One Piece: The Strongest Trait System novel Chapter 115

Chapter 115 - [115] : [BONUS] - Rowen: Aokiji, You Confused Fool!!

~ Thank You for 2,100 Powerstones, Here's Your Bonus Chapter!

~ 18 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon

<><><><><><><><>

3rd Chapter Today!! Enjoy, and as always, thank you so much for your constant support. I'm truly grateful every single day.

<><><><><><><><>

Luffy and the others stared at Aokiji, their eyes wide with disbelief.

A MARINE HEADQUARTERS ADMIRAL!

Thanks to Rowen, Luffy and his crew's strength and understanding of the world far surpassed what they possessed at this stage in the original story.

Back then, Luffy's group had no real concept of what a Marine Admiral represented, what level of power they wielded.

But with Rowen as a living benchmark, they now had a tangible understanding of the "Marine Admiral" concept.

That meant—someone capable of fighting on equal terms with Rowen, who had Awakened the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and fully mastered Haōshoku Coating—one of the absolute peak powerhouses on these seas!

They hadn't even witnessed Rowen in a true life-or-death battle.

Even against Enel, their strongest foe encountered since setting sail, Rowen had displayed overwhelming dominance, taking him down with a single Haōshoku Coating attack.

And Rowen now—was even stronger than he was then!

Yet even that single attack from Rowen back then felt like an insurmountable mountain to them, a level of power they couldn't possibly contend with.

Robin, looking at Aokiji, broke out in a cold sweat, an undeniable flicker of panic in her beautiful eyes.

Though Rowen had helped dispel much of her psychological trauma, some of it inevitably remained.

The horror of Ohara, and Aokiji displaying his terrifying power before her very eyes—these were nightmares that had haunted her since she was eight years old, nightmares that persisted until she met Rowen.

Now, facing Aokiji again, that panic was unavoidable.

But because Rowen was here, Robin didn't completely break down as she might have in the original story. Instead, she subconsciously moved behind Rowen, her arms wrapping around his—

—Holding onto Rowen's arm, Robin's frantic heart began to calm slightly.

Looking at Rowen, standing half a step in front of her, she pressed her lips together, feeling a significant sense of security...

Nami and Vivi, seeing Robin's reaction, tensed.

They had never seen Robin this afraid before. It was clear just how deep a psychological scar this Marine Admiral had inflicted on her in the past.

Nami gripped her Clima-Tact, and Vivi shifted into a combat stance. Throughout their voyage, they had come to truly accept Robin as a comrade!

<><><><><><><><>

"Ararara... Nico Robin. Long time no see. You've grown into quite a beauty—" Aokiji commented lazily, looking at Robin hiding behind Rowen, his own eyes narrowing slightly.

If Aokiji and the Ohara Incident were Robin's nightmares—then Robin and the Ohara Incident were, in a way, Aokiji's nightmare too.

He had personally participated in the absolute cruelty of 'Absolute Justice' during that incident.

Even innocent civilians were massacred to ensure no historians escaped. He was even forced to attack his former friend, Jaguar D. Saul, who was protecting Robin.

The memory of it—Aokiji still refused to dwell on it...

Letting Nico Robin escape was Aokiji's way of seeing what would become of the Little Girl his friend Saul died protecting—the girl who carried the weight of Ohara.

What kind of impact would she have on the world???

Ultimately, it was because of the Ohara incident that Aokiji began to feel lost, questioning the World Government's 'Absolute Justice'.

So, he sought out different paths, different possibilities, trying to uphold his own sense of justice as a Marine—and it was also since Ohara, having witnessed too many tragedies caused by the World Government's 'Absolute Justice'—that even after becoming an Admiral, Aokiji adopted his Lazy Justice.

Lazy—was just another word for completely lost and confused. Aokiji—could no longer find his own justice within the current Navy.

<><><><><><><><>

"AN ADMIRAL?! Why would a Marine Admiral come after us?! Shouldn't someone like that be chasing the super great pirates causing chaos across the seas?!"

