On the endless azure sea, a medium-sized warship from a Marine Branch cut through the waves at full speed, its white hull gleaming beneath the sun.
"Report, Colonel! A vessel belonging to the Floro Pirate Crew has been spotted ahead!"
"Is that so?"
The Marine Colonel commanding the warship stepped onto the deck, raised his binoculars, and focused on the distant horizon. A faint black silhouette gradually came into view the unmistakable shape of a pirate ship drifting on the open sea.
As the distance between the two vessels shortened, the Colonel's expression slowly turned serious.
Something was clearly wrong.
The Floro Pirate Crew's ship appeared damaged, its sails torn and its hull scarred, as though it had just gone through a fierce battle.
"All hands prepare for combat!" the Colonel ordered firmly after a moment of thought.
"Once we are within firing range, begin shelling immediately!
"A Marine warship?"
Rowan emerged from his Devil Fruit training, took the binoculars from Robin's hand, and looked in the direction she indicated. Sure enough, a warship bearing the seagull emblem of the Marines was closing in at high speed.
Robin stood beside him, her eyes calm but alert.
"If there are no surprises, they should be coming after the Floro Pirate Crew," she said softly.
"Mm."
Rowan nodded slightly.
Whether the Marines were targeting the Floro Pirates or now targeting him instead made little difference. Either way, the situation was the same.
Just as Rowan lowered the binoculars, a familiar synthesized voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Due to changes in the host's environment and the host's unique interpretation of Dark Justice, the Talent System will undergo optimization. Details are as follows…"
"In addition to obtaining Talent Proficiency and Free Talent Points by hunting pirates, defeating Marine officers who pursue the host will now also grant Talent Proficiency and Free Talent Points."
"Furthermore, the diminishing returns from Marine defeats will be calculated separately and will not overlap with Pirate Hunting rewards."
"Note: This reward is only effective for the highest-ranking officer among the pursuing Marines, and the minimum required rank is Navy Rear Admiral."
Hearing the System's announcement, Rowan froze for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face.
This kind of improvement was exactly what he wanted.
"After this optimization, the host may now directly view the corresponding reward ranges for pirate bounties and Marine ranks within the System panel."
"Ding! Optimization complete!"
The second announcement caught Rowan slightly by surprise.
Without hesitation, he opened the Talent System interface.
In the upper-right corner of the panel, a new symbol had appeared one that hadn't existed before. Rowan focused on it and opened the newly added page.
Pirate Hunting Records:
5–8 million Berries… 3 hunted
8–10 million Berries… 2 hunted
10–12 million Berries… 2 hunted
12–15 million Berries… 2 hunted
15–20 million Berries… 1 hunted
20–30 million Berries… 1 hunted
The Pirate Hunting section on the left side clearly listed every pirate Rowan had hunted so far, neatly recording each bounty range and the corresponding diminishing returns.
It matched perfectly with Rowan's earlier assumptions.
Hunting pirates within the same bounty range multiple times would gradually reduce Talent Proficiency rewards. However, defeating a pirate within a new bounty range for the first time would always grant one Free Talent Point.
Above 30 million Berries, the System displayed several additional tiers.
Fifty million was marked as a dividing line, followed by brackets increasing in intervals of one hundred million up to five hundred million.
Beyond that were only three final ranges:
500–800 million
800 million–1.2 billion
Over 1.2 billion
"A very clear classification," Rowan muttered as he reviewed the list. "But in this world, strength and bounty don't always match perfectly."
He knew all too well that political factors, cruelty, and influence often affected bounty amounts just as much as raw power.
After examining the Pirate Hunting page, Rowan shifted his attention to the right side.
Marine Defeat Records:
Navy Rear Admiral… 0 defeated
Navy Vice Admiral… 0 defeated
Admiral… 0 defeated
Fleet Admiral… 0 defeated
Every entry under Marine Defeat was currently zero.
After all, Rowan had not yet faced any Marine officer of Rear Admiral rank or above.
"A rather crude division," Rowan muttered with a shake of his head.
In the Marine system, a Branch Vice Admiral and a Headquarters Rear Admiral technically shared the same rank, but their combat abilities were worlds apart.
The System did not distinguish between them, meaning he might miss out on potential rewards due to that lack of precision.
Naturally, this left Rowan somewhat dissatisfied.
After finishing his review of the new panel, he closed the Talent System.
When he looked back toward the sea, the Marine warship had already closed much of the distance between them. Its outline was now visible to the naked eye.
"Southeasterly wind… wind force close to level six…"
"Robin, raise full sail. We're leaving."
After observing the conditions carefully, Rowan issued his order without hesitation.
The threat posed by a Marine warship was no joke. Its artillery far exceeded that of any pirate vessel, and with the current headwind, attempting to approach it would be suicidal.
Even a Headquarters Rear Admiral would think twice before charging directly into the bombardment of a fully armed warship.
In many cases, the Marines were able to dominate pirates precisely because of the overwhelming firepower their ships carried.
At least for now, Rowan knew he was not yet strong enough to ignore such firepower.
"Understood," Robin replied immediately.
She had already anticipated Rowan's decision. Without waiting any longer, she ordered the five surviving pirates to set the sails and prepare for departure.
Those pirates needed no encouragement.
They were all too familiar with the terror of Marine warships and had long been ready to flee at a moment's notice.
The damaged Floro Pirate ship quickly caught the wind and began to accelerate across the waves.
Seeing the pirate ship attempt to escape, the pursuing warship increased speed and fired several long-range test shots, hoping to shatter the masts.
But the distance was still too great.
The cannonballs splashed harmlessly into the sea.
Although the warship possessed superior firepower, it was also much heavier. Even with advanced turbine systems, it could not compete with the speed and agility of a light pirate vessel when the wind was favorable.
Most pirate ships were built for quick raids and fast escapes, not head-on battles with the Marines. The Floro Pirate Crew's vessel was no exception a classic light sailing ship designed for mobility.
In the end, the warship could only watch helplessly as the pirate ship grew smaller and smaller, eventually turning into a tiny black dot on the horizon before disappearing completely.
"If only I had unlocked Moonwalk," Rowan said with a faint sigh.
Standing atop the cabin, he gazed out at the boundless ocean with mild regret.
If he possessed the Rokushiki technique Geppo (Moonwalk), he could have crossed the sky directly, ignored the warship's cannons, and boarded it from above to sink it single-handedly.
Unfortunately, that was still out of reach for now.
Even so, Rowan was not too bothered.
The warship had most likely been commanded by a mere Branch Colonel, and defeating someone of that rank would not have granted him any rewards from the System.
From that perspective, letting them go was no real loss.
With the Talent System at his disposal, it was only a matter of time before he grew strong enough to treat Marine warships as nothing more than floating targets.
When that day came, any Marine foolish enough to chase Ghost Hand Rowan would find themselves at the bottom of the sea.
Whoosh!
Rowan leapt down from the cabin roof and landed lightly beside Robin.
"Robin, how many supplies do we have left?" he asked.
After a brief calculation, Robin replied, "For seven people, enough to last roughly two to three months."
Rowan nodded.
"Good. That should be more than enough."
After a short pause, he added, "I need you to prepare something for me."
"Compile a detailed report on every pirate in the West Blue with a bounty higher than fifteen million Berries."
Robin gave a small, confident smile.
"No problem, Captain."