CHAPTER 52:
The moment Ghost Hand Rowan caught Diluo's strongest slash with his bare hands, Diluo understood one thing clearly
He was no match for him.
Not even close.
The instant Rowan charged forward holding that compressed sphere of warped sword pressure, Diluo retreated without hesitation.
But
Just as he leapt backward, the sand beneath his feet suddenly surged upward like a living creature.
Swish!
A thick stream of sand instantly coiled around one of his ankles.
"Tch!"
Diluo's face changed drastically.
He unleashed brute force immediately, twisting his body violently and shattering the sand restraint apart.
But that brief delay was already fatal.
Boom!
Ghost Hand Rowan closed the distance in an instant.
The compressed sphere of sword pressure in his hand radiated a terrifying aura as he slammed it directly toward Diluo's chest.
"Hah!"
Diluo roared through clenched teeth.
Unable to evade in time, he crossed both swords before him and slashed forward with all his strength.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
The blades collided against the compressed sword sphere, producing a violent screeching sound like steel grinding against thunder.
The sphere continuously distorted under the clash.
Diluo's arms trembled violently.
The veins on his forehead bulged.
Even the swords in his hands began to shake uncontrollably beneath the monstrous pressure.
Two seconds later
Bang!
The compressed sword sphere finally exhausted its power and exploded into countless particles of light.
Relief instantly surged through Diluo's heart.
But in the very next moment
Rowan's fingers lightly touched the center of Diluo's crossed swords.
Then he clenched his hand.
Hum!
A terrifying distortion force erupted outward.
The Warp-Warp Fruit's power surged directly through the blades and spread into Diluo's body.
"Not good!"
Diluo's pupils contracted violently.
He abandoned both swords instantly and leapt backward, but he was still a fraction too slow.
Crack! Crack!
His muscles twisted unnaturally.
His bones creaked beneath the distortion force.
Blood burst from his mouth as his body was sent flying backward like a broken rag doll.
Boom!
Diluo smashed heavily into the ground.
The entire harbor fell silent.
"Double Sword Diluo… lost?"
"He didn't even have the strength to resist…"
"The difference between them is overwhelming…"
Many people watching from afar spoke with trembling voices.
Although most already believed Ghost Hand Rowan would win, nobody expected the battle to end this quickly.
From the first clash to Diluo's defeat, only a handful of exchanges had passed.
Ghost Hand Rowan's strength had completely surpassed the level of ordinary West Blue pirates.
"Cough… cough…"
Diluo struggled to rise from the ground, blood continuously spilling from his mouth.
For the first time
Fear appeared in his eyes.
But Rowan never intended to spare a defeated enemy.
Tap.
He lightly stepped forward.
Immediately, the sand and gravel across the harbor surged violently like ocean waves.
Swish!
Diluo's body was instantly swallowed by layers of twisting sand.
Then Rowan slowly raised one hand toward him.
And clenched it.
Bang!!
A horrifying crushing sound echoed from within the sand.
The watching crowd felt chills run down their spines.
Blood slowly seeped from the gaps in the compressed sand mass.
Then
Everything became silent.
No movement remained.
Double Sword Diluo was dead.
At the same time, the familiar synthesized voice of the System echoed within Rowan's mind.
[Target eliminated.]
[Bounty: 59,000,000 Berries.]
[Double Sword Diluo successfully hunted.]
[Reward obtained: 70 Talent Proficiency Points.]
[Reward obtained: 1 Free Talent Point.]
This was Rowan's first hunt of a pirate whose bounty exceeded fifty million Berries.
And just as he expected, the rewards were far greater than before.
But Rowan's expression did not change.
He ignored the fearful gazes surrounding him and slowly lifted his head toward one of the ships docked near the harbor.
More precisely
Toward the top of its mast.
There sat a cloaked man quietly observing the battle from beginning to end.
A long sword rested across his back.
His gaze was sharp and indifferent.
Ghost Sword Yarrow.
Former captain of the Ghost Sword Pirates.
A pirate with a former bounty of 98 million Berries.
Even after witnessing Diluo's death, he had not moved once.
Instead, he simply sat there watching Rowan with interest.
Soon, everyone else followed Rowan's gaze.
Then the harbor erupted.
"Ghost Sword Yarrow!"
"It's really him!"
Fear and awe filled countless eyes.
In this era, almost nobody was ignorant of the terror known as the Grand Line.
The West Blue produced countless pirates every year.
But more than ninety percent vanished forever once they entered the Grand Line.
Some were destroyed by Marines.
Some by rival pirates.
Others disappeared into storms, currents, or the countless horrors hidden within those seas.
To most people, the Grand Line was both a land of legends and a pirate graveyard.
And among all the pirates born from the West Blue in recent years, the only one who had truly become famous across the Grand Line was Shanks.
As for Ghost Sword Yarrow
He was one of the very few pirates who had entered the Grand Line, survived, and returned alive to the West Blue.
That alone was enough to make countless pirates fear him.
"Not bad."
"Very impressive."
Ghost Sword Yarrow suddenly chuckled softly.
Then he leapt down from the mast.
Boom.
His body landed steadily upon the shore.
He slowly walked toward Rowan.
Throughout the entire process, he never once glanced at Diluo's corpse buried beneath the sand.
He stopped roughly ten meters away from Rowan.
"It seems," Rowan said calmly, "you don't care much about your subordinates."
Yarrow shook his head lightly.
"No."
"It's more accurate to say that useless people are removed from my crew."
His tone was casual.
As though Diluo's death meant absolutely nothing.
Then Yarrow looked at Rowan with visible interest.
"To defeat Diluo this easily… your strength already surpasses most trash in the West Blue."
"So your true goal…"
"…is the Grand Line as well, isn't it?"
Rowan merely looked at him calmly.
He did not answer directly.
Instead, he spoke indifferently.
"If all you came here for was pointless conversation, then stop wasting my time."
"Heh."
Yarrow laughed quietly.
"Why rush?"
"We still have plenty of time before entering the Grand Line."
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
"What I want to tell you is this…"
"The Grand Line is far more terrifying than you imagine."
"Even large pirate fleets can vanish overnight there."
"You're different from the other fools in the West Blue."
"In this sea…"
"…you're the only newcomer pirate worthy of my respect."
Yarrow spread his hands slightly.
"So how about it?"
"Interested in working together?"
"An alliance?"
"Equal standing."
"We conquer the Grand Line together."
"Not interested."
Rowan rejected him instantly.
His tone remained completely flat.
Yarrow scratched his hair helplessly.
"I'm serious."
"It's only an alliance."
"You really won't reconsider?"
At this point, his gaze sharpened slightly.
"Because honestly…"
"I'd rather not crush a promising newcomer like you here in the West Blue."
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