Chapter 126

Hey guys! How have y'all been?

In contrast to all previous chapters, I now decided to place my notes at the end of the section, in order to avoid potential spoilers. As always, please do point out if there is any error.

With that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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[Water Seven]

"Super~!!!" A man with spiky blue-coloured hair, sunglasses, and oddly big arms, Franky, exclaimed as he gazed at the catalog of the black market, "It's the Adam wood! I never thought I'd see one here!"

A woman with a long pointy nose, Kiwi, remarked, "But we got no money."

"Ahhhhh!" Franky grabbed his hair out of frustration, "No money?! This can't be happening! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!!"

Then,

"H-hey, what is that gigantic ship hiding behind the corner, aniki?!" Another woman with a long pointy nose, Nozu, shouted with evident shock.

"Let me go take a look." Franky comically ran to the proximity of the ship, before gazing at it with shining eyes for few moments and making a swift return back to Kiwi and Nozu.

"Wolf figurehead, tons of snail-thingys below, flying, and two large wings on the sides... it's got to be Prominence, the ship belonging to none other than the Grimheart pirates!" Franky stated with certainty, "And..."

"Uh, aniki? What are you thinking?"

"...I heard that they are quite rich..."

""Aniki!!!"" Kiwi and Nozu said at the same time in disbelief,

"It's the Grimheart pirates we are talking about here!! Their captain is none other than the man with the title of 'The Emperor of the Paradise!'"

"One wrong move and we're done for!!"

In response to their concerns, Franky simply flashed his smile as he joined his arms together to do his signature pose once more.

"Super~!!! Nothing is impossible to me, the cyborg Franky!!"

""ANIKI!!!!""

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"Hey, I'm back." Rowan greeted his crew, Nami, and Youchiha family casually, before noticing Franky, who was lying down with bruises all over his body, "And who is he?"

"A random guy who screams 'super' every single second." Carina shrugged.

"Did you..." Nami gulped, "...really wipe out the entire Enies Lobby?"

Rowan nodded, "I wasn't aiming for kills, but yeah, I destroyed the island. Gate of Justice was quite close, so many probably survived... I think."

Job's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "And you still didn't awaken your fruit?"

"There it is again. What about awakening the fruit? Awakening, as in, waking someone up? You wake up the fruit's consciousness and talk to it?"

"What? No! It's just a terminology where you unlock the full potential of your fruit." Job's eyes twitched as he responded.

"...How are you guys fine after this?"

All of a sudden, from one side, Robin, whose eyes were shadowed, spoke up,

"They were targeting me. As we continue to sail, they will continue chasing after us—"

"Oh, come on, Robin," Rowan grinned, "you know full well that once they discover my true last name, I will probably be the biggest threat there ever is to them. We are bound to be chased. And as for those agents who we saw today?"

As Robin looked around, she was met with confident smiles from the other crew members,

"They were weak as hell. Also, if a child has been chased for over 20 years simply because of possessing knowledge, then something is definitely wrong."

Robin's eyes moistened as she heard.

"So... my point is, it's not your fault. Don't think bad of yourself, for you are part of us."

"...Okay," Robin, with a shaky voice, replied as she nodded sincerely, "...captain."

"And with that said," Rowan momentarily massaged his temple as he sighed, "time to brainstorm."

"H-hey..." From right outside the Prominence, Franky, with a swollen face, called out weakly, "Don't... ignore... me..."

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"How about Twinkle Twinkle fruit—oh wait, that's Jozu's. Ahhhhh!" Carina grabbed onto her hair out of frustration as she threw the Devil Fruit encyclopedia away, "Where do we even begin from?!!"

"Haa... this is tiring." Rowan slouched, "Devil fruits are rare to begin with. And among them, we are looking for those that grant Prominence the sturdiness. Even if we find the candidate, they are either eaten or we don't know where to look for."

"But you know, in case of it already being eaten by someone," Dan crossed his arms, "We may be able to take it. Just like how my Rumble Rumble fruit has reappeared into the pineapple within our ship, after Enel's death."

"…Why don't you just get a new ship then?" From the side, Job stated with a sweatdrop.

The Grimheart pirates all froze in silence momentarily, before continuing to talk among themselves.

"Magnet Magnet fruit from Eustass Kid that captain killed 3 years ago."

"Yeah, make Prominence magnetic, so that all metals will be clustered on her. We are going to fall."

"How about that Revive Revive fruit?"

"…How does that work, even?"

"Salt Salt fruit!"

"…Why?"

