"Report!"
"A ship belonging to the Ghost Hand Pirates has been spotted on the northern shore of Shipwright Town!"
On the Marine Warship, a sentry perched at the crow's nest lowered his binoculars and shouted the report to Headquarters Rear Admiral Ghost Spider, who stood draped in his Marine coat of Justice.
"As expected."
A cold gleam flashed in Ghost Spider's eyes as he stared toward the north shore. He snorted, voice low and sharp. "To send me all the way from Headquarters to the West Blue for a pirate who hasn't even set foot on the Grand Line… finally, I can finish this troublesome task."
He had been annoyed for weeks. The West Blue Marine branch had been jumping through hoops for a mere pirate: covering up facts, coordinating with the World Government, hunting Rowan, and now forcing a Rear Admiral to personally intervene.
"Pass the order: Warship No. 5 maintains its course to block the escape route. All other Warships change course and surround the northern shore!"
"Yes, sir!"
A nearby colonel nodded immediately.
Even a seemingly minor bounty hunter had caused massive disruption: a branch colonel killed, the branch commander failing to pursue, and now the full attention of Marine Headquarters in the West Blue.
Finally, this problem was approaching its end. With five Warships blocking the coastand more on the waythe Ghost Hand Pirates had almost no chance of slipping through. Their fate seemed sealed.
…
Shipwright Town, West Shore.
Old Fitz and three shipwrights hammered tirelessly, while four or five laborers carried planks across the growing hull. The ship was taking shape.
As Old Fitz hammered a deck plank, his gaze drifted toward the horizon. A shadow crept closer, black against the glinting sea.
"That… are Marine Warships!"
"They came this fast?"
Old Fitz's brow furrowed. Shipwright Town had no Marine branch nearby; the closest base was over ten days away. Yet in just two days, the Marines had assembled a fleet and arrived. Clearly, they had been tailing Rowan all along.
He hadn't considered the possibility of a coordinated pursuithe'd only assumed a delay from distance. Now, he realized Rowan's enemies were more relentless than anticipated.
If it were one or two Warships, Rowan's strength alone might have sufficed. But five Warships? The combined firepower formed a net capable of overwhelming almost anyone, even a top-tier pirate from the West Blue.
Old Fitz clenched his fists. "If Rowan boards the ship, he could shake off a few. But now… if only I had a few more days."
He frowned, racking his mind for a solution to protect Robin and Rowan. Even with his connectionsRed-Haired Shanks among themreinforcements from the New World could not arrive in time.
"This is… truly troublesome."
…
Shipwright Town, North Shore.
Inside the old ship's training cabin, Rowan stood at the center of five swinging sandbags, delivering precise, rapid punches.
While the ship was under construction, he used every spare moment to hone his Observation Haki.
Day after day, he trained tirelessly. Fatigue never gave him an excuse. Rowan knew the dangers of over-relying on the Talent System, whose voice had warned: "Do not rely excessively on the System."
He didn't fully understand the drawbacks, but instinct told him to perfect his abilities naturally.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Rowan entered a state of extreme focus, feeling every muscle in motion, every breath affecting the sandbags' swings. His perspective seemed to lift above himself, observing his own body as if from a third-person vantage.
"This feeling…"
He realized for the first time the sensation described in the Observation Haki notes: a heightened awareness of movement, airflow, and spatial presence. Perfect control over his own body brought him closer than ever to Haki mastery.
Ordinary people might sense a near-death moment, igniting a fleeting surge of Observation Haki. But Rowan was learning to observe and control it at will, in a calm state, without the stimulus of fear.
"Calm… observe… calm…"
Rowan maintained his composure, tracking every motion, every swinging sandbag, every shift of air around him. Time passed unnoticed. Then, for a fleeting instant, he perceived something unusual along his limbsa subtle airflow that had previously eluded him.
Huh?!
His heart leapt. He exited the heightened state, and the airflow vanished.
"There's no mistake… that's it!"
Excitement sparked in Rowan's eyes. Experiencing it once proved it could be experienced againand mastered. Soon, full awareness and control of Observation Haki would be within reach.
Whoosh!
He drew a deep breath and prepared to resume training.
At that moment, the cabin door burst open. Robin stood there, her expression grave.
"Captain… the Marines are here."
Rowan raised a hand, halting the sandbags mid-swing. "They arrived in just two days? I must have been under observation even in Flower Country."
Robin nodded. "Three medium-sized Warships are approaching from multiple directions. There are also two smaller ships. Normally, a West Blue branch deploys two medium and four small ships."
Five Warships.
Even with her understanding of Rowan's strength, Robin's heart tensed slightly at the sight.
"Then they've assembled this fleet from multiple basesor even outside the West Blue," Rowan concluded.
"Yes," Robin confirmed.
For the West Blue, such a fleet was devastating. Even ten pirate crews with bounties over 30 million would be forced to flee.
The Marines' determination to eliminate Rowan was evident; their resources and coordination left no doubt about the threat they posed.
Rowan chuckled. "Five Warships. That Rear Admiral must think highly of me."
He straightened his slightly disheveled shirt and walked past Robin to the deck.
The Marine fleet was visible in the distance, black hulls cutting across the horizon. Rowan's eyes glimmered with calculated anticipation.