On this sea, unless there was absolutely no other choice, no one was willing to leave their homeland.
In the South Blue incident, if the targets had not been limited to pregnant women, and if families could still leave men behind to assess the situation, very few would have chosen to flee.
Ohara was no different. Two weeks ago, the Revolutionary Army had secretly spread rumors that the island would be destroyed by pirates, but it was dismissed as drunken nonsense in taverns.
As for a Buster Call, ordinary people did not even know what it was. They would never abandon their homes based on something that sounded like a baseless rumor.
That was why Rowan had no choice but to destroy the Golden Den Den Mushi and have Spandine pretend the order had already been issued, shifting the responsibility onto the Marines.
But clearly, even so, among the Marines guarding the coastline, Sakazuki still refused to let anyone go.
And because of that, Rowan chose to act.
His figure flashed once more as he grasped the kunai, Armament Haki coating it instantly, and in the next moment, he turned and thrust directly toward Sakazuki's neck.
But the strike met no resistance. Sakazuki's body had already turned into magma, his neck hollowing out to avoid the attack.
"Meigou!"
A magma arm swung toward Rowan, attempting to pierce straight through him.
But a kunai sliced through the air, and Rowan vanished, reappearing behind Sakazuki as he caught the previously thrown blade.
"Observation Haki being this good is really troublesome. Kuzan is the same as you. It's a headache."
As he spoke, Rowan glanced toward the two refugee ships.
They were overloaded, moving as slow as turtles.
At this rate… things would get complicated.
"Vice Admiral!"
At that moment, Marine warships arrived nearby, and among them was one of the five Vice Admirals participating in the Buster Call, Kuzan.
Sakazuki's gaze remained locked on Rowan as he issued orders coldly, "Inform the other Vice Admirals to maintain the blockade of Ohara and begin bombardment immediately. No one is allowed to escape."
"Understood."
On the deck below, Sakazuki's adjutant finally let out a breath of relief.
He truly did not know how he could have carried out the order to fire on those refugee ships. Before joining the Marines, he had once been in the same situation, fleeing pirates.
Sakazuki clearly understood his subordinate's hesitation, so he turned to Kuzan. "Freeze the sea. Stop those refugee ships. Only by eliminating everything can we ensure not a single scholar leaves Ohara."
Kuzan froze for a moment.
He had come because he sensed the clash of powerful presences. He knew Sakazuki's strength well, and any opponent capable of matching him could result in heavy Marine casualties.
But…
"Sakazuki, those are refugee ships. The people on them are just—"
"Kuzan!!"
Sakazuki glared at him. "No one can guarantee there are no scholars among them. Justice cannot be compromised. Their deaths are necessary!"
Kuzan met his gaze, equally firm.
His justice would not allow him to attack a ship full of civilians, even if a scholar might be among them.
At that moment, Rowan, who had been watching the exchange, finally spoke.
"A group of people with no power, labeled as criminals simply for studying history. Even if it means destroying an entire island of civilians, you won't let a single one escape."
"So this is Marine justice? How laughable. The Marines, who were supposed to protect civilians, have now become executioners."
"You've truly become obedient hounds of the World Government."
Kuzan looked at Rowan. Seeing that face identical to Sakazuki's, he immediately recalled the incident of the Celestial Dragon killed at Sabaody.
That man…
If not for what happened in the West Blue…
"Ancient weapons would destroy the stability of this world," Kuzan said.
Rowan laughed. "Stability?"
"Great Eruption!"
Sakazuki's magma surged forward again, but Rowan avoided it easily and continued speaking.
"Is this sea really stable? Pirates run rampant, the Marines serve as the dogs of the Celestial Dragons, and allied kingdoms wage war against non-affiliated nations just to pay the Heavenly Tribute, poisoning themselves in the process."
"Ordinary people struggle just to survive. One misfortune, and they either become slaves or die."
"And you call this stability?"
"This is stability for the Celestial Dragons, not for the common people at the bottom… Kuzan."
Dodging another attack, Rowan kept his eyes fixed on him.
"When people first join the Marines, most of them want to protect their homes and the people. Their enemies are pirates."