"Damn… is there really no choice for us but to change the ship—fine, sorry!!" Rowan muttered in fatigue before quickly jumping to dodge a garbage can that was sent in his way all of a sudden, which was bounced from a wall that was unnaturally bent for a brief moment.

"Ahhhh!!!!!!!" With a grin, Urouge screamed in a deep voice as he stood up with a pale face, "I-is Prominence possessed or what?!!!"

Robin's expression turned wicked upon seeing Urouge's reaction, "So he's afraid of ghosts… noted."

On the other hand, Sob's eyes widened in amazement, "Klabautermann of this potency… how?!"

"Huh? What's that?" Cavendish asked in inquiry.

"Klabautermann, known as the spiritual manifestation of a ship's will that surfaces when it is given good care of. To many, it's merely a legend, and even among those cases, Prominence is on another level of her own." Robin explained in Sob's stead.

"I mean," Rowan shrugged, "we did spoil her a lot. According to Iceberg, Prominence is too weak to sail in the Grand Line, and yet, check if she received any notable damage so far."

Dan chuckled, "I swear, there's probably no one who cares for a ship as much as we do."

Carina lowered her eyes in contemplation, before lifting her head up as if she has thought of a good idea, "Why don't we just buy another ship, and sail with both that one and Prominence?"

"With the member of 9?" Dan raised his eyebrow, before turning to see that his crew mates' eyes were shining in excitement, "Huh?"

"That sounds like fun." Carmen exclaimed with her fists clenched, "Two kitchens… it's going to be like having a home and cottage at the same time."

"Guys! We're only 9 in number!"

"Guahaha! Just imagine what we can do with two ships! Get one as huge as Prominence!!"

"I said, we're only 9—"

"Oho, that does sound great, master Cavendish."

"Neigh~!!"

Unable to bear with their reasoning, Dan, with hopeful eyes, turned to Rowan for help, who nodded understandingly.

"Guys, that's a bit too much, don't you think?" Rowan stated, earning everyone's attention, "So let's get a small one."

"Captain!!!" Dan stared at Rowan with a betrayed look.

Rowan sweatdropped as he continued,

"Hear me out. Let's clear some unused rooms in Prominence. I mean, including the guests, there are only 13 of us here anyway. Then, get a small ship that fits right in Prominence.

Although it isn't going to happen, if, by a very slight chance, Prominence ends up sinking, we would have a way out, right? It definitely isn't happening though."

As Rowan ended speaking,

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

He was met with all his crew members, including Dan, clapping at him with a sense of amazement.

"That was brilliant, captain." Carmen commented.

"That saves our budget by quite a lot as well!" Carina nodded in a large motion, with her eyes closed.

"Emergency hidden ship… I love the idea." Dan's fists tightened in uncontrollable excitement.

"Sounds solid." From the side, Job nodded as he placed his hand under his chin.

"""You are not even part of our crew!!!"""

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"So what are you guys doing early in the morning?" Iceberg asked with confusion, as Dan, Alfred, and Urouge were busy dismantling certain sections of the Prominence.

"Have fun, y'all." Cavendish lazily stated as he yawned, causing Dan to bark out.

"What the heck are you doing over there?!! Get over here, you lazy blonde!!"

Sob, Job, and Mob were long gone once more; they truly were enjoying their stay in the Water Seven.

"Remodelling." Rowan replied as he handed Iceberg the catalog, "Oh, by the way, we would like this ship over here. This small one named 'Speedo.'"

"Sssssuuurreeee." Iceberg elongated his word with narrowed eyes, "Small but quite sturdy, which is the complete opposite of your ship. I'm glad that you decided to get a better ship, but… what are you trying to do?"

"We're not replacing Prominence. Instead," Rowan grinned as he rubbed his nose with his finger, "ever heard of mecha combination? You know, just like that. We're adding Prominence and another ship together to synthesize the ultimate ship!"

"Oh my, you are so childish! But whatever, I will bring you the one you asked for. Give me a second—"

"Hey, Grimheart!!"

All of a sudden, Iceberg's words were interrupted by a man with spiky blue-hair and sunglasses: Franky, the one who was beaten up to pulp the day before.

"Franky, what are you doing here?!"

"Back off, Iceberg! This deal is mine!"

Upon hearing Franky's claim, Rowan and Iceberg expressed their confusion by tilting their heads.

""Huh?""

"Now listen, Grimheart! I have a once-in-a-lifetime deal for you!"

Although unconvinced, Rowan nodded, "Go ahead."

"Just yesterday, within the black market, the special type of wood, known as the Adam wood that originated from the jewel tree Adam, has been enlisted!" Franky held his hand out, "This wood is the very wood used to build the Pirate King's ship: Oro Jackson!"

