Boom! Boom! BOOM!!
Explosions tore through the district as artillery fire rained down relentlessly. Cannon after cannon roared in coordinated succession, their shells slamming into the targeted building with merciless precision. The ground trembled beneath the bombardment. Smoke and shattered stone filled the air as if the structure were being erased from existence.
This was no random assault.
High above the chaos, overseeing the destruction with calculated calm, stood Capone Bege, one of the infamous Worst Generation. The "Gang" pirate captain understood one critical truth: brute numbers alone would not guarantee victory.
He had witnessed Rowan's ability firsthand.
Thus, despite holding an overwhelming numerical advantage, Bege issued a direct order reduce the building to rubble. No hesitation. No risks. No survivors.
If the structure collapsed completely, even a Devil Fruit user would be buried beyond recovery.
That was the plan.
Underground
Far below the collapsing ruins, in a concealed subterranean chamber carved through spatial distortion, silence reigned.
Robin observed the chamber carefully.
The space had not been dug through conventional means. It bore no signs of excavation. The walls were unnaturally smooth distorted, as though the earth itself had been folded and displaced rather than broken.
This was Rowan's power.
Not excavation.
Not destruction.
Displacement.
The ability of the Warp-Warp Fruit.
Robin's sharp eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
If Rowan could create this space with such apparent ease, then logically, he could open another passage and leave whenever he chose. Escape was possible.
Yet he did not move.
He simply stood there, hands behind his back, listening calmly to the thunder of artillery overhead.
"Why are you looking at me?" Rowan asked without turning. "Are you wondering why I don't simply open a tunnel and leave?"
Robin rested her right hand beneath her chin in quiet contemplation. After a moment, she shook her head gently.
"There's no need to ask. Retreating without consequence… wouldn't suit the Captain."
A faint smile touched Rowan's lips.
She was partially correct.
Running was never his style.
But there was another reason.
Warping a hollowed spatial zone underground was one thing. Creating a stable tunnel stretching a great distance through solid earth required far greater precision and far greater stamina. The strain on his body would be significant.
The stamina required to maintain such large-scale displacement could instead be used far more efficiently.
For example
To wipe out several hundred armed enemies.
Above them were more than three hundred gang members. Worse, they carried heavy artillery. Cannons were vastly more destructive than standard firearms; even in the Grand Line, few could ignore concentrated bombardment.
Rowan's gaze sharpened.
"The Worst Generation… Gang Godfather Capone Bege," he murmured softly. "If today proceeds as expected, the eleven Supernovas may soon become ten."
He would not hesitate simply because Bege was a notorious pirate of the era.
In the world of pirates, once hostility was declared, consequences followed.
Assessment
A translucent interface flickered into existence before Rowan's eyes visible only to him.
Talent System
Life System
Navigation Mastery
Combat System
Firearm Proficiency: 50
Close Combat: 100
Warp-Warp Fruit: 130
Sub-Ability: Warp Light
Rokushiki: Soru (Shave): 0
Rokushiki: Kami-e (Paper Drawing): 0
General System
Agility Enhancement: 50
Physical Enhancement: Available
Unlike Combat talents, General talents scaled in stages.
Rowan had prioritized Agility early on. In a world dominated by firearms, cannons, and surprise attacks, speed was survival. That decision had paid dividends.
But now, a new limitation had become obvious.
Devil Fruit power was not limitless.
No matter how refined the control, the human body remained the vessel. If the body failed, the ability failed with it.
To deepen his mastery of the Warp-Warp Fruit, he required a stronger foundation.
He exhaled slowly.
"Activate Physical Enhancement."
A deep resonance pulsed through him.
Warmth flooded every muscle fiber, every bone. In a single instant, Rowan's physique expanded in density and resilience. The transformation was internal but unmistakable.
Elementary Physical Enhancement.
Even at zero proficiency, his physical capacity surged dramatically.
The difference was immediate.
His breathing deepened. His heart beat steadier. The invisible weight of spatial distortion felt lighter.
But it was insufficient.
Rowan calmly allocated fifty proficiency points.
The system shimmered.
Intermediate Physical Enhancement.
His muscles tightened and defined further beneath his shirt not exaggerated, but perfectly balanced. Strength without waste. Power without distortion.
Robin blinked subtly.
Had his silhouette… changed?
For a brief moment, she wondered if the flickering underground light distorted her perception. She was only sixteen, after all sharp, intelligent, but still young.
She turned her gaze away quietly.
Rowan felt the change far more clearly.
The Warp-Warp Fruit had previously felt like wielding a massive siege weapon devastating, but taxing. Now it felt manageable. Controlled. Sustainable.
He checked his remaining proficiency.
Eighty-five points.
He did not hesitate.
Fifty points were invested into Physical Enhancement once more.
Advanced Physical Enhancement.
The increase was profound.
His strength did not merely grow it stabilized. Every motion felt efficient. Every breath controlled. Even without further investment into Agility Enhancement, his overall speed subtly improved due to the refined muscular coordination.
Rokushiki techniques like Soru, which relied heavily on explosive leg strength, would now benefit indirectly from this growth.
Thirty-five remaining points were directed into the Warp-Warp Fruit.
Immediately, his perception of space sharpened.
Distances felt tangible. Edges of warped zones became clearer. Energy expenditure decreased under refined control.
Rowan flexed his fingers slowly.
Spatial ripples shimmered faintly at his fingertips barely visible distortions bending the air.
He closed his hand.
Above them, another series of deafening explosions roared.
The bombardment had not ceased.
But the advantage had shifted.
Robin glanced toward him again, sensing something different not merely increased strength, but a presence. A steadiness.
A predator who had finished sharpening his claws.
Rowan stepped forward slightly.
"Artillery," he said calmly. "Is only effective against what it can see."
The underground chamber trembled once more.
Then
The air behind him twisted.
Spatial distortion expanded like a silent doorway.
Ghost Hand Rowan was finished waiting.