[20] : The Cheat Code Acquired!

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"Gomu Gomu!"

"Chop-Chop!"

On the battlefield between Luffy and Buggy, one possessed a rubber body, the other a body that could split apart. The fight was a chaotic flurry of limbs flying everywhere.

Witnessing a battle between Devil Fruit users up close for the first time, Rowen found it quite fascinating.

Because Rowen's Conqueror's Haki had cleared the field, only Buggy himself remained active among his crew.

Everyone else—even Buggy's second-in-command, Chief of Staff Cabaji—couldn't withstand the impact of Rowen's Haki and had passed out.

Thus, Rowen's side was quite peaceful. Even when occasional daggers or detached Buggy body parts flew their way, Zoro, standing beside him, easily deflected them with his sword sheaths.

"What a messy fight," Zoro commented, his eye twitching. Having only recently set out to sea, he'd never witnessed combat like this before.

So this is the legendary Devil Fruit power... It really is ridiculous.

"My swordsmanship is completely useless against this kind of Devil Fruit user," Zoro noted grimly, slicing a flying Buggy limb in two, only to watch the pieces immediately fly back towards Luffy and reattach.

This was the first time Zoro had encountered a situation where his swords were ineffective.

"Without Haki, defeating Devil Fruit users often requires exploiting their specific weaknesses," Rowen explained, deciding to broaden Zoro's horizons a bit early.

"Haki? You mean that power you used to knock everyone out?" Zoro's gaze sharpened.

"That was Conqueror's Haki, the disposition of a King possessed by only one in several million. What I'm talking about now is Armament Haki. With that Haki, even ordinary attacks can harm Devil Fruit users," Rowen elaborated with a calm smile.

"Disposition of a King possessed by only one in several million? And 'Armament Haki' that can hit Devil Fruit users?" Zoro murmured the terms.

Disposition of a King... no wonder Rowen's power felt so overwhelming.

"So, how do you acquire this Haki power?" Zoro asked Rowen eagerly.

"Conqueror's Haki cannot be obtained through training; it's an innate quality of Kings. As for acquiring Armament Haki... conquer the Grand Line, Zoro. Defeat one powerful enemy after another. Like I said, you can't achieve your ambition staying in the East Blue," Rowen advised, clapping Zoro on the shoulder.

Armament Haki, too, required sufficient 'Disposition' and physical fortitude to awaken.

And without a ridiculously overpowered Trait like Buggy's Born of the Sea (Apex Gold), the only way to accumulate that 'Disposition' was through the trials of conquering the Grand Line and overcoming formidable foes. That process allowed one to eventually learn and strengthen their Haki.

This explained why Haki users were virtually non-existent in the Four Blues and the first half of the Grand Line, but incredibly common in the second half—the New World.

The challenges offered by the Four Blues and Paradise simply weren't enough to forge the 'Disposition' required to awaken Haki.

"The Grand Line, huh? Sounds exciting. Joining you guys was definitely the right choice, Rowen," Zoro replied, a feral grin spreading across his face.

The sea... it really is vast.

The things he was learning from Rowen were beyond anything he'd ever heard before.

He eagerly anticipated the journey ahead.

Meanwhile, after scrapping for a while, Buggy started reminiscing about his past with Shanks.

Upon learning that Buggy only ate the Chop-Chop Fruit and lost his ability to swim because of Shanks, but that Shanks had also saved Buggy from drowning...

"Oh! So Shanks saved you!" Luffy exclaimed, looking at Buggy with sudden understanding.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Buggy roared back, his face contorting comically.

"Anyway! It's all that bastard's fault! My life plans got set back ten years because of him! So I decided, if I can't conquer the sea, I'll just plunder all the treasure on land instead! Using the power of this Chop-Chop Fruit!" Buggy flashed a vicious grin.

"So, anyone who dares touch my treasure..." Buggy's upper and lower body separated, his torso flying into the air.

"...No matter who they are, I won't forgive them!" Buggy roared, bypassing Luffy and shooting towards a slender figure in the distance.

"Put my treasure down!" Buggy yelled, daggers drawn, hurtling towards Nami.

"Crap! He spotted me!" Nami panicked, having just managed to steal the Buggy Pirates' treasure.

"Hm?" Luffy turned, looking quizzically at Buggy's lower half still standing on the ground.

"Hah." Rowen suddenly stood up.

This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for.

"Don't think you can escape me! Nami! Watch me flashily chop you into pieces!" Buggy cackled sadistically, closing in on Nami.

The next moment—

WHAM!

"!!!" Buggy's expression instantly twisted in agony.

CRUNCH!

Luffy had delivered a swift kick directly to Buggy's groin—his detached lower half still standing vulnerable on the ground. The faint sound of something shattering could be heard.

THUD!

Buggy's airborne upper body plummeted to the ground.

"M-My... crotch..." Attacked in the ultimate male weak spot, Buggy's face contorted in pain.

However, his resilience honed on Roger's ship prevented him from losing consciousness immediately.

But the next second—

"Hyaaah!"

CRACK!!!

Rowen unleashed his Beast Strength to its absolute limit.

He followed up with another powerful kick, striking the exact same spot Luffy had just hit.

The shattering sound was much more distinct this time.

"!!!" The compounded agony was too much. Buggy's eyes rolled back, and he finally lost consciousness, albeit temporarily.

———

—[Target has lost consciousness. Trait Plunder available.]—

—[Plunderable Traits: Cannonball Expertise (Blue), Chop-Chop Fruit (Deep Purple), Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) (Discarded).]—

———

A notification screen appeared.

Unawakened Conqueror's Haki wasn't a 'power' yet, just latent potential. Potential/disposition could only be plundered once (same for equipping). Awakened Conqueror's Haki, however, could be plundered as a Strength-type Trait.

Rowen had no intention of plundering Buggy's Chop-Chop Fruit.

Firstly, he didn't need such a mediocre Devil Fruit. Secondly, if he plundered it, Buggy would be freed from the Devil Fruit curse and no longer rejected by the sea. This could potentially make Buggy a significant unpredictable 'X-factor' in the future.

Rowen preferred to keep the future course under his control.

Using the insignificant Chop-Chop Fruit to neutralize a potential future complication was more advantageous for Rowen.

As for plundering the fruit and then killing Buggy? Buggy had already followed the standard One Piece procedure before the fight and revealed his connections.

His relationship with Shanks and Rayleigh could be very useful to Rowen in the future.

The Chop-Chop Fruit simply wasn't valuable enough to sacrifice those potential future benefits.

Rowen's target had been clear from the start.

"Plunder!" Rowen commanded inwardly.

A faint, dimmed golden light, visible only to Rowen, flew out from Buggy's body and entered Rowen's own. Instantly, it reignited, blazing with dazzling brilliance.

—[Successfully plundered: Born of the Sea (Apex Gold)].—

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