"But in the end… they realize the Marines are nothing more than the dogs of those Celestial Dragons in Mariejois. Kuzan… what was your justice at the beginning?"
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed, his gaze finally settling on the kunai in Rowan's hand.
"Your teleportation relies on that, doesn't it?"
As his voice fell, both his arms rose toward the sky.
"Great Eruption!"
Countless masses of magma shot into the air and began raining down, attempting to blanket the entire area.
Below, Kuzan snapped out of his thoughts and roared, "Have you lost your mind?!"
On the warship, the Marines stared at the descending magma in terror, some nearly collapsing on the spot.
Kuzan leapt into the air, cold energy erupting from his body as he froze the incoming magma one after another before shattering them with his fists.
Meanwhile, Rowan relied on Observation Haki, using Moonwalk to shift directions mid-air and evade the relentless assault.
"Bang bang bang."
With explosive Moonwalk bursts, after unleashing his magma attacks, Sakazuki charged straight toward Rowan.
The wide-area assault had already limited Rowan's movement options, and the kunai could not be fixed onto the sea surface, forcing him to throw them repeatedly just to maintain his teleportation.
"Boom!"
Seizing an opening, Rowan's Armament-coated fist collided head-on with Sakazuki.
Blown backward, Rowan vanished instantly and reappeared on Kuzan's warship.
In an instant, every rifle was aimed at him.
"Bang bang bang…"
A barrage of bullets erupted, but Rowan had already moved behind them.
A streak of black light flashed, and within a minute, every Marine on deck had lost consciousness.
Another magma strike came crashing down, but Rowan calmly disappeared and reappeared atop the mast.
If that magma had landed, those Marines would have been burned into charred corpses.
"Crack!"
Ice formed and shattered as Kuzan blocked the attack, glaring at Sakazuki. "Damn you!"
Sakazuki's expression twisted with fury. "Their deaths are for justice. If you are still a Marine, Kuzan, then freeze this sea!"
But Kuzan did not move.
Seeing this, Rowan spoke again, his voice cutting through the tension. "Marines slaughtering civilians… so this is your justice, Kuzan?"
"Shut up!"
Sakazuki launched another fierce assault, magma raining into the sea as thick steam rapidly spread across the waters.
Soon, the two refugee ships disappeared completely within the dense fog.
Within that mist, Sakazuki no longer placed any hope in Kuzan.
Using Moonwalk, he shot forward, heading directly toward the vanished ships.
Attack where the enemy must defend.
Kuzan's presence had originally given him confidence to freeze them all in place, but now, only by acting personally could he ensure justice was upheld.
A blur of motion.
"Where do you think you're going?"
As a kunai streaked past, a magma fist clashed directly with Rowan's Armament-coated strike.
"Boom!"
The violent collision blew away the surrounding mist, sending waves surging outward across the sea.
As Rowan was blasted backward, six kunai flew from his hand. Four were instantly swallowed by magma, but Rowan reappeared behind Sakazuki.
A flash of cold light.
The Armament-coated kunai sliced through the air, splitting Sakazuki's elemental body in two before it reformed instantly.
"A Logia user with top-tier Observation Haki… truly troublesome."
Rowan looked at him calmly. "Don't bother thinking about killing me. You can't do it right now. But holding you here? That's easy. And… it's about time."
About time?
Sakazuki's eyes snapped toward Ohara.
The island was already engulfed in bombardment, flames rising into the sky, but such firepower would not affect true powerhouses.
"This Buster Call on Ohara… only you and Kuzan came as Admiral candidates, right? The other three Vice Admirals don't have your level of strength."
Rowan's voice carried a mocking edge. "So tell me, if my goal was those ancient weapons, how would I transport the scholars I rescued? On those slow, obvious refugee ships that were bound to be discovered… or…"
Before he could finish, Sakazuki had already rushed toward Ohara.
But Rowan repeated the same tactic, multiple kunai flying past from different angles. Without reaching the level of future sight, even Observation Haki could not predict Rowan's exact position.
"Boom!"
Another clash between kunai and magma sent Rowan flying once more.
Immediately after, a barrage of magma projectiles followed, rushing toward him.
A flash.
Rowan vanished again, reappearing elsewhere, gripping a kunai tightly.
