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Having been in this world for so many years, Rowen had already taken care of most of the stepping stones for Luffy to level up, especially in the Grand Line, where he hit every target.
This was inevitable since he started at the Marine Headquarters. As a member of the Grand Line, the people Rowen was able to interact with were naturally the notable figures of the Grand Line.
As a result, they went from being Luffy's stepping stones to being his stepping stones.
He had dealt with so many familiar enemies that Rowen almost forgot about the original story's Marineford War, which marked the division between the "Great Pirate Era" and the "Great Age of Evil.
If the first twenty years of the Pirate Era were a time of development and consolidation, the Great Age of Evil was a raging tide! This battle came quickly and went quickly, culminating in the deaths of "Legend of the Sea" Whitebeard and "Cursed Bloodline" Portgas D. Ace.
As a pivotal point in the era, no one could deny the importance of the Marineford War.
It was Whitebeard who, at the moment when the bloodline of Pirate King Roger was about to end, stood up and shouted, "ONE PIECE does exist! He sacrificed his life to let the pirate era rage fully, leading to Sengoku's resignation.
One could say that without his proclamation, the entire content of the second arc would have lost at least half of its excitement. The biggest beneficiary of such a momentous battle, however, was the previously unknown Marshal D. Teach!
It was Teach who killed Thatch to steal the Dark Dark Fruit, committing an unforgivable crime on Whitebeard's ship. Ace ventured out alone to capture Teach personally, only to be captured and handed over to the Marines in exchange for Teach's position as Shichibukai.
Luffy stormed into Impel Down to rescue Ace, while Teach took advantage of the chaos to recruit crewmates. Despite great danger, he survived.
Eventually, Teach captured the Tremor-Tremor Fruit in Marineford, becoming the only dual Devil Fruit user, taking over all of Whitebeard's territories, and becoming a new Yonko.
The Marines suffered heavy casualties in the battle, and even the headquarters fortress was left in ruins. However, it ultimately played into Teach's hands and enhanced his reputation.
Having chosen to be a Marine, Rowen would not allow the same events to happen in a world where he could intervene. Understanding Teach's importance in the original story, Rowen took extensive measures to eliminate this greatest threat.
He stirred up the Celestial Dragons to trade for the Sacrifice-Sacrifice Fruit and had the powerful Admiral-level Fujitora act as a lonely old man to successfully plot against Teach. The goal was to prevent the Marines from repeating the same mistakes.
It's a simple concept: if you're a driver, would you rather drive a good car or a bad one?
Rowen had conspired against so many people that he almost forgot about the Marineford War. The critical condition "Teach kills his crewmate" could no longer happen.
But now that Teach had appeared unexpectedly, Rowen suddenly realized that he should look at the story objectively. Throw out the bad, keep the good, and what's wrong with following the plot? Even if the original plot is disturbed, isn't there still me who knows the script?
Rowen decided to personally plan a great play!
The script would be called "My Battle at Marineford"!
---
### New World, Unknown Sea
A huge pirate ship hoisted its sails and raced through the waves.
Standing at the front of the deck, Thatch, the Fourth Division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, felt his right eyelid twitch constantly. Rubbing his eye with his hand, Thatch turned his head and asked, "How long until we reach the battlefield?"
"At our current speed, at least three days!" The deputy captain replied quickly.
"Three days, huh..."
Except for the Navy's battleships, sea voyages for pirate ships were greatly affected by the weather.
Thatch felt a little anxious, but knew there was nothing he could do about it.
At that moment, the deputy captain asked hesitantly, "Captain, should we really not tell Pops that we found this thing?"
"Pops has enough to worry about, Robert. As his sons, we should try not to burden him any further," Thatch said, grinning and showing eight of his teeth. "I know what you're thinking... but if we were to rely on Pops for everything, that wouldn't be right, would it?"
The deputy captain was silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement. Indeed, bringing this thing to Pops now would only cause him grief - it was not the right time to reveal it. Besides, they had to help the Fifth Division first.
"Report! We've received a message from Commander Vista!"
"Oh? Hand it over!"
As they discussed official matters, the expressions of Thatch and the deputy captain turned serious. They exchanged glances and quickly signaled for the communication device.
Soon the Den Den Mushi was brought to them. "Cough, cough, Thatch, where are you now?"
In a crew that frequently held banquets, Thatch, as cook and division commander, had many friends. Both he and Vista were two-handed swordsmen who often trained together, making their bond especially strong.
"If nothing goes wrong, it will still take three days."
Thatch looked at the Den Den Mushi with concern. Although it could only mimic appearances, he could tell that Vista was very weak at the moment, probably from severe blood loss.
"What happened, Vista? You seem seriously injured!"
"It's nothing, just a small wound," Vista said with a smile, his mustache twitching. "Three days, huh? You better hurry."
"Our scouts report that Admiral Akainu is leading a Marine reinforcement team and has already crossed the Red Line. They are expected to arrive early in the morning in three days."
Vista's tone was light, but the gravity of the situation was clear.
Admiral!
For any division commander under Whitebeard, facing an Admiral meant that at best they could hope to fend him off.
"Has our information been leaked?"
Thatch raised an eyebrow and sighed. "The naval spies have really extended their reach!"
From the interior of the New World, it was extremely difficult for them to gather information, while the Marines stationed near Sabaody had an easier time tracking movements. This disparity in access to information was significant. Still, the Marines got wind of their actions.
Without such information, it would be hard to justify why Sengoku would send Akainu. Now that both sides were aware of each other's plans, it was only a matter of who would make the first move.
Before Big Mom's fall, monitoring the Yonko pirate crews had required considerable sacrifice. But now, intercepting information had become much easier.
The vastness of Big Mom's former territory gave the Marines strategic depth, allowing them to expand their intelligence network and gradually encroach on the Yonko domains.
Thatch thought about it and spoke quickly, "Ace and Jozu are closer to you. They should reach you in two days. As soon as you attack, send me a signal and we'll see if we can surprise the Marines from behind!"
"Hmm, I'll keep that in mind. If it seems too risky, don't act recklessly," Vista replied. He did not directly advise Thatch against this dangerous idea. Surrounding the enemy sounded great, but it also meant putting themselves in a vulnerable position and possibly becoming an easy target.
As a commander, Thatch surely understood that. Vista knew that his role as a comrade was to support Thatch's decision.
"Two days... we should be able to make it!"
On the front lines of the New World, Vista sat in a room and allowed a doctor to sew up a gash over a meter long in his abdomen without anesthesia, relying solely on his willpower.
He knew that under the influence of anesthesia, no one in the Fifth Division could withstand this modified monster.
After hanging up the phone, Thatch clenched his fists.
"Notify everyone to stay alert! We must travel through the night and reach the battlefield within two days! Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
(End of this chapter)