Rowan's eyes sharpened in interest, "Continue."

"Just for 200 million Beli, I can purchase this wood and build a small ship that you desire! What do you say?"

"200…" Rowan hummed in contemplation, "200 for a small ship?"

Turning to Iceberg, Rowan asked, "Iceberg, how much is Speedo?"

"75 million."

Rowan turned back and gazed at Franky with a hint of suspicion, to which Franky returned with adamant eyes of his own.

"It's not that I want that much either! But the raw cost of the Adam wood itself is 200 million, and even this is considered cheap!"

Rowan, after hearing the words, became convinced. He was about to agree to the deal—until Carina stepped in.

"Make two ships for us then." Carina stated with a ferocious demeanour, causing Iceberg and Franky to take a step back unconsciously, "There should be enough wood for that, right? But I still can't trust you, you dirty thief!!"

'Who the hell is the dirty thief here, Carina?!' From the deck, Cavendish shook his head as he was being yanked back by Dan.

"After that, you—mmmfff!!!"

Rowan sweatdropped as he covered Carina's mouth, "Yeah, make it two then, but the second one is just for 3 people. You can do that much, right?"

"Mmff!!!! Mmfff!!!" Carina, within Rowan's hands, lashed out, however, was unable to escape from his grip.

"…Wow dude, that's fiery." Franky joined his arms together, "Super~!!!"

"Nope, that's not super at all. Call it hyper." Iceberg immediately retorted.

"So childish?!" Rowan couldn't help but exclaim.

"No, I'm mature, thank you."

Nonetheless, Franky flashed a grin as he gave Rowan a thumbs up, "Rest assured, Grimheart! I will make the best ships possible for ya! Small and smaller, eh? You are on!"

"How long do you need?"

"For a genius like myself, I only need a week, super~!!!"

"Deal."

"Oh yeah, and Iceberg?"

"What, Franky?"

Franky grinned as he lifted up the middle finger, "Eat this, you a******!"

"Mirror! It's reflected back to you." Iceberg grinned back as he lifted up his own middle finger in a similar fashion.

"Are you a child?" Rowan said with squinted eyes.

"No, I'm an adult. Thank you."

While Carina continued to struggle within Rowan's grip non-stop, Dan, according to Rowan's signal, quickly handed Franky the suitcase containing money.

"MMFFFFF!!!!!!" Carina, with teary eyes, watched as Franky walked away with the suitcase of money.

"So… about Speedo…" From the side, Iceberg mentioned,

"Yeah, about that," Rowan nodded with a sheepish expression, "we've changed our mind. Sorry. But as compensation, let me tell you something."

Leaning toward Iceberg, Rowan whispered, "That secretary of yours, along with two shipwrights who disappeared from your company all of a sudden... all of them were the World Government agents. The reason you aren't seeing them today, is because my crew disposed of them."

Iceberg's eyes widened in total shock, "W-what?"

"So... watch your surroundings more carefully. I think they were spying on you prior to our arrival."

"I... I see. Thank you for the information." Iceberg, as he placed a hand on his forehead with a troubled expression, walked away from the site. But as he did so, he muttered to himself, "As if I'm going to believe the information given by a pirate."

"I heard that."

Hearing Rowan's words, Iceberg jolted up in shock before running away hurriedly.

And now, as Rowan's hands finally released her, Carina huffed while gazing at the road that Franky disappeared to.

"Rowan!!! You know very well that that man tried to steal our money yesterday, right?!!"

Rowan placed his hands in his pockets casually, "Let him try. I'll ensure to get 1 billion back in that case. Besides, I felt that he isn't a bad guy.

However… a week is a little concerning. I may have to think of separating our group."

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"Are you sure about this, captain Rowan?" Alfred asked with his arms crossed, "Separating our group into two... it's the first time that we are doing this."

"Well... the first group consists of just Nami and me." Rowan stated casually, "Since Nojiko and the Twin Cats pirates must be waiting for Nami's return in Sabaody Archipelago, I can't have Nami sitting here forever."

Feeling a heated glare in his way, Rowan shifted his head and saw Carina, whose eyes were blazing in anger.

"You know full well that you are needed here, Carina." Rowan said as he brushed her hair gently, "Without your navigation, these helpless souls will lose themselves in the Florian Triangle. No doubt."

"Well..." Dan looked back and saw Cavendish, Farul, and Urouge staring back at him, before scratching his head, "It's true."

""Oi, what's that supposed to mean?!!"" Cavendish and Urouge cried out with a tick mark on their foreheads.

"Neigh!!!"

Carina huffed in frustration before asking, "How are you planning to reach Sabaody Archipelago without me, then?"

