The Sabaody Archipelago lay at the midpoint of the Grand Line. Beyond it, after passing Fish-Man Island and crossing the Red Line, began the second half of the Grand Line, the New World.
In the first half of the Grand Line, eleven years into the future, a terrifying ship would appear in those waters. Its captain would be Gecko Moria, a man defeated in the New World. He would bring back countless corpses, Captain John, Ryuma, and Oars among them.
At that time, Rowan might be able to test whether this world truly had something like an underworld, and whether souls could be summoned back.
After leaving Roger in Sabaody, Rowan returned to his usual routine.
A simple, repetitive cycle.
Either leaving a shadow clone behind while his real body went to teach at one of the Revolutionary Army's locations, or heading into the New World to harvest small amounts of sin value before lying on the deck and letting the sea breeze wash over him.
For others, the graduation assessment of the training camp was intense and exciting.
For Rowan, the first half of the Grand Line was nothing more than a straight sweep.
With just the Six Powers and two types of Haki, most battles ended within minutes.
It was boring.
Truly boring.
If not for slipping away to teach and watching the growth of the Revolutionary Army's new generation, Rowan felt he might have already turned into a lifeless shell under the endless sea breeze.
"Sir, sir, we've got something."
Rowan opened his eyes and glanced at the lieutenant. "Why are you copying the way I talk? If you get used to it, the next officer you serve might not like it."
The lieutenant laughed awkwardly. "Uh… sir, do you need to use the restroom?"
Rowan's expression stiffened. For a moment, he seriously considered knocking him out.
"Focus on the job."
He stood up, stretching slightly as his gaze shifted toward the distant horizon.
"No pirate flag."
The lookout climbed down from the mast. "Sir, a lot of pirates don't fly their flags anymore. They try to blend in. We usually still inspect any ship we come across."
Rowan understood immediately.
If it was a pirate ship, they would eliminate it, take the loot, and report it.
But if it was not a pirate ship, unless it belonged to Celestial Dragons or an allied kingdom, there was always something to gain from boarding, especially merchant ships.
Celestial Dragon ships were unmistakable, and royal ships carried their own crests, so mistakes were rare.
But pirates disguising themselves were common, the kind that preyed on the weak.
"I'll take a look."
With that, Rowan stepped into the air using Moonwalk and headed toward the ship.
Behind him, the Marines were all smiling. This single voyage had already earned them more than they would in years.
"White hair?"
On a small single-mast ship, Rowan stood atop the mast, looking down at the people below.
A small vessel, yet packed with dozens of people.
Men and women.
Many wore glasses and proper clothing, clearly not resembling pirates.
But their eyes betrayed them.
There was fear.
"Marine sir."
A woman stepped forward, slightly bowing. "Is there a problem? We are not pirates. Just a simple exploration team."
Exploration team?
Rowan's gaze lingered on her face, not out of anything improper, but because something about her features felt familiar.
A minute passed.
The atmosphere grew tense.
Another minute.
Rowan finally shifted his gaze and looked toward a middle-aged man hidden among the group.
"The thing you're hiding won't do anything to me. But the way you're protecting it… is she your wife?"
In an instant, panic spread across the group.
The man holding the gun stepped forward. "Olvia already has a husband, and a daughter too. What are you trying to do?"
Olvia.
The name immediately clicked.
Combined with the scholars and their appearance, everything fell into place.
"So it's a misunderstanding," Rowan said calmly. "She just reminds me of someone I used to know."
Perhaps because his tone was not hostile, the man relaxed slightly, though he remained wary. "That excuse stopped working when I was ten."
Rowan felt a bit awkward, but quickly let it go.
This was the Ohara exploration team. Judging by the timeline, they had only a few months left. After being discovered, only Olvia would survive long enough to return, and then the Buster Call would follow.
Were they foolish? Perhaps.
But there had always been people like this, those who risked everything to record history, those who chose truth over survival. Ohara's destruction would not only leave behind ashes. It would plant something in Kuzan, influence Vegapunk, and push Dragon toward becoming a revolutionary.
Rowan exhaled slowly.
If every path was walked only by the clever, then perhaps all the clever ones would die. Sometimes, it took those who seemed foolish to carve a path forward and bring about a new dawn.
He glanced back at the Marine warship before speaking calmly, "Exploration teams also need to be verified. Right now, I believe you are pirates in disguise. All of you, surrender immediately."
For a brief moment, everything fell silent.
Then chaos erupted.
"He's lying! He must be after Olvia!"
"You pervert!"
"Get inside!"
"Protect the documents! The rest of you, with me!"
"Come down here if you dare!"
"What are you trying to do to her, you bastard!"
Standing on the mast, Rowan's eye twitched slightly. He had not even done anything, and somehow he had already been labeled a pervert.
These people were unbelievably stubborn. He had only looked at her a few times, and he was nothing like that Celestial Dragon. The whole situation was ridiculous.
Gunshots rang out as bullets flew toward him, but when Rowan activated Observation Haki, he paused.
Even if he did not move, they would not hit him.
Looking down at them, he felt momentarily speechless. How had these people even managed to survive this long at sea? Were they simply too poor to be worth targeting?
"Bang!"
A bullet was caught in Rowan's hand. Under Armament Haki, the lead round flattened into a small disc.
Rowan looked at Olvia. "Not bad."
"He's definitely after Olvia!"
"Protect her! Don't let him succeed!"
Rowan blinked.
What did I even say just now?
