The newborn morning sunlight shone down on Baterilla Island.
It had already been three days since the night Garp snatched the person away.
In these three days, in order to protect Rogue's safety, Rosse moved his own residence to Rogue's side and stayed there every day, conducting close protection of Rogue.
After three days, Rosse and the others packed their things and prepared to leave.
Rogue gently closed the door of her home, not glancing again at the small building that carried over twenty years of her memories, instead firmly walking toward Rosse, placing her hand in the palm he extended.
Behind her represented the past, one that she no longer needed to bear.
What she held in her hand now belonged to her new future.
"Set sail!", Rosse brought Rogue back to the ship quickly, Ace had already been properly arranged by Stella, everything was waiting for their return so they could set off to the ancestral land of the Jaygarcia family.
The ship slowly departed from the harbor, and Rosse found Rogue, who was holding Ace, at the bow of the ship. The sea breeze gently brushed her cheeks, she wore a sunhat, and a brilliant smile bloomed on her face.
"First time going to sea?"
Rogue gazed out at the vast, boundless ocean ahead, smiling, "Yes, first time in twenty years. Is this the scenery that pirates yearn for? Doesn't seem all that special."
"Actually, the scenery at sea isn't all that special to begin with,"
Rosse stood beside Rogue, staring at that stretch of blue with her, "No one likes looking at unchanging scenery. Whether pirates or explorers, they're all seeking the surprises that occasionally appear at sea."
"Like that pirate ship?", Rogue gazed into the distance, the corners of her mouth curling slightly in a playful manner.
On the sea ahead of their ship, a pirate ship had appeared at some unknown point.
Calling it a pirate ship, it looked more like a tattered wooden boat flying a pirate flag. Pirate groups like this passed by Baterilla Island almost every day. The pirates aboard weren't even as good as the island's sheriffs.
After getting closer with Rosse, Rogue had also opened up more.
Speaking of age, she and Stella were actually the same age.
It was just that the oppression of being on the run before, along with constant pain, had unconsciously suppressed her nature.
"Indeed, that's also a kind of fun occasionally found on the sea," Rosse chuckled lightly and turned his head to call behind, "Zannie, give me a sword."
"Alright, Your Highness," Zannie's uniquely lazy voice came, and her figure appeared beside the two like a gust of wind, holding a standard Marine longsword in her hand, "Your Highness, is an ordinary longsword okay? The ship isn't equipped with good-grade weapons."
"It's fine," Rosse accepted the longsword and gave it a light swing.
Since he was in the mood, might as well play a bit.
As the ship advanced, the distance to the pirate group grew closer and closer.
That pirate group wanted to steer away, but the one navigating the ship was Zephyr. Usually, Rosse tacitly approved of his actions in hunting pirates; this time was no exception.
It's just that Zephyr usually handled it himself, but now that they were leaving Baterilla Island, Rosse happened to be interested in making a move.
As they got closer, the appearance of the pirate ship could be seen clearly.
It was a very small wooden sailboat, with only five people on board, both men and women. At this moment, they were frantically trying to turn the ship's bow to avoid the approaching warship.
Recognizing Marine and World Government insignia was a basic skill for being a pirate.
If you didn't even recognize the World Government symbol on the ship, even if you died, you'd be ridiculed by your peers.
"Hakoku!"
A powerful shockwave, like a wild dragon emerging from the sea, suddenly erupted from the blade Rosse gripped tightly.
That shockwave carried a world-destroying force, stirring up massive waves on the sea surface, with roaring waters surging toward the arrogant pirate ship not far away.
Crack!
Accompanied by a crisp snapping sound, the standard Marine longsword in Rosse's hand couldn't withstand such immense power and shattered inch by inch, turning into countless fragments scattered into the sea.
With this level of weapon, unleashing a Hakoku from the Giant Tribe was already the limit.
BOOM!
The shockwave swept through with unstoppable force, striking the pirate ship directly. In that instant, the entire pirate ship seemed to be crushed by an invisible giant hand, completely turning into powder and dispersing into the sea breeze.
The pirates aboard didn't even have time to react before they were instantly engulfed by the shockwave. Their flesh and bones, under the violent force, turned into scattered droplets of blood and rain, falling into the sea and merging with the seawater.
At this moment, the ocean seemed dyed with blood, and the air was filled with a thick scent of blood.
[Completed F-rank kill]
[Completed F+-rank kill]
[Completed...]
From the moment Rosse launched his attack to the complete destruction of the pirate ship, the ship didn't slow down at all, sailing straight through the wreckage of shattered wood.
Even after sailing out for quite a distance, Rogue was still in shock from Rosse's attack.
Baterilla Island didn't have World Government screens, and due to her special identity, it was even less likely for her to go elsewhere to watch Ohara's broadcast.
Rogue had heard of the great power of Marine Admirals destroying islands alone, but witnessing such strength with her own eyes was truly a first.
Back when she was with Roger, he had never shown such high strength in front of her. After all, she was just a weak woman.
'So people's strength can really reach this level?'
"When Ace gets a little older, I'll arrange training for him. Around the age of 10, he should be able to reach this level," When Rogue came back to her senses, Rosse smiled and said.
"Reaching this level at 10? Isn't that too exaggerated?", Rogue exclaimed.
"Not exaggerated at all. Some monsters are just born capable of this. If you can't even destroy a small pirate ship by the age of 10, then that's seriously lacking in talent. Not everyone can slowly accumulate and break through," Rosse shook his head.
The Marine and World Government's training system was completely different from pirates who relied purely on fate.
After systematic training, strength would steadily improve from a young age, rarely showing steep, sudden jumps.
Those sudden increases were mostly cases of someone coming from a small background, and after receiving systematic or advanced training, their potential was realized.
Of course, not everyone could realize their potential. Even someone with the aptitude for Conqueror's Haki might never awaken it without specific circumstances.
Most gifted individuals were slowly buried in mediocre lives, ultimately blending into the masses.
Now that Ace had become his adoptive son, his treatment would definitely be better than Garp's free-range education.
Pair him with a Mythical Zoan fruit in the future, and his prospects would definitely be promising.
"So this is the world of pirates...", Rogue murmured to herself. She felt that only at this moment did she truly experience the reality of this world.
"That's not quite right," Rosse smiled and waved his finger, correcting Rogue's words, "This isn't the world of pirates, but the other side of the world under the governance of the World Government."
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