Watching the confusion on the woman's face, Aether remained calm.
With the current strength of his Conqueror's Haki, if he used a technique approaching advanced Conqueror's Haki, it was extremely difficult for ordinary abilities to break through it. Unless a Devil Fruit user had awakened their power, most abilities could not bypass the protection of that overwhelming will.
Of course, that only applied as long as there was no direct clash in battle or a full scale eruption of Conqueror's Haki.
For a moment, the atmosphere around them fell silent.
Many people nearby began looking toward their table.
After all, the woman standing there was Jewelry Bonney, one of the Supernovas known as the Big Eater. Meanwhile, the killing intent that the stranger beside her had directed toward a Celestial Dragon earlier had already drawn the attention of several powerful individuals nearby.
In the eyes of most pirates, anyone who dared attack a Celestial Dragon was either suicidal or completely insane.
For such a person, the safest option was to stay as far away as possible.
The crowd's reaction triggered a notification inside Aether's mind.
An A rank character, Jewelry Bonney, produced a common emotion toward the host. Moderate surprise. Experience +200
A rank characters produced minor surprise. Experience +100 x2
B rank characters produced minor surprise. Experience +20 x8
Level increased. Level 20. 5 / 1000.
Level 20 achievement reached. Reward obtained: White Lucky Draw.
Those below C rank had not sensed the fleeting killing intent at all.
As the level increase settled, a familiar power returned.
Aether could clearly feel his Observation Haki becoming sharper once again. The change made a faint smile appear on his face.
His updated status appeared in his mind.
Host: Augustus D. Aether
Age: 26
Level: 20, 5 / 1000
Strength: Intermediate, Major level
Constitution: Intermediate, Major level
Agility: Intermediate, Major level
Devil Fruit: None
Combat Techniques: Top Tier
Armament Haki: Beginner
Observation Haki: Intermediate
Conqueror's Haki: Peak
Weapon: Ace
Armament Haki had finally awakened.
At the same time, his Observation Haki had advanced to an intermediate level. With both forms of Haki developing together, Aether felt far more confident in his strength.
Just then, Bonney's face flushed with anger.
She raised her pink fist and swung it toward his head.
"So you dare to tease me. Go to hell!"
The punch was fast and direct.
Aether simply raised his hand.
His palm turned pitch black as Armament Haki coated it, giving it the hardness of steel. Bonney's fist stopped instantly in his grip.
Bonney froze.
"Is this Armament Haki?"
She had only seen her father use this ability before. Now seeing it used so casually shocked her.
More importantly, she could not pull her fist free.
That realization struck directly at her pride.
After a moment, Aether released the Haki coating and let go of her hand.
He had only just awakened Armament Haki. Although he could replicate the technique through his combat experience, maintaining it for a long time was still difficult.
As for fighting Bonney seriously, he had no interest in doing that.
Unless the condition of the fight involved the loser becoming the servant of the winner, he would not even consider it.
In truth, Aether had always respected Bartholomew Kuma.
In both his past life and this one, Kuma's choice to sacrifice himself for his beliefs and his daughter was something very few people could accomplish.
Bonney pulled her fist back and glared at him in embarrassment and anger.
Aether simply stared back.
He had no intention of indulging her temper. No man should allow himself to be pushed around by a woman without reason.
The two of them stared at each other.
The surrounding pirates watched with anticipation, hoping for a dramatic fight between two powerful figures.
Unfortunately for them, nothing happened.
Bonney's gaze eventually shifted away first.
Seeing that the confrontation was over, Aether placed several Berries on the table and stood up to leave.
Now was not the time to clash with the Supernovas. The real stage had not even begun yet.
Before departing, he casually left her with a piece of advice.
"Miss Bonney, Haki is the power that ultimately rules the sea. Do not rely too much on Devil Fruit abilities."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Once you enter the New World, you should awaken your Haki as soon as possible. Also, do not recklessly challenge Marshall D. Teach. That man is far stronger than he appears."
The pirate world was full of fools who overestimated their own strength.
Bonney stared at his departing figure in confusion.
"Haki rules everything? And who the hell is Teach?"
She shook her head and waved toward her crew.
"What a strange guy. Forget about him. Boys, continue the banquet."
Her crew immediately cheered.
They had been watching from the side for quite some time already.
Most of the pirates nearby quickly lost interest in Aether and returned to their own business.
Only one person continued watching him thoughtfully.
