirates within the same bounty range, Rowan had only obtained 80 Talent Proficiency points from all those battles combined.
Fortunately, when he eliminated the Giant Hammer Pirate Crew, whose captain was worth 28 million Berries, Rowan received an additional Free Talent Point. Naturally, he was very satisfied with that outcome.
Continuing to hunt pirates with bounties below 30 million would now yield minimal rewards and waste valuable time. For that reason, Rowan decided to shift his attention entirely to pirates with bounties exceeding 30 million.
Smanel Kingdom.
This was a relatively large and prosperous nation within the West Blue, one of the more than 170 member countries under the World Government. Its king possessed the right to attend the Reverie, the World Council held at Mary Geoise.
In a narrow alleyway within one of the kingdom's towns, Rowan leaned casually against a wall, a leather hat pulled low over his eyes.
He turned his gaze toward Robin, who was standing nearby wearing a similar hat, and asked quietly, "How's the situation inside? Is the intelligence accurate?"
Robin was using her Flower-Flower Fruit ability to observe the interior of a nearby building from a hidden angle. After a few moments, she withdrew her power and nodded.
"The information is correct," she replied calmly. "The central room on the top floor is where the underworld transaction is taking place. The captain of the Hundred Blades Pirate Crew, known as 'White Blade,' is inside."
No one seemed to know White Blade's real name. He was known only by his title a highly skilled swordsman who had once worked as a bounty hunter before turning pirate. His current bounty stood at an impressive 35 million Berries.
This was not the first pirate Rowan had targeted with a bounty exceeding 30 million, but it was the first one he had managed to accurately locate. Tracking him down had taken nearly half a month.
"The first time I hunt a pirate in the 30 to 50 million range, I'm guaranteed to gain a Free Talent Point," Rowan murmured to himself.
"With that, I can finally unlock the General System talent Physical Enhancement."
He lifted the brim of his hat slightly and stretched his arms.
During this period, Rowan had left all intelligence gathering and tracking work to Robin while he focused entirely on physical training.
Through relentless effort, his physique had grown significantly stronger. He had fully adapted to the increased power of the Warp-Warp Fruit and had even invested another 30 proficiency points into it, further strengthening his control.
"Wait for me here," Rowan said.
He took the bounty poster of White Blade from Robin's hand, glanced at it once more, then turned toward the wall in front of him.
Placing his palm against the surface, he activated his ability.
Buzz!
Warp Power rippled outward from his hand. Under Rowan's precise control, the wall did not collapse; instead, it warped inward slightly, forming a shallow indentation.
Rowan kicked off the ground, leapt upward, stepped on the warped section, and launched himself higher.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
After two swift leaps using the wall as leverage, Rowan reached the roof and vanished from sight.
Robin watched his figure disappear above and muttered softly to herself.
"Wanted by the Marines, hostile toward the World Government, yet tirelessly hunting pirates everywhere without concern for being surrounded by enemies…"
"He really is a strange captain."
Most pirates were naturally hostile to one another, especially on the Grand Line and in the New World. Accidental encounters often turned into bloody battles.
But Rowan was different.
He wasn't merely fighting other pirates when they crossed paths he was actively hunting them down, as if deliberately carving a path of fear and destruction through the entire West Blue.
Robin shook her head slightly and continued using her ability to monitor the situation inside the building.
Inside the central room on the top floor.
It was a dim chamber with thick curtains drawn tightly over the windows, blocking out all sunlight. Oil lamps burned faintly along the walls, casting flickering shadows across the room.
Around twenty men were present, either standing guard or sitting in tense silence.
"It took more than half a month to finally get in contact with you," said an old man with a gray beard and a bowler hat, leaning on a cane as he sat on one of the sofas.
He addressed the swordsman seated across from him a man wearing a white jacket with a long blade resting beside him.
This man was White Blade, captain of the Hundred Blades Pirate Crew.
"I heard you're willing to pay a high reward," White Blade said, leaning forward slightly with a dangerous smile.
The old man nodded with a serious expression.
"That's right. Forty million Berries. That is the payment for this commission."
"Quite a generous sum," White Blade replied, leaning back again. "So tell me what exactly do you want us to do?"
"I need you to eliminate the Kapen Gang's underground stronghold within the Smanel Kingdom," the old man said coldly. "Their rapid expansion has begun to seriously affect our organization's interests."
Hearing this, White Blade let out a sneer.
"I see. The gang secretly supported by your kingdom can't deal with outside competition, so you've decided to hire pirates to clean up the mess. How amusing."
The old man narrowed his eyes.
"It's not that we can't handle them. But using official forces would attract unwanted attention. This matter must be dealt with quietly and discreetly."
He paused before asking again.
"So, do you accept the commission?"
"I'll take it," White Blade answered bluntly. "However, provoking the Kapen Gang is troublesome. Forty million isn't enough. I want fifty million."
"Forty million is already a very high price," the old man replied grimly, clearly unwilling to increase the payment.
White Blade merely pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping his scabbard with an indifferent expression, as if he didn't care whether the deal went through or not.
The atmosphere in the room gradually fell into a tense stalemate.
At that moment
A faint, unusual noise suddenly came from the ceiling above them.