"Attacks like this won't break my interference. Your so-called justice won't be carried out either…"
The mocking tone only fueled Sakazuki's rage, but he knew it was true.
If this was truly a teleportation ability, then Rowan had already pushed it to an extreme level. Without sufficiently advanced Observation Haki, one could be killed instantly.
His strength and Armament Haki might still be weaker, but Rowan never chose to engage in prolonged combat.
"Kuzan!!!"
Sakazuki roared. "Freeze the sea immediately!"
Kuzan had been watching the entire exchange, and Rowan's words had not escaped him.
He could not bring himself to attack the refugee ships, but if it was the scholars…
He had no reason to hesitate anymore.
If Rowan truly had other hidden forces, then the remaining Marines and the other Vice Admirals surrounding Ohara would be in danger.
Kuzan stepped forward.
"Ice Age."
Cold air erupted from Kuzan's body, spreading outward in an instant. Within seconds, the sea surrounding Ohara froze solid, forming a vast sheet of ice.
At the same time, Rowan took out the remaining kunai and scattered them across multiple directions, each landing at different positions.
"So your brain really can't keep up with Sengoku… you actually believed that so easily?"
In the next moment, Rowan vanished.
"Boom!"
Armament Haki collided as the sea surface exploded apart.
Rowan disappeared again and launched another attack, the kunai in his hand coated in Haki as it clashed once more with Sakazuki.
At the same time, on Ohara.
Clover had already finished speaking with the Five Elders, and what followed was something far more shocking.
"The existence of that great kingdom… it frightens you, doesn't it? Even though it has become history, the will it left behind still terrifies you!"
"The ancient weapons were never meant to destroy the world, but to destroy you in the future, to bring dawn to this world!"
"You are afraid, which is why you hide the truth, aren't you?"
"The technology of that great kingdom—"
The faces of the Five Elders on the Den Den Mushi changed instantly, and they roared, "Spandine! What are you doing? Kill him!"
Spandine, who had been momentarily stunned, snapped back to his senses, raising his gun and aiming directly at Clover.
"Bang!"
Clover staggered back three steps, but he did not fall.
"History will never be forgotten… someone will rise and overthrow you completely!"
"Bang bang bang!"
The bullets pierced through his chest.
This time, the old man finally collapsed, blood flowing across the ground.
Spandine quickly reported into the Den Den Mushi, "My lord, that arrogant old man is dead. The remaining scholars will be dealt with immediately."
There was a brief pause before the reply came. "They have already learned too much. Not a single scholar must be allowed to leave Ohara."
Spandine bowed his head slightly. "Understood."
Around Clover's fallen body, the older scholars who had chosen to remain stood with burning fury in their eyes.
One middle-aged scholar stepped forward, ready to fight to the death, but a CP9 agent in a black suit appeared before him, fingers thrusting forward.
"Shigan!"
"Thud."
His heart was pierced instantly, and he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
The slaughter continued.
Beside Spandine, Rowan's shadow clone maintained a calm expression.
This was the scholars' own choice.
They left behind the younger generation, while they themselves chose death.
The will of Ohara would continue.
They did not want to flee, nor did they want to escape.
The books and knowledge had already been transferred.
That was enough.
And their deaths were not meaningless.
Ohara, sealed coastline.
After prolonged combat, Sakazuki and Rowan had been fighting for quite some time, while Kuzan remained the calmest among them, standing on the warship.
By now, as long as the refugee ships were not foolish, they would have already changed direction and would later find another island to switch vessels.
Their safety was essentially secured.
"Cough…"
Rowan coughed up blood.
That earlier clash made him clearly realize the gap between himself and someone at Admiral-level strength.
And whether it was Sakazuki now or Borsalino back at Sabaody, neither of them had awakened Conqueror's Haki. The advanced application of coating attacks with it was out of the question.
So if raw destructive power was compared without considering their natural disaster-like abilities, someone like Kaido would pose a far greater threat to him.
At the same level of Yonko and Admiral, the advantage of Logia abilities was not particularly effective against him.
On the other hand, if he faced someone like Katakuri, Flying Thunder God would become far less useful.
After all, no matter how fast reaction speed was, it could not surpass the predictive advantage of future sight.
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