[155] : The Last Comrade! Merry!
~ As Usual. Bonus Chapter Every 300 Powerstones!
~ 18 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon
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3 CHAPTERS TODAY!!
~ So i decided to still keep the 300 PS Bonus Chapters, but I'll also try to make more time for additional editing so expect some good improvement :)
~ Thank you all for your continued support each and every day.
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"ADMIRAL AKAINU!" Momonga used Moonwalk to support Akainu's falling body, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"Ughh!" Akainu coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Admiral Akainu, how are you feeling??" Momonga asked urgently, relieved to see Akainu conscious.
"Your sword... where is it?" Akainu forced his eyes open, glaring intently at Momonga. Even for the iron-willed Akainu, speaking now was an immense struggle.
His body was completely limp, his full weight pressing down on Momonga.
"It's here," Momonga replied, instinctively showing his sword.
"Stab... STAB ME! QUICKLY!" Akainu roared with all his remaining strength.
"HUH??" Momonga initially didn't understand, but then realization dawned.
Based on Admiral Aokiji's report, Sky Sovereign Rowen's ability to steal power had activation conditions—The target had to be at least completely unconscious, or even in a near-death state.
Admiral Aokiji, despite losing a leg and being severely injured, had his powers spared because Rowen couldn't meet the conditions.
Now, Admiral Akainu, refusing to let his powers be stolen by Rowen, was relying on his Indomitable Will to stay conscious despite his grievous injuries. Now, he needed intense pain to shock his body, to ensure he wouldn't pass out.
Looking at Admiral Akainu's state, even Momonga, a core member of the 'Dove' faction, felt a surge of profound respect. 'Really... a man of iron and blood!'
SQUELCH!
With a flash of his sword, Momonga pierced three of Akainu's fingers.
The fingers are connected to the heart! Akainu's eyes filled with agony!
"N-Not enough! AGAIN!" Akainu snarled.
SQUELCH!
Momonga didn't hesitate, swinging his sword again, piercing another three fingers. He didn't dare pierce all of Akainu's fingers at once—too much pain could also cause him to faint.
"Hah! Hah!"
With six fingers pierced, intense pain shot through Akainu's brain. Sweat poured down his face. This iron-willed man had bitten his own teeth so hard they bled, his facial expression a mask of pure agony.
"ADMIRAL AKAINU! LET'S GO!" Seeing Akainu's eyes regain some clarity, Momonga grit his teeth and began to flee, carrying Akainu.
The other Buster Call forces were irrelevant now—Admiral Akainu was one of Marine HQ's three pillars, a cornerstone of their power. If he fell here, Momonga couldn't imagine the terrifying consequences!
The entire sea would be thrown into chaos!
Fortunately, after defeating Admiral Akainu, Sky Sovereign Rowen was also completely drained of stamina and Haki, rescued by Straw Hat.
If Rowen had even a little strength left, their Super Buster Call, led by Admiral Akainu, would have been completely annihilated here!
As Momonga fled desperately with Akainu, his eyes were still wide with horror.
Even now, it all felt so unreal.
Though Rowen was also completely exhausted, Admiral Akainu had truly been defeated—and unlike Aokiji, who lost due to being outmaneuvered, Admiral Akainu was defeated in a direct, one-on-one confrontation!
WHAT DID THAT EVEN MEAN??
Among the Four Emperors, who could guarantee victory in a one-on-one death match against Admiral Akainu?
Even Kaido, hailed as the 'Strongest Creature', couldn't guarantee it!
In a life-or-death battle at this level, the outcome was always unpredictable; the smallest factor could lead to a completely different result.
But undoubtedly...
Sky Sovereign Rowen—this man—had truly ascended to the ranks of the absolute Strongest on this sea!
Momonga carried Akainu, his Moonwalk pushed to its absolute limit, fleeing for his life.
Akainu's gaze was filled with utter humiliation and unwillingness.
When had he, Akainu, ever been forced into such a state by a pirate??
Fleeing for his life like a beaten dog, carried by his subordinate!
But at this moment, just staying conscious was his limit. He could only let Momonga carry him away...
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"Akainu..." Rowen watched Momonga flee with Akainu, panting heavily.
Akainu truly was a tough bastard...
Even with the power of Asura Aura, the support of his comrades, and the timely activation of Anthem of Courage—it was still an incredibly difficult victory for Rowen. He had to admit his respect for the man's tenacity.
