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Sanji grinned. 'That damn moss-head finally admitted his cooking is delicious!'
"Finished! Let's eat!" Luffy cheered, wiping his mouth.
"Alright, rest up, everyone. That's enough Haki training for now. We'll pick it up again when we reach the Grand Line," Rowen announced, having consumed enough food to satisfy his Superhuman Demonic Physique's digestive needs.
Sailing at night was dangerous. Even with a navigator, standard procedure was to anchor the ship at sea and wait for daylight to continue.
"Oh! Tomorrow, we finally head to the Grand Line!" Luffy cheered excitedly.
These past few days anchored in this area, Rowen had been instructing them in Haki.
Zoro and Sanji both smiled. Their dreams could only be realized on the Grand Line.
Only Rowen remained silent, walking towards the door with a thoughtful expression, observing the sky through the cabin window.
His Observation Haki had already picked up the subtle shift in Nami's emotions when Luffy shouted about heading to the Grand Line.
Lingering in this sea area these past few days to train Luffy and the others—was also intended to give Nami enough time to gather the resolve to finally confide in them.
Looks like there's still some Trait harvesting to do before reaching the Grand Line.
Rowen smiled faintly and headed towards the bathroom.
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"Hah..." After a comfortable hot bath, Rowen sat on his bed, letting out a relaxed sigh.
"But, as expected of Haki—Even training Observation Haki is surprisingly brutal." Rowen's expression turned serious.
While his Conqueror's Haki intensity grew stronger daily thanks to Born of the Sea (Apex Gold)—
—His Armament Haki and Observation Haki still required strengthening his physique and spirit, respectively.
Improving Armament Haki was straightforward; thanks to Born of the Sea (Apex Gold), Rowen only needed to enhance his physique, and his Armament Haki would strengthen automatically.
As for Observation Haki... through sparring (beating up) Luffy and Zoro, combined with feedback from the System, Rowen had figured out how to improve it.
The strength of Observation Haki depended on a combination of one's spirit (mental fortitude) and 'Disposition'.
Here, 'Spirit' could be understood as an extension of the user's five senses, allowing them to perceive the presence, emotions, and movements of enemies.
After awakening Observation Haki, enhancing the five senses through training strengthened the Haki itself.
Furthermore, the five senses played a more significant role in determining Observation Haki's strength compared to 'Disposition'.
Essentially, Observation Haki acted as an amplifier and manifestation of the user's five senses.
And enhancing this manifested sensory perception—aside from rare geniuses—typically required engaging in life-or-death battles against opponents of at least equal strength!
Yes, unlike Armament Haki, Observation Haki did have geniuses.
For example, Katakuri—though only Yonko Commander level—had trained his Observation Haki to its absolute peak, achieving something many Emperor/Admiral level fighters couldn't: briefly seeing into the future.
This ability to glimpse the future was essentially an evolution of Observation Haki—a manifestation and extension of the user's sixth sense.
Additionally, some individuals were born with unique, innate forms of Observation Haki that couldn't even be obtained through training.
For those who weren't geniuses like Katakuri, improving their manifested five senses required life-or-death combat against equally strong opponents. It made sense.
Even people on Earth experienced heightened senses during moments of extreme danger or tension.
By pushing oneself into perilous life-or-death situations, a strong individual who had awakened Observation Haki could sharpen this manifested sensory perception.
But engaging in life-or-death combat against equally matched opponents... one wrong move, and you could genuinely die.
Those who survived were tempered by the experience; their manifested senses grew stronger, forging more powerful Observation Haki.
And even then, natural talent played a role. Some hotheads might be strong but possess poor manifested senses—Emperor Big Mom being a prime example.
Truly a brutal—'survival of the fittest' power system. Even the supporting Haki, Observation, required conditions for improvement even more bloody and harsh than Armament Haki.
No wonder there were many users of Armament Haki on the seas—some, like Zephyr 'Black Arm' in his prime, reached Admiral level relying solely on Armament.
But those who could train Observation Haki to its absolute peak, capable of briefly seeing the future, were so few.
Rowen chuckled at the thought.
For Rowen, with his Strongest Trait System, there was another way to improve Observation Haki: directly upgrading it with materials.
Reaching the level of 'seeing the future' was just a matter of time for Rowen.
But he wasn't in a rush for that yet. In the first half of the Grand Line, situations requiring ultra-advanced Observation Haki were rare.
Rowen's current priority remained strengthening his physique.
Knock~ Knock~
As Rowen was contemplating, a soft knock came at his door.
Having already awakened Observation Haki, Rowen knew who was outside even without opening the door, simply by sensing their presence.
Click.
Opening the door, Rowen offered a gentle smile to the figure standing outside.
"Come in, Nami," Rowen stepped aside.
"Did you know I was coming, Rowen?" Nami asked, biting her lip upon hearing his words.
"Of course. I can clearly sense every little change in your emotions," Rowen replied, smiling kindly at Nami.
With Observation Haki, combined with his knowledge of the plot and the groundwork he'd laid over the past few days, predicting Nami would come to him was simple.
"Rowen..." Nami murmured, biting her lip again, her eyes filled with emotion. 'Rowen cares about me that much?'
"Nami, you..."
"Oof!" Just as Rowen started to say something more, he felt a warmth press against his chest.
Nami had thrown herself into his arms, her shoulders trembling slightly. Rowen gently stroked her orange hair.
"You've been through a lot, Nami," Rowen said softly.
He could feel a dampness spreading on his chest.
Nami bit her lip, then lifted her tear-streaked face.
Seeing her like this, looking so vulnerable yet beautiful, tugged at Rowen's heartstrings.
Nami... enduring the pain of her mother's murder since she was ten, carrying the burden of her village's safety on her shoulders, striving to earn that exorbitant sum of 100 million Beri...
100 million Beri! In the East Blue, the highest bounty belonged to Arlong, at a mere 20 million!
For a ten-year-old girl, that burden was like an impossibly heavy mountain.
Yet Nami, through her own efforts—and notably, through her kindness, choosing only to steal from evil pirates—had nearly accomplished this incredible feat.
Nami... truly had suffered immensely.
"Rowen... Help me..." Nami whispered, her voice choked with emotion. For the first time since her mother Bell-mère was killed, she allowed herself to show the vulnerability of a young woman in need.
Rowen's simple words, "You've been through a lot," had completely broken down her defenses.
Rowen gently wiped away Nami's tears. Then, his eyes hardened, filled with a cold fury. He stepped out of the room, his voice booming through the ship in a deafening roar.
"OF COURSE—!!"
His eyes blazed with chilling intensity.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Lights immediately flickered on in four other cabins.
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Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji quickly emerged onto the deck, fully dressed and ready for action.
"Nami! Where are we going?!" Luffy demanded, rolling up his sleeves, his 'serious business' expression firmly in place.
"Just tell us who, Rowen. We heard your voice. We're ready to fight," Zoro stated grimly, drawing Wado Ichimonji slightly.
"Hah..." Sanji exhaled a stream of smoke, his face set in a cold, determined mask.
Usopp said nothing, but his legs—which usually trembled uncontrollably whenever trouble arose—were now perfectly steady.
"Nami. Let's go. The ones who hurt you... we're coming for their lives. We're pirates, after all!" Rowen declared, his expression chillingly fierce.
This was the first time since arriving in this world that Rowen had felt truly enraged.
"Cocoyasi Village—" Nami whispered, her eyes red but resolute, finally naming the place.
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