Crack!
With a slight flex of his fingers, Ghost Hand Rowan twisted and snapped the longsword cleanly in two. In the same instant, a surge of Warp Power coursed up the fractured blade, crashing violently into the Marine Colonel and sending him flying backward, blood spraying from his mouth.
Without pause, Rowan stomped down.
A distorted ripple spread across the deck like a warped tide. The sturdy planks groaned under the strain, then violently twisted inward. In the next moment, the entire warship folded at its center and split apart with a thunderous crash.
Having destroyed two warships in succession, Rowan stood briefly atop the floating wreckage, steadying his breath. His expression remained calm.
The stamina expenditure was lower than expected.
Even though unleashing Warp Power at full intensity placed a burden on his body, destroying two Marine warships had consumed only around twenty percent of his strength.
Well within acceptable limits.
Swoosh!
Without hesitation, Rowan launched himself forward once more, sprinting across the sea's surface.
With mastery over the Rokushiki technique Geppo (Moonwalk), using the sea as a foothold was even easier than stepping through the air. His body skimmed across the water with unnatural lightness.
Meanwhile, through the distortion of light caused by his Warp ability, a phantom double raced alongside him offset by dozens of meters completely disrupting the targeting of the warships.
Splash!
Another volley of cannon fire rained down
but passed harmlessly through the illusion.
Rowan's real body surged forward, kicking up a sharp burst of seawater as he leapt high and landed onto a third warship.
"He's here!"
"Damn it what do we do?!"
The Marines panicked. Their formation broke under the sheer pressure of his presence.
However
Before Rowan's feet could fully settle
A powerful blade of compressed air tore through the sky from the west, descending straight toward his head!
Swoosh!
Rowan reacted instantly.
He raised both hands and caught the incoming slash between his palms. The invisible blade twisted violently under his grip. Using the momentum, he spun mid-air and hurled the distorted force back toward the sea.
Sizzle!
The redirected slash carved a massive trench across the ocean surface, splitting the waves apart for over ten meters.
Rowan's eyes narrowed slightly.
He already knew who it was.
Turning his gaze, he looked toward the source.
There
Standing atop a warship's command deck
A tall figure with brownish-purple hair, draped in a Marine coat of Justice, held twin swords in hand. His expression was cold, his presence oppressive.
It was Onigumo, a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral known among the ranks as "Ghost Spider."
"It's Vice Admiral Ghost Spider!"
"We're saved…!"
Relief swept through the Marines like a tide. Their earlier terror faded, replaced by renewed confidence.
A Vice Admiral from Headquarters was a completely different existence compared to the officers of the Four Blues. This was a warrior of the Grand Line someone who had faced pirates worth over 100 million Berries and lived.
To them, Rowan's rampage would end here.
Ghost Spider's gaze locked onto Rowan, killing intent flickering in his eyes.
"Ghost Hand Rowan…"
His voice was low and cold.
"Do you have any idea what it means to destroy two Marine warships?"
As his words fell, he stepped forward
Boom!
The deck beneath him cracked as he vanished in an instant, reappearing before Rowan. His twin blades crossed in a lethal X-shaped slash.
Swoosh!
Rowan shifted instantly, using Soru to vanish from the strike's path. His body tilted horizontally mid-air as he countered with a sweeping kick.
Clang!
Ghost Spider blocked with one blade, the impact sending vibrations through his arm.
Warp Power surged through the contact point, distorting the steel slightly but not enough to break through.
The difference was clear.
Unlike branch officers, a Headquarters Vice Admiral possessed both Kenbunshoku Haki and Busoshoku Haki Observation and Armament.
They were not so easily overwhelmed.
Both fighters retreated a step.
"If losing two warships angers you," Rowan said calmly, "then I suggest you prepare yourself."
"This is only the beginning."
His gaze was steady, emotionless.
"I warned you once. When you forced me onto this path… you should have considered the consequences."
Ghost Spider's expression darkened.
Regret?
Perhaps.
But not for branding Rowan a pirate.
Only for failing to eliminate corruption within the Marines sooner.
There was no turning back.
"The moment you rejected the Marines," Ghost Spider said coldly, "you chose a path without justice. Whether then or now, your fate would have been the same."
"Excuses," Rowan replied flatly.
He stepped forward.
Boom!
A punch wrapped in condensed Warp Power shot toward Ghost Spider's chest.
Ghost Spider crossed both blades to block
Then retaliated instantly.
"Rankyaku!"
His legs whipped through the air, releasing multiple blades of compressed wind, layered with his sword strikes, forming a dense net of slashing force.
But Rowan did not retreat.
He reached out
And tore the attack apart.
The air blades twisted, shattered, and dispersed under his Warp Power as he stepped straight through the destruction.
"Warp… Wild Dance."
In the next instant
His figure blurred
and split into three.
Three identical versions of Rowan surrounded Ghost Spider from different directions, each radiating the same presence.
This was no mere illusion.
Through advanced light distortion, Rowan created tangible afterimages capable of misleading even Observation Haki to a degree.
Even if one could sense the difference
The body would still react.
Because hesitation, even for a fraction of a second
was fatal.
The battlefield fell into a tense silence as the three figures closed in simultaneously.