That pain—piercing one's own fingers, was beyond what a normal person could endure—Yet Akainu did it, just to prevent his power from being stolen.
"Hah... Hah..." Rowen's breath came in ragged gasps.
WHOOSH!
An Air Door opened.
The Franky Family tumbled out, crashing hard onto the deck of the Ark Maxim, dazed and confused. Fortunately, the inherent toughness of One Piece world inhabitants meant they weren't injured.
"BIG BRO FRANKY! BIG BRO ROWEN!"
The Franky Family stared at Franky and Rowen, then at the now-vanished Enies Lobby, then at the countless motionless Marines, completely stunned.
A wisp of smoke appeared. A massive golden pillar fell onto the Ark Maxim's deck, making the entire vessel lurch downwards.
"ROWEN!" Nami and Vivi cried out in alarm. The others also looked worriedly at Rowen.
"Stamina... Haki... completely drained... Can't maintain my Devil Fruit abilities anymore," Rowen said with a wry smile.
His stamina and Haki were completely exhausted, overdrawn. He couldn't maintain the Door-Door Fruit ability, nor the combined Smoke-Smoke and Munch-Munch abilities.
The Franky Family, who had been in the Door dimension, and the golden pillar, stored within his smoke, all fell out as his powers faded.
This was the first time since coming to this world that Rowen had felt so weak. His body had already reached its limit long ago—no, not just its limit, he was completely overdrawn.
Right now, Rowen couldn't even move a single finger.
Akainu had actually worried for nothing—Rowen currently lacked even the strength to activate his plundering ability. Stamina and spiritual power were the fuel for all abilities, including the Strongest Trait System.
After the brief euphoria of victory faded, Rowen's mind began to grow fuzzy.
"The Ark Maxim... can't be powered without the Rumble-Rumble Fruit... but my strength..." Rowen's stamina was completely gone; he couldn't use any Devil Fruit abilities.
Worse still—the depletion of his spiritual power meant his Observation Haki was completely offline. Rowen couldn't sense any of his surroundings.
If another Admiral arrived now, they truly would be annihilated—
And before his powers completely faded, Rowen had vaguely sensed another incredibly powerful presence approaching, an Admiral-level fighter.
"G-Give me something to eat. Marine reinforcements are coming soon... another Admiral..." Rowen managed to say, his voice strained.
But simply eating couldn't replenish his now completely depleted, even overdrawn, spiritual power.
What Rowen needed now was sleep. The same way Luffy and his crew recovered after major battles.
But how could he possibly sleep peacefully now?!
How could he let them all be defeated here?! After they had already won!!
Rowen's vision began to blur.
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"Rowen!" Everyone understood Rowen's thoughts.
Though they had won the battle, the crew's condition was terrible.
Especially Rowen—they had never seen him so weak. Unable even to activate his Devil Fruit abilities—and the Ark Maxim needed Rowen's Rumble-Rumble Fruit to fly...
Currently, it was only floating on residual energy, its altitude already at its limit, let alone retreating.
If they remained here, though they won the battle against the Buster Call, they would all be captured by the approaching Admiral...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The residual Rumble-Rumble Fruit energy in the Ark Maxim finally gave out. It began to fall!
SPLASH!
The Ark Maxim crashed heavily into the sea, sending up massive waves.
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"BIG BRO ROWEN! Let the King Bulls take you and get out of here!" The Franky Family, realizing the dire situation, yelled, Zambai pointing towards the two giant sea creatures they had brought along.
"Let's go! Rowen!" Nami urged frantically. Gold, the Ark Maxim—none of it mattered compared to Rowen!
"Can Kashii and Oimo get on?" Usopp asked, unwilling to abandon the giants.
"No way! Their bodies are too big!" one of the Franky Family members replied.
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT US! USOPP! Bringing us news about our captains—was more than enough! We can hold off the pursuers here!"
"SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN! AND ALL OF THE STRAW HAT PIRATES! TO FIGHT ALONGSIDE YOU—WAS OUR HONOR!"
Kashii and Oimo laughed heartily.
Their own bodies were covered in wounds from fighting the Marines; their stamina and combat strength were less than ten percent of their normal levels.
Saying they would 'Hold Off' pursuers was essentially suicide.
But to ensure Rowen's successful retreat, they were willing to burn the last of their strength. This was the code of Elbaf warriors!
They would die fighting to carve a path for their friends!
