This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
Pangu City: The Seat of Power
In the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, the aftermath of Kaido's "strongest-ever" Hot Breath attack had left half the government complex pulverized. Before reconstruction could begin, Rowen moved his temporary office to Pangu City.
This meant the former exclusive residence of the Celestial Dragons, later Vegapunk's top-secret experimental base, now belonged solely to Rowen.
It was an unprecedented shift. Historically, only a select few were granted an audience with the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars). Now, Rowen had taken their mantle, and their privacy.
So far, only Kong and Rob Lucci had been allowed in and out of Pangu City. The outside world still didn't know the grim truth: the entire Celestial Dragon line was extinct.
Outsiders could certainly guess something catastrophic had happened, that was the only explanation for the two years of self-imposed silence, but no one dared voice the outrageous claim that the family line had been completely wiped out.
That ambiguity was enough for Rowen.
Today, however, one extra person was permitted to meet with the new ruler: Admiral Kizaru.
Sitting across the hall, Kizaru wore his trademark lazy, sleazy expression, the kind that inspired an immediate, irrational urge to punch his smug old face. Yet, his eyes held a genuine, almost unsettling awe as he looked at Rowen.
"When I heard it, I thought it was a ridiculous rumor. I didn't expect you to actually pull it off…"
Kizaru's heart was in turmoil; comparing himself to this man was genuinely maddening.
When Rowen first joined the Marines, Kizaru was an Admiral. When Rowen left, Kizaru was still an Admiral. When Rowen rose to Admiral and terrified the Four Seas, Kizaru was still an Admiral.
Now, Rowen had become the ruler of the Holy Land, and Kizaru was still an Admiral.
The terrifying gap both enraged and excited him. He felt an urge to do something, anything. But with a tired sigh, he crossed his legs on the sofa and resumed his usual slacker posture.
Ah, life, Kizaru thought, with all the confidence of a contented idler. Why strain? Jealousy is exhausting.
He didn't know what the world would look like next, or if he'd even bother to change.
He carefully regarded Rowen, who was seated behind the massive desk that signified absolute authority. Rowen casually skimmed the letter Kizaru had brought and said nothing for a few long beats.
Then, Rowen asked lightly, "Where is he?"
"Gone. Didn't flee to any of the standard research bases," Kizaru replied, shrugging helplessly. "Everyone at Sabaody who knew his exact whereabouts has been silenced. It wasn't until I arrived that the ordinary researchers even realized their senior colleague was dead."
He added, "Luckily, he wasn't completely ruthless. He left us a shutdown switch, which is how I was able to stop the attack before it went wide…"
"Pathetic!" Rowen snorted, slamming the letter down before Kizaru could finish.
"He thinks that pathetic offering will earn him clemency? If he dares betray us and collude with Orrick, then I will reward his so-called loyalty properly."
Kizaru understood the fury. Forget the fate of the "Pacifistas", Vegapunk himself was set to be made an example, sent to some dark processing plant until the people of the Holy Land had completely forgotten the night's massacre.
More damningly, Vegapunk's secret leak of information to Orrick, which directly led to Rowen's abduction after his clash with Red the Aloof, was, in itself, grounds for the death penalty. Had Rowen not repeatedly performed miracles to survive, the World Government's situation would not be so optimistic now.
Vegapunk had crossed the line, everyone's line. He must pay with his life.
"Uh… he's a scientist five hundred years ahead of the world," Kizaru offered carefully, earnestly aware that science was the foremost engine of progress. "Why not capture him and make him work for us for the rest of his life?" Killing the strongest scientific mind in centuries felt like an extraordinary waste.
To be honest, Kizaru felt a genuine pang of regret.
"Which is exactly why I must kill him!" Rowen shot back, his voice an unbroken sheet of ice.
Kizaru immediately raised his hands in surrender, instantly regretting the impulsive suggestion.
"I'll use his case to tell the entire world: no matter how gifted or valuable you are, the World Government's authority must not be violated!" Rowen's glare intensified.
"Offend it, and you die!"
Nobody in the world is indispensable, not even gods. Rowen believed that firmly. Even if Imu died, the sun would rise tomorrow. The same was true of himself.
He looked back at Kizaru. "I'll leave this to you, Admiral Kizaru. Bounty: 500 million, dead or alive."
"Koff… cough… cough!" Kizaru bent over, violently hacking into his teacup.
It wasn't the bounty itself that was shocking, but the task.
