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Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
"Im-Sama is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with us, this is a warning from him!"
The Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) were still gathered in this room high above the clouds, like five inseparable buddies, rarely parting ways.
In response to the judgment of the elder with the long mustache, another person sneered, "We don't need you to tell us that! If it weren't for Im-Sama's orders, where would Lirisk get the audacity to kill someone in Water 7?!"
Concerning the Ancient Weapon "Pluton," such matters were usually handled by them and delivered to their subordinates for resolution. But that time, Lirisk went with CP0, a clear deviation from the norm.
The reason was simple: compensation!
Lirisk had been declared dead for ten years, only to be rescued from Pucci Island two years ago. If anything happened to him now, there wouldn't be any problem. They had done their best; the rest was up to fate, and Im-Sama understood that clearly. He wouldn't easily shift blame.
Several members of the Donquixote family were mourning, but they brought it upon themselves. They courted disaster to the point where even the Celestial Dragons couldn't turn a blind eye, so it was fine.
But Lirisk didn't die, and he suffered ten years of torment. Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) couldn't shirk their responsibility for that.
And so, Orrick's inflated ambitions emerged, leading to the dilemma they faced now.
"Hmph! If you and Orrick hadn't proposed stopping the investigation due to your feud, we wouldn't have given the Donquixote brat a chance in the first place."
The elder with the long mustache sneered at the response.
"Now!"
Bang!
"Are you blaming me now for something we all voted on in the first place?!" The baldy Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) slammed the table. "When Orrick nearly killed the head of the Celestial Dragons in his rage, where were you?!"
"Wasn't it me who went to plead with Im-Sama in the end?!"
The age-old saying was that maintaining control was the only prerequisite for ruling!
The identity of the Celestial Dragons, "World Nobles," relied on this, and they wouldn't tolerate any challenges or insults.
Even the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars), whom the Celestial Dragons didn't care much about, naturally drew Im-Sama's dissatisfaction. Even if their connection to him was minimal, they still had to shoulder this burden of blame.
"Enough, let's calm down."
Bang! Bang!
The elder with the white curly hair paused with his cane, his tone becoming more serious.
The other two hesitated at the sound, turning their heads and closing their eyes to calm their emotions.
It was hard to imagine that this normally silent, frail old man could have such a commanding presence.
Seeing the two stop bickering, the elder with the white curly hair continued in a solemn tone.
"This is just Orrick's first attempt. How can we afford to lose our composure?"
"It's good to have a challenger, just to wake you all up!"
With a slight reprimand, the old man continued.
"I just received word that Vice Admiral Soryu's Awakening Devil Fruit ability has gone awry and is heading in our direction."
"If nothing unexpected happens, his target should be Yonko BIG MOM."
Shua!
All eyes turned towards him.
"Gone awry? Yonko?"
The elder with the long mustache was the first to snap out of it and a smirk began to form on his lips. "Orrick, you've made a bad move!"
The fact that Rowen and Lirisk were together couldn't escape the notice of the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars). Seeing as Rowen was only searching for treasure, they tacitly allowed it.
So, if Rowen's Awakening went awry, it was still linked to them.
Under normal circumstances, this would definitely not be a good thing, as there was ample precedent for the chaos a rogue Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder Thunder Fruit) Ability user could cause.
But...
"If we're going to cause trouble, let's make it big. What do you all think?"
The elder with the white curly hair opened his eyes slightly, his icy Killing Intentions sending shivers down everyone's spine.
If Rosa, the former Queen of the Flower Capital, were present, she would have nodded slightly.
Declaring war externally while shifting internal conflicts, the method wasn't sophisticated, but it was definitely effective.
"The sky is blue!"
"The lake is green!"
"..."
"I love you, my home!"
"My home, my heaven!"
As various forces stirred in response to Rowen's loss of control, in the first half of the Grand Line, in the skies, a howl of Kikoku echoed through the clouds.
Bang!
Deafening thunder accompanied by scattered waves of Haoshoku Haki spread out in all directions and the passing birds couldn't endure for even a second before falling uncontrollably due to irresistible forces.
As the song ended, Rowen smacked his lips, starting to feel a bit bored.
Encircling the entire planet, the Grand Line stretched from Alabasta to Totto Land in the New World, separated by thousands of miles. Even with Supercharged Travel without rest, it would take him at least a week to reach his destination.
And most importantly...
"Gū lū gū lū!"
Rubbing his growling stomach, Rowen suddenly realized that he hadn't eaten anything in 30 hours.
"Huh? Is that Angel Island up ahead?"
Noticing the cluster of buildings floating in the White Sea between the clouds, Rowen grinned slightly.
"Wherever I go, I find food."
That's the way to enjoy life!
Half an hour later, Gan Fall gazed at the chaotic food street, silently looking up at the sky.
"Hehe, Mr. Gan Fall, G-10 will reimburse us for this expense," Henry said, his face twitching uncontrollably, realizing for the first time that Rowen also had such an unreliable side.
Of course, Rowen had no idea what Henry was thinking. After filling his belly, he hit the road again, picking up the pace by another three points.
The Awakening of his Devil Fruit was a wonderful state. In this state, Rowen's control over lightning greatly increased, comparable to the Thunder God mode. However, the energy required to manipulate thunder was only a tenth of what it was in Thunder God mode!
If he compared his previous manipulation of thunder to running, then before, he was running through rugged terrain, uphill and downhill. But now, the ground was moving beneath him!
Finally, he understood the reason for the ten-day, ten-night battle between Aokiji and Akainu!
Rowen realized his mistake.
After Logia Awakening, stamina consumption was hardly an issue!
But he couldn't be considered fully awakened now; the tyrannical control of lightning over his body, even though he maintained a considerable degree of clarity, caused his body to emit a strong, scorching current at any time.
That was the power of "Fusion" that Lirisk spoke of.
The thunder instinctively merged with the surrounding environment.
He had only been on Angel Island for less than half an hour, but he almost created a unique spectacle on Angel Island.
This state was abnormal, and Rowen was aware of it.
For some reason, that thunderous power both obeyed his control and resisted being managed by others.
Combining the consciousness and thoughts he had previously sensed from the thunder, Rowen understood.
Its appearance was meant for blossoming!
To disappear like this, even he would never accept it.
So Rowen needed a target to unleash this power, to regain control of his body.
BIG MOM was just the one he happened to bump into.
Need a lightning rod?
…
Two days later, Rowen looked down at the Red Line flashing beneath him, his eyes thoughtful.
"The powerful aura in the Holy Land seems to be stirring. Are they wary of me?"
He guessed correctly.
The Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) were uneasy about letting Rowen swagger in. Out of Rowen's sight, Mary Geoise was already filled with soldiers, even the entire army Commander-in-Chief "Steel Bone" Kong was fully armed and ready to strike at any moment.
However...
"Target."
The soldier responsible for delivering the message turned his head significantly, swallowing a series of lines such as "appeared," "approaching," "coming," and finally squeezed out three words.
"He's here!"
"Very well, let the prepared men follow him!"
The Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) ordered in unison, their eyes gleaming with joy.
Indeed, just as Sengoku said, Rowen hadn't completely lost consciousness.
Watching the Blue Thunderlight streak across the sky, the elder with the long mustache smugly stroked his mustache.
"That brute Orrick still wants to challenge us?"
(End of this chapter)