"We still have some strength left. We'll take the other King Bull and stay about five minutes behind you. If the pursuers catch up, we'll hold them off, even if it costs us our lives," Sanji stated calmly, lighting a cigarette, though his hands were exhausted.
"Don't wear that expression, Rowen. You are—the man who will stand above all," Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke, smiling faintly.
Rowen, his eyes downcast, felt immense frustration. Had he really pushed his comrades to this point??
WHOOSH!
Zoro, without needing to be asked, knew Sanji meant the two of them. He leaped onto the other King Bull. His own stamina and Haki were slowly recovering.
"Hey, Rowen. You're the one who showed me the way. That expression doesn't suit you," Zoro laughed.
"I'm the captain! I should be the one to stay behind!" Luffy roared.
"Just go with Rowen, you idiot captain," Zoro replied, looking at Luffy, who was sprawled on the deck, only able to move his head, and smiled.
The initial use of Gear Fourth placed an immense burden on Luffy. And at the end, he used the last of his willpower to stretch and pull Rowen back onto the deck.
Luffy too was completely immobile now. The total exhaustion of Devil Fruit power led to both physical and spiritual depletion, complete immobility.
Rowen, too, deeply understood this state now.
This was why, in the original story, when Luffy exhausted his powers, he looked like he had been completely sucked dry, unable to move.
It wasn't something willpower could overcome...
Helplessly, he allowed Nami and Vivi to support him onto the first King Bull. His eyes were filled with frustration.
The King Bulls' speed on the open sea wasn't fast. Could they really escape safely under these circumstances?
To be trapped in such a dire situation...
Rowen's mind began to grow hazy, even thinking was becoming difficult.
"Hm???" Amidst the fog of his consciousness, Rowen thought he heard a voice.
"Rowen... Everyone... I've come to get you."
A voice, almost ethereal, echoed.
"TH-THAT'S RIGHT! WE HAVE ONE MORE COMRADE!" Usopp, who had been crying, suddenly roared.
"MERRY!!!"
Everyone looked up in joyful disbelief at a familiar sailboat breaking through the mist in the distance.
The Going Merry!
"The-The Klabautermann??" Franky stared, dumbfounded.
He knew this pirate ship well—it was the legendary Going Merry, which had become famous across the seas alongside Rowen after he was hailed as the Fifth Emperor!
But he never imagined—this ship had actually given birth to a Klabautermann!
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"Merry..." Rowen, seeing the Going Merry approach, felt deeply moved.
Previously, though Rowen considered Luffy and the others his true comrades, it was partly because he admired them from the original story, and partly because he enjoyed their company.
But with the Strongest Trait System, Rowen had never truly felt the need to rely on them. On the contrary, he was always thinking of ways to use the System to make them stronger, to become his important assets.
But this time. Rowen had felt the true power of his comrades' support—in the desperate battle against Akainu, he activated the Anthem of Courage, defeating Akainu.
And now, in this desperate situation—Merry, their precious comrade—had appeared at the most critical moment!
Rowen felt his heart swell with emotion, and a profound sense of peace.
That's right—he wasn't alone.
He had many precious comrades... and Merry!
With them, what did he have to worry about??
"I'm going to sleep now. Everyone... I'll leave the rest to you," Rowen said, looking up at his comrades, a genuine, heartfelt smile on his face.
He just needed to entrust everything to his precious comrades. Rowen believed, when he woke up, he would already be in a safe place.
Rowen's spirit, in that moment, became incredibly serene.
It was a complete and utter relaxation he had never experienced since coming to this world.
Under such a state of mind, his spiritual power would enter a phase of rapid growth.
When Rowen awoke—HIS HAKI WOULD BE EVEN STRONGER!
"OHHH! LEAVE IT TO US!"
The crew, looking at Rowen, all roared with laughter.
To be relied on by Rowen—felt absolutely wonderful!
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"SET SAIL!" Nami leaped onto the Merry's deck, letting out a joyous laugh.
"Who's the navigator of this ship??" Nami yelled, hands on her hips.
"NAMI!!!" Everyone cheered excitedly, raising their hands.
"Alright! As long as there's wind and sea, I can take us anywhere!" Nami declared.
"HOIST THE SAILS!"
As Nami's cheerful command rang out, Rowen's consciousness finally faded into sleep.
Though still within the waters of Enies Lobby, a relaxed, comfortable smile graced Rowen's face.
His comrades... were truly reliable.
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