Nami puffed her chest proudly, "Heh, I'm a navigator too!"

Carina's eyes widened, "I... actually forgot about that."

"With my fruit ability and Nami's navigation, we should be able to reach Sabaody Archipelago in a relatively short amount of time." Rowan added, "It feels weird that I'm going to be separated from you all once again, but seems like this is the only option we have at the current moment."

"Indeed," Robin nodded in agreement, "we made a promise to them, didn't we."

Then, Rowan shifted his attention to Sob, Job, and Mob, "You three plan on going separate way from us, right?"

Sob nodded as their representative, "Yes. We have no other business remaining in the Grand LIne; we are going out to the four seas."

"For what purpose?"

Sob, after looking to her left and right carefully, leaned toward Rowan and whispered, "In pursuit of Yggdrasil, the kingdom of our ancestors. I've been travelling for years in the Grand Line, and the longer I continued, the more I came to believe that the island must be hidden somewhere in one of the four seas."

Rowan's eyes sharpened, "...I see. If so...

...start with my hometown. If I indeed am from the main branch of Vasilia, and if we are to assume that their arrogant and haughty characteristics didn't allow them to take a foot out of the kingdom, then Yggdrasil... may be none other than my hometown: Cocoyasi."

Sob's eyes widened, "That... actually sounds plausible. No, that may really be the case. Yes, we'll go there first."

Job squinted his eyes, "You just want us to check if your people are safe, isn't it?"

"Ehe?" Rowan winked comically.

Seeing this, Cavendish's face turned green, "Ehe?! Ehe te nandayo!!!"

*BOOM*

"Oh..." Mob clapped, "Nice punch, Bob..."

"Ah!!" Carmen, who was next to Mob, jumped up in surprise, "I almost forgot that you are here!!"

After bonking Cavendish, Rowan continued, "Take the small ship we ordered to Franky for you. Remember, it's the smaller one of the two. If you take the bigger one, I'm coming for you three."

"Gotty, Pettyheart." Job replied with a smirk.

With a final nod to Sob, Job, and Mob, Rowan gazed at the sky with Nami by his side, ready to travel.

"Rowan..." Carina growled right before they were about to set off, "...don't you dare cheat off of me, okay?!!"

"Okay... wait," Rowan turned his head in confusion, "since when did we start dating?!"

However, all he saw was Carina running away out of embarrassment with her hands covering her face.

"She's being delusional." Nami stated before seeing that Rowan's gaze was right at the sky, "W-wait, Rowan, where's the ship?"

"Huh." Dan simply shrugged. "Well... see you later, captain."

"Or a boat?"

"See you after a week, you guys." Rowan waved before grabbing Nami by the waist and propelling them through the potent bounce forces.

"D-don't tell me—kyaaa!!"

*BOOMBOOMBOOM*

"KYAAAAAAA!!"

Nami's loud scream reached all the way to the Grimheart pirates, causing them to sweatdrop.

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With that, the Youchiha family are going to be out of the main plot for some time!

Anyway,

Today, as you read this chapter, you may have noticed that I skipped many details; I didn't even bother to describe the scenery of the Water Seven. This is simply because I wanted to get out of this part as soon as possible, and... frankly put, I doubt that anyone is really interested in reading what it looks like. I want to keep the current pace of the story, and not loosen it up unnecessarily.

One thing to note prior to the entry into the real set of this arc, Sabaody Archipelago, is that due to Kid's death and the demolition of G-11 three years ago, the Marine gave up on shutting off the 7th path of the Paradise (they already were trying to remove Baten from that base three years ago, but Baten dragged it on). This leads to one thing: the potential OC Supernova who would've died in the canon.

Additionally, I have one question to ask in terms of comparison power assessment of notable One Piece characters based on the current chapter of this fan-fic. Below, I listed it, so please tell me if it looks plausible or not, or if I've missed anyone (I swear that I got something wrong. My brain almost exploded here).

Imu > Xebec > Whitebeard = Roger = Kaidou > Mihawk = Shanks = Big Mom > Dragon > Garp = Sengoku > Bullet = Rowan > Sakazuki = Ryokugyu > Borsalino = Kuzan = Issho > Katakuri = King (Alber) >= Marco = Ace = Teach.

...Damn. Honestly, I've got no idea who Ryokugyu can be. Shanks is giving me a headache too. I have some idea regarding Teach, but those two... bruh.

Especially you, Shanks!!! Are you a freaking Celestial Dragon or what?!! If nothing else is revealed about you by the time we reach the New World, I'm going to have no choice but to kill you off!!

...

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful day!