Usopp and Chopper, the cowardly duo, clung to each other, trembling as they stared at Aokiji. Usopp blurted out his panicked thoughts.

Hearing Usopp's words—Nami, Vivi, Luffy, Sanji, Zoro—even Aokiji himself—instinctively glanced towards Rowen.

"I forgot! Rowen is one of those super great pirates! The source of chaos on the seas—IT'S US!" Usopp yelled, clutching his head, tears streaming down his face.

Before even entering the Grand Line, they took down the East Blue's strongest and highest-bounty pirates, Don Krieg and Arlong!

They even clashed with Warlord Hawk-Eyes Mihawk!

Since entering the Grand Line, they directly eliminated another Warlord, Crocodile!

In Mock Town, Rowen made a direct call to the World Government's stronghold, Mariejois, causing a massive uproar with his Haki, threatening the Five Elders—the world's highest authority!

Hailed as the most vicious great pirate on the seas today! Bounty exceeding 1.1 billion Beri! The super great pirate causing massive upheaval across the seas—WAS ROWEN!

Usopp and Chopper looked tearfully at Rowen. No wonder a Marine Admiral was after them!

But—even so!

Usopp tremblingly raised his slingshot, preparing for battle.

Chopper clutched a Rumble Ball from his medical bag, ready to eat it at a moment's notice.

"Ararara... Looks like you have some self-awareness after all. You truly are the source of much of the sea's current turmoil, Sky Sovereign Rowen," Aokiji commented, looking at the young man before him, his expression unusually serious.

So young, yet he had already thrown the seas into such chaos—At that age, Aokiji himself hadn't even learned Haki yet, still enduring Garp's brutal 'Fist of Love' training...

"Calling Mariejois directly, causing a massive disturbance with your Conqueror's Haki, making numerous Celestial Dragons faint, threatening the Five Elders, the world's highest authority—You went a bit too far, Sky Sovereign Rowen," Aokiji stated gravely, his gaze fixed on Rowen.

"CELESTIAL DRAGONS??" Luffy and the others looked puzzled by the term.

But Vivi's face instantly paled.

As princess of Alabasta, a World Government affiliated nation, and having attended the Reverie, she was certainly familiar with the term.

The World Nobles, descendants of the twenty kings who founded the World Government, the 'Creators'—they treated everyone else like livestock.

They were beings on these seas one absolutely must not angered!

Back then, Rowen had actually used his Conqueror's Haki against the Celestial Dragons?!

So, the World Nobles had also been part of Rowen's leverage to force the Five Elders to concede—all just to clear that little bit of slander against her name...

Vivi bit her lip, looking at Rowen's back, her heart filled with regret for her earlier unhappiness that led Rowen to do such a thing, but even more so, overflowing with profound love and gratitude.

"Celestial Dragons? You mean those pigs? That was just a warning," Rowen's words made Aokiji's expression change.

Using Conqueror's Haki to make numerous Celestial Dragons faint—was just a WARNING???

Then next time—was this man planning a full-scale massacre of Celestial Dragons??

And calling them 'PIGS' no less!

Sky Sovereign Rowen, who knew even about the Five Elders and the God's Knights, couldn't possibly be ignorant of what the Celestial Dragons represented—Yet he still acted this way.

What an utterly lawless man!

"Mah... but I just came here for a stroll today. I don't plan on fighting you," Aokiji suddenly said, lying down lazily on the grass.

"That statement... sounds a bit false, Aokiji," Rowen replied, looking at him with a smile.

"Is that so? I rather think... such words are quite fitting for our current conversation—" Aokiji chuckled back.

Rustle!

Sounds came from the nearby jungle, and a group of civilians slowly emerged.

<><><><><><><><>

ROOOAR!

"ICE AGE——!!!"

WHOOSH! CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

'So warm... so safe.' Robin closed her eyes. That shadow over her heart—was once again pushed back.