It was Urouge, the Mad Monk.
"Haki and the New World," Urouge murmured to himself. "Interesting."
System notification appeared again.
Fate of A rank character Urouge slightly altered. Points gained: 100.
The Next Morning
Inside a restaurant located in Grove 35 of the Sabaody Archipelago, Aether was enjoying breakfast.
Several empty bottles of strong liquor already sat on the table.
Drinking early in the morning had a certain refreshing charm.
The seventy year old owner of the restaurant walked over with a new dish and spoke while placing it down.
"Mr. Aether, the Straw Hat Pirates you have been watching arrived on the island not long ago."
Aether let out a satisfied burp and smiled.
"Thank you for the information, Old Luke. Sorry to trouble you again."
The owner wiped the counter as he continued speaking.
"Mr. Aether, are you interested in the straw hat worn by that Straw Hat boy?"
Aether looked at him curiously.
"Why do you ask that?"
Old Luke chuckled quietly.
"That hat looks very similar to the one worn by Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King himself."
He continued thoughtfully.
"And since you are his son, you would naturally want to see whether the one who inherited that straw hat is worthy."
Aether instantly spat out the liquor he had just swallowed.
"Cough. Cough."
He stared at the old man as if he had just seen a ghost.
What kind of reasoning led him to conclude that Aether was Roger's son?
Although this body had been created using Roger's genes, that did not make the assumption correct.
"Do not say such nonsense," Aether said quickly. "Roger's son is someone else."
He stood up and wiped his mouth.
"I am finished eating."
As he walked away, Old Luke simply smiled.
He had once seen an old bounty poster of Roger.
The resemblance between that poster and Aether was almost identical.
Only the clothing and style were different.
Noon at Grove 30
At the shopping district of Grove 30, two women from the Straw Hat Pirates were riding a bubble bike through the street.
One was Nami, also known as the Cat Burglar.
The other was Nico Robin, the Devil Child.
Since arriving on the island, the members of the crew had separated to explore.
Nami spoke while steering the bike.
"Robin, do you know the history of the Fishmen?"
They had met a mermaid before reaching the island, which had sparked Nami's curiosity.
Robin nodded and began explaining.
"For hundreds of years, Fishmen and Merfolk were classified as fish in human society."
"They suffered discrimination and persecution for generations."
"It was only about two hundred years ago that the World Government established diplomatic relations with Fish Man Island and publicly declared friendship."
She paused briefly.
"Even so, many people still treat Fishmen and Merfolk as valuable slaves."
Nami felt a chill run down her spine.
The history was far darker than she expected.
Although she still carried resentment toward Fishmen because of Arlong, the cruelty described by Robin was disturbing.
At that moment, a voice suddenly interrupted them.
"Is that the Devil Child, Nico Robin?"
The two women instantly turned toward the source of the voice.
A strange man wearing a protective bubble suit stood nearby, holding several bags filled with food from the island's specialty shops.
It was Aether.
He had decided to enjoy the island properly today after spending several days leveling up and fighting slave traders.
Seeing the two famous women from the original story staring at him with obvious suspicion, Aether raised his hand calmly.
"Do not misunderstand," he said. "I have no hostile intentions."
"I only knew your mother, Nico Olvia, so I was curious about you."
Robin's expression changed immediately.
She carefully examined the man in front of her.
He did not appear older than her. How could he possibly have known her mother?
Aether ignored her suspicion.
In the memories he inherited from Roger, he had indeed encountered Olvia several times.
She was a brilliant archaeologist and a beautiful woman with an intellectual charm.
Unfortunately, she had not been a very responsible mother.
Aether introduced himself casually.
"My name is Augustus D. Aether. It is a pleasure to meet the descendant of an old acquaintance."
He then glanced toward Nami.
"And you must be the famous Cat Burglar Nami. I heard you are extremely fond of money."
Nami immediately exploded with anger.
"I am not greedy. Do not insult me."
Aether laughed lightly.
"Then my information must have been wrong. I apologize."
He knew Nami's personality well.
Although she loved money, she would abandon all of it without hesitation for the sake of her friends.
For her family and companions, she was willing to sacrifice everything.
She was truly a good woman.
As for Robin, her life had been spent running through darkness and betrayal for more than ten years.
Although she was also kind at heart, she trusted almost no one.
At that moment, Nico Robin watched Aether carefully.
Her posture made it clear.
If anything about him seemed suspicious, she was ready to attack immediately.