Despite his gratitude towards Shanks for saving his life, Ace knew that he could not cause any trouble for the other crew.
So, he nervously pulled Shanks over and said, "I'm sorry! I really can't stay here, that Monster may come after me at any time! I can't let you get into trouble too!"
After being imprisoned on the Battleship for many days, Ace had come to understand some of Rowen's abilities.
The powerful characteristics of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit allowed him to develop the skill to move between clouds. This skill enabled him to travel the sea without being hindered by storms or waves.
Ace knew that if Rowen didn't have this ability then he would have been able to evacuate Jaya island and would not have been defeated and got his crew killed when his ship was hit by "Heavenly Punishment" before going out to sea.
Even though his ship was large and fast, for Rowen, it is just a matter of a few minutes to catch up.
Suddenly, Shanks slapped Ace on the shoulder and with a hearty smile, pushed him forward and shouted to the deck crew. "Hey, little ones! I heard that the Marines will come to catch Ace back, what do you think we should do?!"
The crew responded with cheers of "Beat them!", "Drive them back!", and "Burn their Battleship!"
The deck was filled with excitement as the crew prepared for a fight with the Marines. When Shanks saved Ace before, he had used his Haoshoku Haki, which rendered the entire Battleship's crew stunned.
This is different from the ceremonial Haoshoku Haki Shanks had released in the name of announcement when he boarded Whitebeard's ship Moby Dick in the original book. At that time, he was a Yonkō (Four Emperors) who released all the Haoshoku Haki for the purpose of scaring or hurting the enemy!
But today's incident was a little different, in front of Shanks Haki, even the seriously injured Mozambia did not go into a coma but rose up to resist, which is already proof of the strength between the two types of Haki!
Because of this, the crew was excited to find someone to fight. "You're perfectly safe on my ship, Ace…" Shanks said as he faced everyone with his right hand open and said. "If you want to ask why, because we are… Akagami (Red Hair) pirate group!!"
Bang Rumble!!
Suddenly, a thunderbolt fell from the sky! The pure and clear Thunder Pillar shot straight at Ace with unstoppable power. Shanks stared at him, and with a quick motion, he pulled out his sword Gryphon and slashed toward the sky.
Buzz!!
Immediately, Shanks unleashed a powerful sword energy that sent a wave of Haki in all directions, propelling Ace backward.
Sii!
After a loud sound, the Thunder Pillar split and moved 100 meters away from The Red Force, and smashed into the sea which caused fierce waves to spread out in all directions.
Shanks, brandishing his sword, looked over at Ace who had a burn mark on his shoulder, then at the statue in front of The Red Force with two crossed knives and smiled. "You're braver than I expected, Rear Admiral Rowen!"
Rowen, dressed in a black suit and a Justice cloak, stood on the bow of the ship, looking down at Shanks as he spoke. "You're more daring than I thought, Shanks!"
"You dare to save my prisoner?"
…
Back to half an hour ago, Newland Island.
After a night of fighting, the Scissorhand Pirates were annihilated. The rescued people wept and thanked the Marines, and Rowen went back to the room and began to take a nap.
This year's recruits are performing poorly in comparison to any other year. Despite utilizing strategies such as intelligence gathering, surprise attacks, and physical strength, the battle resulted in heavy casualties, including the injuries and death of personnel number 56. The most severely injured veteran only lost an arm, while the recruit casualties numbered in the double digits.
Facing fierce but weak pirate opponents, many soldiers were unable to demonstrate their training and were killed in battle. This group of recruits can be considered one of the "worst batches."
Zephyr's expression is visibly troubled. If not for Rowen's presence, he would likely be facing disappointment with this year's recruits. He would have considered forming a pirate guerrilla team and hunting down pirates at sea due to this disappointment.
However, Rowen's arrival helped alleviate some of his disappointment. Zephyr begins to greet and clean up the battlefield with a somber demeanor.
Puru Puru Puru…
Back in the room, Rowen's Den Den Mushi suddenly rings. He takes it out of his pocket and answers.
"Yo, Dante! What's the matter?"
"Rear Admiral Rowen, something big happened!" Dante responded.
After a few seconds…
Bang!!!
Suddenly, a loud bang is heard, and a strong high-voltage current spreads in all directions, accompanied by a terrifying sound of thunder that catches everyone's attention.
Zephyr rushes over and sees Rowen hanging up the phone with a gloomy expression on his face.
"What's going on, Rowen?"
"Ace has been rescued by Red Hair Shanks, Fleet Admiral called an emergency meeting to discuss the plan," Rowen replies with the same gloomy expression on his face.
Zephyr is shocked and asks "Nani? Shanks saved Ace!!! Why?!"
Zephyr is very familiar with the famous New World Yonkō (Four Emperors).
The Four Emperors, also known as the Yonko, are powerful figures who dominate much of the New World sea. They consider themselves "Emperors" and their strength and influence are so great that even the Marines and the World Government dare not provoke them without authorization.
Does Shanks have a reason to save Ace and has Ace joined the Akagami (Red Hair) pirate group secretly?
"It is unclear why Shanks saved Ace, but it is a known fact that he was rescued." Rowen spoke with a cold glint in his eyes before he took a deep breath and announced to Zephyr, "I'm going to pay them a visit Sensei, and I'll be back later…"
Before Rowen could finish speaking, Zephyr interrupted him with raised eyebrows, "Are you sure you know what you're getting into, Rowen? That's the Yonkō (Four Emperors) pirate group! Do you want to seek your own death?!"
The opponent is one of the Yonkō (Four Emperors) Pirates!
He admits that Rowen is very strong, but he is not a match for Yonkō (Four Emperors) Pirates, at least not now!
The current plan should be a long-term plan as Sengoku has held an emergency meeting and they should wait for the command.
"I heard from Garp that Luffy's straw hat was given to him by Shanks. It is likely because of Luffy's connection to Ace that Shanks decided to rescue him," Rowen said seeing that Zephyr is showing some signs of anxiety.
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