Chapter 26

"Captain, are you sure about this? With the Demon pirates divided into four, as 1st division got wiped out, and 3rd and 4th division left us, we alone would no longer be able to exert a strength as the past!" The 2nd in command of Rowly's Wimpy pirates, Greg, said in a panicked tone. "And I am sure, that sooner or later, Grimheart will return for the vengeance!"

"Heh, do not fear." Rowly the death sonata replied with a smirk, while looking at his glass of wine. "Haven't you realized? Think of who wiped out all of the capable pirates out of the East Blue."

With his long, shining blond hair, Rowly seemed to be lacking any fear. With confident tone, he spoke up to his pirate crew.

"6 months passed by since we betrayed that Bobobobby Grimheart. It wasn't like we had a choice though," Rowly turned with a smile. "We, the Wimpy pirates, seek nothing but a comfortable life, where we can sing and play all day long! We thought Grimheart was one of us, until he got himself caught by those filthy marines! How despicable!"

"While he has disppeared for 6 months, we have continued to earn respects from the commoners. Now they don't recognize us as Grimheart's Angel pirates, but Rowly's Angel pirates!

Plus, even if Grimheart does return, with all the formidable pirates gone from the East Blue, who will he recruit? Alone? Ha, not even he can defeat all of us by himself!" Rowly barked out a laugh as he took a sip from the glass.

"Worry not, my friends! Soon, we shall rid ourselves of our greatest foe, Grimheart Rowan! Rowlololololo!!"

___________

"Rowly's crew settled on the Sohelm island that used to be Don Krieg's base. Everyone, including the marines are aware. However, the trouble lies on the fact that their name became well known too quickly. Even the marines are quite hesitant to arrest them, for the people no longer recognize them as the pirates, but as the adventurers.

The higher-ups within the marines do not mind them either, since the Wimpy pirates themselves are quite inferior in terms of strength; they are happy as long as you are gone from the picture. Instead, they made an offer to the Wimpy pirates, where the marines will get rid of their bounties, and in exchange, Wimpy pirates will continue their job of roaming and helping people in need. Basically, they became marines' dogs." Carina summarized as the ship sailed in the direction of the Sohelm island.

"Frankly speaking, I don't care anymore. Be good? Be nice to everyone? I don't really find the point in letting them go, just because they are doing the good deeds. Their wrongdoings on me do not change." Rowan said while lying down on the chair, staring at the sky ahead of them. "You said that in order for us to reach Sohelm, we need to go through the Bakery town, right? Never imagined that a name for a town can sound delicious."

Carina shrugged. "There are multiple routes. Honestly, there are straight course that leads us straight to that island. Issue is, we are running out of rations. Also, I thought that we'd be able to look for a chef, since Bakery town is quite well known for being the hometown of many famous gourmets."

A day passed by since they left Baratie, especially when Rowan was too terrified to face Nyaruko ever again. They set their course to Sohelm island to reach Rowly and his Wimpy pirates, and Rowan knew that they were still quite formidable in terms of number, amounting up to five hundred. Carina has her own limits, but he realized that it was up to him, as to whether they would win or not.

'Truthfully speaking, I am not sure if I am able to defeat such a big number by myself at the current moment.' Rowan thought as he continued to gaze at the sky. 'I need a technique with a wide range that is able to deal substantial damage.'

'Kamehameha, Rasenshuriken, Getsuga Tensho, signature moves like those. Let's see what I got. Essentially, I can generate a mechanical force on the surface of my skin, known as 'bounce.' I cannot generate this force from anything apart from myself, unfortunately...' Rowan jolted up from his spot, as if he realized something.

'Wait, how come my clothes, my sandals, whatever I'm wearing didn't explode or shred when I used my force on top of them?' Rowan looked at the top he was wearing, as he contemplated. 'Doesn't that mean, that I am able to grant 'bounce' characteristics to other objects too?!' Rowan grabbed the nearby wooden table, and touched it. After some concentration, the table began to bounce on his spot as if it was on top of a bouncy ground.

'How come I realized this just now...' Rowan face-palmed himself. In the past, he tried this on the spike knuckle he had back then, right after gaining his fruit. During then, his control was mediocre compared to now, due to the fact that he just ate the fruit. Additionally, when he applied 'bounce.' he wasn't applying on the knuckle itself, but on his hand underneath the knuckle, which shred it apart.

'Which means, I've been neglecting the best use of this fruit... gun.' Gun could do such a marvellous thing with this ability. Once Rowan touches the solid object, either directly or indirectly, he is able to spontaneously generate 'bounce' from that object for approximately 10 seconds, even if that object is no longer touched from him. If he is holding a gun, he would not only be able to control the trajectory path of a bullet, but also amplify its speed and strength.

'Now, if only I can aim...' This only issue was, Rowan could not aim gun; he has never used one in his life before. He could handle the recoil from shooting, due to his formidable physical strength, but he wasn't sure if he can aim the gun properly, and control the 'bounce' precisely enough to perform an outstanding maneuver.

However, Rowan now gained a new direction. He imagined himself shooting many bullets consecutively and controlling them at the same time, just like how Yondu from the Guardians of the Galaxy controlled the Yaka arrow on his head.

"Carina, do we have a gun on this ship?"

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After 2 days of sailing, they finally reached the anticipated Bakery town. The island that harbors the town was quite unique; it was round shaped with a round lake in the middle, making the island look like a donut.

They anchored Prominence in front of the beach, before landing on the sand.

"Have you been here before?" Rowan asked, and Carina nodded in response.

"This one, I am quite familiar with. After all, it's pretty close to my hometown..." Carina said with distant gaze, as if she's reminiscing over something.

'Well, that's the first time I've heard anything about her past.' Rowan thought as he lifted up his eyebrow.

"Ah well, I hope that you give me a good tour then. I've got high expectations here, as the hometown of gourmets." Rowan said as he licked his lips and rubbed his hands together.