Rowan was in no hurry to summon the Talent System. Instead, he turned and looked behind him at the remaining pirates who were being restrained by Robin, or more accurately, pirates who had already lost all will to fight and now trembled in fear.
"There are thirteen people left," Robin said calmly as she stepped to Rowan's side and gave her report.
Many of the pirates, having just witnessed Rowan kill One-Eyed Floro with overwhelming ease, wore expressions of pure terror. Even those who possessed some measure of strength no longer dared to show any defiance.
"D-Don't kill me, Captain Rowan! I'm willing to submit to you!"
"Me too! I'll do anything you ask!"
Several pirates even threw away their weapons in panic, desperate to prove their surrender.
Rowan swept his gaze over the thirteen survivors and slowly shook his head, his expression cold and indifferent.
"There are too many of you," he said calmly. "I don't need this many subordinates."
His words instantly made the air freeze.
Looking at the fear-filled faces before him, Rowan paused briefly and then continued, "There are thirteen of you now, but I only need five."
The moment those words left his mouth, every pirate present held their breath.
Only needing five meant one thing eight of them had to die.
"You… you want us to kill each other?" one pirate growled through clenched teeth.
But before he could finish speaking, a sword suddenly pierced through his chest from behind. Blood sprayed across the deck as he collapsed lifelessly.
These men were not like the Straw Hat Pirates with their ideals of loyalty and companionship. Every one of them was a ruthless criminal who had survived through cruelty and betrayal.
Among them, there were more than a few who understood immediately that they had no chance of resisting Ghost Hand Rowan.
The only way to live was to obey his rules.
Bang! Bang!
With one pirate taking the lead, the rest instantly erupted into a savage free-for-all. Shouts, gunshots, and the clash of blades filled the deck as former allies turned on one another without hesitation.
After a short but brutal massacre, only five pirates remained standing.
Even after the fighting ended, the survivors did not relax. Each of them remained tense and wary, afraid that Rowan might suddenly change his mind and reduce the number again.
Rowan's indifferent gaze swept over the five survivors before he turned to Robin.
"Robin, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Understood, Captain," Robin replied with a composed nod.
She immediately began directing the five remaining pirates to clean up the bloodstains and dispose of the corpses scattered across the ship. Meanwhile, Rowan walked alone toward the upper deck.
With a single thought, the familiar interface of the Talent System appeared before him.
The three towering talent trees materialized in his mind. Without hesitation, Rowan opened the Combat Talent tree and focused on the massive branch representing his Devil Fruit.
Warp-Warp Fruit: 75 Proficiency
He was only twenty-five points away from unlocking the first branch ability Warp Light.
After a moment's thought, Rowan directly allocated twenty-five proficiency points to it.
A flash of emerald light shimmered through his consciousness.
The proficiency of the Warp-Warp Fruit reached a full 100, and the previously greyed-out branch ability transformed into a vibrant green.
Activating Warp Light required one Free Talent Point.
"Activate it."
Rowan spent the Free Talent Point he had just obtained without hesitation.
In an instant, a strange and mysterious power surged through his body, merging seamlessly with the existing energy of the Warp-Warp Fruit.
"As expected… the ability has undergone a clear change," Rowan murmured to himself.
It was difficult to describe in precise words, but there was no doubt that the potential of his Devil Fruit had just taken a significant step forward.
He raised his hand and waved it lightly in front of his eyes.
Immediately, several phantom images appeared around his palm, like overlapping afterimages. With focused control, Rowan could even cause those phantoms to remain suspended, as if he had suddenly grown multiple hands.
Robin, who was directing the cleanup below, happened to glance upward and saw Rowan surrounded by countless illusory arms.
For a brief moment, she froze in surprise.
"Did the Captain somehow copy my Flower-Flower Fruit ability?" she wondered silently.
Rowan continued waving his arms, creating layer after layer of afterimages as he familiarized himself with his new power.
"They are only illusions…"
The manifestations created by Warp Light had no physical substance and could not be used to attack directly. However, their deceptive nature was extremely high.
In actual combat, unleashing dozens of seemingly identical punches would make it nearly impossible for an opponent to distinguish the real attack from the fake ones.
In other words, anyone fighting Rowan would have their vision severely disrupted. Unless they possessed techniques such as Observation Haki or the Marine Rokushiki art Kami-e (Paper Painting), their combat ability would be drastically weakened.
For ordinary fighters who relied primarily on sight, this ability was practically a nightmare.
If Rowan were to face someone at the level of Marine Colonel Moby again, he was confident he could defeat three to five opponents of that strength simultaneously.
"The range of my Warp Power has also increased considerably."
After further testing, Rowan clearly sensed that the effective area of his ability had expanded.
Previously, the range of his Warp Power extended roughly two meters around his body. Now, it had grown to nearly five meters.
With this improvement, he could easily neutralize slashes of the caliber used by opponents like Moby or One-Eyed Floro.
Instead of dodging, he could now rely purely on his ability to block them head-on.
He even suspected that ordinary musket bullets could now be deflected by his Warp Power alone, though he had no intention of testing that theory recklessly.
"The power of the fruit has increased… but so has the physical burden."
Rowan clenched and unclenched his fist, contemplating the changes.
Using a Devil Fruit, especially a Paramecia-type like the Warp-Warp Fruit, consumed a great deal of stamina. Now that his ability had more than doubled in strength, the strain on his body would naturally increase as well.
"It seems I really need to unlock Physical Enhancement from the General Talent tree as soon as possible."
At the moment, his body could still handle the strain. But Rowan knew that once he eventually unlocked the higher-level branch ability Warp Gravity his current physical condition would not be enough to support it.
He understood this clearly.
The strongest man in the world, Whitebeard, was not powerful solely because of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Without a monstrous physique capable of enduring that devastating power, such a Devil Fruit would be impossible to wield properly.
"The remaining twenty-five proficiency points should be kept in reserve," Rowan decided after a moment of thought.
If he needed explosive power in an emergency, he could invest them directly into the Warp-Warp Fruit. If he required greater speed, he could allocate them to Soru or to Agility Enhancement.
For now, flexibility was more important than immediate improvement.
With a thought, Rowan closed the Talent System and returned to practicing his control over Warp Light.
Two hours passed in this manner.
Finally, Robin approached Rowan once more.
"Captain," she said calmly, "the deck and cabins have all been cleaned."
After a brief pause, she added, "In addition, a Marine warship is approaching from the southwest. Judging by its size, it appears to be a medium-class Marine vessel."
Rowan stopped what he was doing and slowly turned toward the direction Robin indicated.
A faint, dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"Perfect timing," he said quietly.