One Piece: The Strongest Trait System novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - [6] : I Will Stand Above All! 'Sky Sovereign'!

"Rowen! Can you handle all these guys?" Luffy asked with concern, watching Rowen step forward to face the Alvida Pirates alone.

"Don't worry. Dealing with trash like this? My abilities are way more efficient than yours for this, Luffy," Rowen replied, a confident smirk playing on his lips. The dark, crimson-black light in his eyes seemed to shimmer faintly.

"Trash? You got some nerve, brat! Think you're 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro or something?" Alvida snarled, veins bulging on her forehead. Combined with her boar-like features, she looked even more grotesque.

Right now, 'Pirate Hunter' Zoro's reputation among East Blue pirates was formidable.

Even pirates with bounties in the tens of millions were wary of him.

"Zoro? Of course not. But..."

Rowen's eyes suddenly sharpened. The next instant, the terrifying crimson-black light within them solidified, erupting outwards with insane ferocity.

"Remember this name—'Sky Sovereign' Rowen! The man who will, in the future, stand above all!"

BOOM!!!

Conqueror's Haki exploded outwards.

Crackling arcs of crimson-black energy roared through the air.

Every single member of the Alvida Pirates caught in this terrifying blast—including Alvida herself—froze with looks of utter horror.

The next moment, their eyes rolled back into their heads, and they collapsed, unconscious.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Bodies littered the deck.

The entire Alvida Pirate crew was wiped out in an instant.

Under the pressure of Conqueror's Haki, the weak don't even have the right to look directly upon a King!

The crimson-black light in Rowen's eyes gradually subsided.

"SUUUUGEEEEEE!!!" (AMAZING!!!)

Luffy stared, jaw dropped, as Rowen took out the entire Alvida crew—including that rude old lady—with just a look.

His eyes went wide, and he started yelling excitedly. _{ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com}

Got to admit, Luffy really knew how to provide positive reinforcement for his comrades.

Seeing Luffy's exaggerated amazement, combined with the feeling of unleashing Conqueror's Haki for the first time, left Rowen feeling pretty damn good.

"But... I feel like I've seen that power before. When I was little, something like this happened too," Luffy mused after his initial burst of excitement, a thoughtful, faraway look in his eyes.

He remembered when he and his brothers were captured by some thugs. Just when he was in danger, the thugs had suddenly fainted.

"That's called Conqueror's Haki. Under its influence, anyone with a weak will instantly passes out," Rowen explained calmly, looking at Luffy.

Luffy was likely remembering the time 'Fire Fist' Portgas D. Ace first awakened his own Conqueror's Haki to protect young Luffy from danger.

But afterwards, Ace, disgusted that this power came from the bloodline he despised—that of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—completely sealed it away.

Rowen wouldn't judge Ace's actions.

He wasn't Ace; he hadn't lived through Ace's suffering. He wouldn't stand on high from an outsider's perspective and casually say, "It's foolish not to use the power you have."

After all, for Ace, his mother died because the Marines were relentlessly hunting Roger's bloodline.

And throughout his childhood, because of that same bloodline, he was shunned by everyone, treated as someone who shouldn't even exist.

In modern terms from Rowen's old world, it was a classic case of childhood trauma stemming from his family background. Ace just wanted to escape that influence.

But if he hadn't sealed away his Conqueror's Haki, given Ace's potential, he likely wouldn't have met the tragic end he did in the original story.

Ultimately, Ace just didn't have the disposition—the Kingly Spirit—required.

When his era ended, how much stronger would Rowen become thanks to his Faction Fortune (Apex Gold) Trait? Rowen eagerly anticipated finding out.

Furthermore, Rowen was absolutely determined to acquire Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

But for any given Devil Fruit user, their power ceiling based solely on the fruit was fixed the moment they ate it. Further growth relied on mastering Haki and other skills.

The reason Whitebeard was called the man capable of destroying the world was solely due to the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

"But Rowen, when you said you're gonna stand above all... that sounded really cool! 'Sky Sovereign' Rowen... Shishishi! That's a great nickname!" Luffy exclaimed. At this point, he didn't grasp the true significance of Conqueror's Haki; he was far more interested in Rowen's declaration.