On the exploration ship, the so called explorers roared and fired again. Their shooting was completely random, nothing worth praising except their courage.
As for why they only shot and did not charge forward, the answer was simple.
They could not climb the mast.
Two minutes later, averaging one person every few seconds, all thirty of them had been knocked to the ground.
Bruised and battered, they still stood in front of Olvia, glaring at Rowan with defiance.
Rowan found it almost amusing. "Are you all this brave? You're still looking at me like that? If I lose my temper, I could kill every one of you. Believe it or not."
From the crowd, a young man in his twenties stepped forward. One side of his glasses was broken, and his eye socket was swollen.
He was clearly beaten badly, yet he still met Rowan's gaze. "This ship is poor, so poor that even pirates ignore it. If you want money, we might be able to gather two hundred thousand Beli."
He paused before continuing, "There's nothing here you want, Marine. If you're after anything else, then all of us will resist, even if it costs our lives."
Rowan scratched his head.
This misunderstanding was getting worse.
What he meant earlier was simply that among all of them, only Olvia had decent aim, yet somehow they had taken it completely the wrong way.
But it did not matter.
His reputation as a World Government lackey was already ruined anyway. Drinking, wandering around, acting carelessly, none of it helped his image.
If it was not ruined, why would someone like Spandine even bother dealing with him?
"Ahem."
Rowan cleared his throat.
By now, the Marine warship had already pulled alongside.
"Why did you take so long?" Rowan asked casually.
The lieutenant glanced at the beaten explorers, slightly surprised. "Don't you usually kill them all first, sir? Then we just board and collect the loot?"
The moment those words came out, the explorers grew even more tense.
Olvia, who had been standing at the back, frowned before pushing through the crowd and stepping forward.
She looked directly at Rowan. "I'll go with you. Let them go."
The entire group erupted instantly. Even with guns pointed at them, they shouted and struggled as if ready to risk everything.
Rowan stared at them for a moment.
This situation felt strangely familiar.
Like something straight out of a melodramatic play.
"Tie them up. Take them all."
With a wave of his hand, the Marines rushed forward.
Their guns had already been thrown away earlier, so facing trained soldiers barehanded, the explorers were quickly subdued and bound.
One Marine moved toward Olvia, only to be slapped aside by a veteran beside him.
"Leave her. Can't you read the situation?"
"Uh?"
The veteran glanced at the group. "This ship is full of poor people. These explorers are broke. And for the first time, Rowan didn't kill them all. Think about why."
The rookie immediately understood. His gaze toward Olvia softened, as if he wanted to explain something.
Soon, all thirty of them were taken onto the warship.
As for the exploration ship, the Marines had no interest in searching it. They were about to blow it up when Rowan almost sent the one preparing the cannon flying with a slap.
The explorers, who had been desperately trying to stop it, finally relaxed.
The things hidden on that ship were more important to them than their lives.
"You don't understand value until you manage things yourself," Rowan said. "Send a few people over. We'll tow the ship. Later, we'll sell it at Water Seven."
"Yes, sir."
The Marine who had nearly been knocked out silently complained.
How much could that broken ship even sell for?
Ridiculous.
With everything settled, Rowan returned to lying on the deck, sleeping as usual.
Their destination shifted from chasing targets to heading straight for Water Seven.
Inside the holding area of the warship, Olvia and the others were locked together in darkness.
Once they were sure no one was nearby, whispers began.
"What do we do, Olvia? The ancient texts we just copied are still on the ship. We haven't even finished translating them."
"It's not just that book. Everything we've gathered over the past few years is still there."
"These Marines have no idea how valuable those records are. If they had fired that cannon earlier…"
"Our Den Den Mushi is gone too. Otherwise, we could have contacted the doctor to save the records."
The young man with the broken glasses spoke again. "Even if we die, it doesn't matter. But those records must return to Ohara. Tonight, I'll act."
"It's useless," Olvia said, shaking her head. "That Marine leader isn't simple. The way he caught the bullet… that was Haki. And he stood on the mast using Moonwalk. He's strong."
She rubbed her face, then looked at the shackles on her wrists. "We're not far from Water Seven. Before we arrive, he will definitely come to me. I'll find a way to make him release you and the ship."
"No!"
The group immediately objected, but Olvia raised her voice and suppressed them.
"Do you want six years of effort to be destroyed? These records are the wealth of all humanity. That ancient kingdom we've glimpsed… a place that could bring happiness to everyone…"
Silence fell.
All of them had studied the ancient texts long enough to understand fragments of that great kingdom.
Endless energy.
Power that could turn thoughts into reality.
"No. I won't agree," one of them said.
"Me neither."
"Same here."
"Our knowledge tells us history matters, but if we lose our humanity, then everything loses meaning."
Meanwhile, in the New World near the Red Line, Dragon and Kuma were discussing routes to avoid the World Government's forces.
Without warning, a man in a white mask and cloak appeared beside them.
They did not react.
As leaders of the Revolutionary Army, along with Ivankov and Ginny, all of them carried Rowan's spatial markers.
"The training camp assessment finished?" Dragon asked, then turned to Kuma. "Using the Float ability to lift the ship over the Red Line and then sending it flying is too noticeable."
Kuma replied calmly, "It's not the first time. Ginny will scout from above using the cloud. We can adjust at any time."
Dragon nodded. "If everything is ready, then proceed."
Only after they finished discussing did Rowan finally speak.
"I've got a group of people here… very valuable."
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