"Lo… Lord Soryu (Azure Dragon)…" Kizaru's face was full of genuine grievance. "I truly do not know where he escaped to!"
"That is exactly why I need you to take action," Rowen said coldly. "This way, no matter when or where he shows himself, there will always be someone who can restrain him!"
As he spoke, Rowen turned slightly to glance behind him. "After all, the trouble in the Holy Land is far from over. The fewer variables we have running loose… the better."
Imu!
Upon hearing that silent name, Kizaru's facial muscles twitched in understanding. He nodded sharply.
"I got it."
"That's good. Go back and rest for now. Gather your forces and set off when…"
Rowen suddenly frowned, and Kizaru immediately felt that something was profoundly wrong.
"What happened?"
The Heavenly Network made Rowen a literal human radar, and not just any radar, but one with a terrifyingly vast range. No one else could replicate that ability.
"…No, it's nothing."
Rowen silently shook his head and stood up. "Finish your drink and leave. Next time we meet, I'll have a surprise for you."
"You still haven't delivered on the 'surprise' you promised me after that Kaido fight!" Kizaru muttered under his breath, then set down the empty cup.
Shua!
In the next instant, his figure vanished into a beam of light, gone toward the horizon.
Rowen: "…"
With a casual wave, the Thunder Dragon Crescent Halberd resting on the weapon rack in the corner flew into his hand, crackling with blinding lightning.
"Tch! One after another… they just keep making trouble for me!"
Zzzzzzz…
A terrifying Haoshoku (Conqueror's Haki) burst forth, as deep and vast as the boundless sea, shaking the entire Holy Land to its core.
In the Room of Flowers, Imu lifted their head as if sensing the challenge, then snorted disdainfully.
"Hmph! Is that a warning aimed at me?"
"Even if I were to step out now and seize power, as long as you cannot die, what meaning would that even have? …Boring!"
After waiting a few tense seconds and confirming there was no abnormality within the Room of Flowers, Rowen finally exhaled in relief.
Boom… Rumble!
Thunder surged from Pangu City, flooding across the sky before slowly dispersing into the distance.
…
At first, when the Qilin split the battlefield and successfully disrupted the Sea Kings' offensive rhythm, the Marines were overjoyed. They quickly reorganized and launched a fierce counterattack.
However, when the Sea King closest to the Marine front line was smashed aside by the Qilin and sent crashing into the sea, the soldiers suddenly realized something was terribly wrong.
"Why… why aren't they slowing down?" A soldier asked cautiously.
The colonel beside him had a stormy expression. Why ask me? Who am I supposed to ask?! Were there still enemies behind them? Were they aiming for the Red Line? Or, was that Fire Fist just mad?
At that moment, standing atop a massive, charred shrimp's head, Coby thrust out his fist, unleashing a giant-scale Fire Pillar more than ten meters wide!
Wreathed in terrifying heat, the fire pillar struck the ocean surface just a few meters in front of the Marines' ships, and BOOM! it exploded.
Hua la la!
The resulting blast pushed the seawater into a massive tidal wave, shoving their battleship backward. As the colonel struggled to maintain balance on the shaking deck, ready to shout an obscenity at Coby, he suddenly heard the young man yell anxiously…
"Get out of the way! We can't stop it!"
Recalling how the Qilin had just plowed through the Sea King army like a vengeful divine beast moments ago, the colonel's pupils shrank in a horrifying realization.
"Move aside! Let them pass!"
Bang! Splash!
The turbulent sea current shattered into a million droplets, raining down on the deck. With a deafening roar, the Qilin brushed past their battleship, literally brushed past it.
It was so close that the paint on the ship's edge was scraped off in three long streaks, each more than ten meters long, leaving exposed wood smoking from the heat.
As they watched the Qilin speed further and further away toward the impossibly distant Red Line, the soldiers slowly climbed back to their feet, each wearing a strange, awestruck expression.
"They're heroes!"
The colonel, who clearly had a highly melodramatic imagination, had tears streaming down his face. Watching the Qilin disappear into the haze, he shouted solemnly:
"They did it for us! They made the sacrifice!"
"All units, salute our heroes!"
Shua!
A crisp, unified sound filled the air as countless Marines snapped to attention, many with tears streaming down their faces, giving the doomed Qilin a solemn, heartfelt salute.
Watching this absurd display from afar, Rowen: "…"
(End of Chapter)