The Goro Goro no Mi was one of the most terrifying Devil Fruits in the world.
Unmatched speed.
Devastating offensive power.
Near-perfect mobility.
In terms of raw combat potential, it was easily among the strongest Logias ever seen.
But Enel had a weakness.
A fatal one.
He didn’t know Armament Haki existed.
In Skypiea, his lightning made him untouchable.
Against ordinary opponents, he might as well have been a god.
Against Rowan?
Not quite.
As long as Rowan could land a clean hit, Enel’s greatest advantage vanished instantly.
That alone made the Lightning Fruit worth pursuing.
Sitting on the beach, Rowan carved a thick slice from the giant octopus Sea King’s tentacle and took a bite.
The meat was surprisingly tender.
Far better than most of the creatures he’d eaten over the last five years.
The giant octopus alone contained enough food to sustain him for weeks.
After this meal, supplies wouldn’t be a concern for at least a month.
Perfect.
More than enough time to leave the Calm Belt and begin his journey.
The hunt for the Lightning Fruit was finally about to begin.
As he ate, Rowan reviewed his plans.
By his estimate, Luffy still hadn’t begun his voyage.
That meant roughly two years remained before the Summit War at Marineford.
Two years.
Not nearly as much time as it sounded.
Without the Lightning Fruit, Rowan doubted he’d be strong enough to challenge an Admiral by then.
Even if he appeared at Marineford, he wouldn’t possess the power necessary to truly alter the course of the war.
And there was another issue.
The Villainous Crew System.
The more Rowan understood it, the clearer one fact became.
The system wasn’t designed to create a lone powerhouse.
Its true value lay in building a crew.
A terrifying crew.
A crew capable of carrying two Devil Fruits each.
The stronger his future subordinates became, the more monstrous the system’s potential would grow.
Staying on this island any longer would accomplish nothing.
He needed to enter the world.
Recruit people.
Find future monsters before anyone else did.
Build the foundation of the force he envisioned.
But before any of that—
The Lightning Fruit.
Everything started there.
Rowan swallowed the last bite of meat and rose to his feet.
“Enough waiting.”
His eyes drifted toward the distant horizon.
The sea stretched endlessly beneath the afternoon sun.
“It’s time.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“I’ll leave as soon as we’re done eating.”
Then he added,
“And I’ll bring that idiot bird with me.”
Almost immediately, an eagle’s cry echoed across the sky.
A giant shadow swept over the beach.
Rowan looked up.
His eyelid twitched.
“Interesting.”
The shadow visibly hesitated.
“When I was fighting a hundred-meter Sea King, you were nowhere to be found.”
The eagle’s cry suddenly sounded much less confident.
“But the moment food appears, you’re right on time.”
“You glutton.”
The eagle awkwardly circled overhead.
Clearly guilty.
Rowan laughed.
“Get down here already.”
His voice carried easily across the beach.
“We’re leaving soon.”
The moment permission was granted, the giant eagle folded its wings and descended.
The creature landed beside the shoreline with surprising elegance for something its size.
Its wingspan stretched nearly twenty meters from tip to tip.
Golden feathers shimmered beneath the sunlight.
Sharp eyes immediately locked onto the enormous pile of Sea King meat.
The eagle swallowed.
Then froze.
A suspicious look appeared in its eyes.
Wait.
He’s giving me this much food?
For free?
The eagle stared at the mountain of meat.
Then slowly turned toward Rowan.
Its expression became increasingly horrified.
This isn’t my last meal, is it?
No…
No, no, no…
He’s finally decided to eat me.
The eagle’s eyes instantly became moist.
A tear nearly escaped.
Rowan stared at it.
“…Why do you look like you’re attending your own funeral?”
The giant bird froze.
Caught.
Rowan pointed toward the carcass.
“Eat.”
The eagle blinked.
“The food’s right there.”
Rowan raised an eyebrow.
“What?
Were you expecting me to cook it for you?”
The bird immediately looked away.
Embarrassed.
The truth was, this giant eagle had once been the undisputed ruler of the island’s skies.
When Rowan first arrived five years ago, it had been one of the strongest creatures in the region.
Then it made the mistake of challenging him.
The memory clearly remained vivid.
A few beatings had improved its attitude dramatically.
Several more had transformed it into a model citizen.
To be fair, the eagle was remarkably intelligent.
Its intellect was roughly comparable to that of a human teenager.
It learned quickly.
Particularly when the lesson involved Rowan’s fists.
The main reason Rowan kept it around was simple.
Transportation.
Getting to Skypiea would be considerably easier with a flying mount.
As for the other powerful beasts on the island…
Most of them had eventually become dinner.
The eagle lowered its head.
A solemn expression appeared in its eyes.
Fine.
If today is my last day…
It looked at the Sea King meat.
At least I’ll die full.
With that, it immediately began devouring the smaller Sea King carcass.
Watching the bird finally start eating, Rowan nodded in approval. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Good.
A starving mount wasn’t reliable transportation.
If they were going to cross vast stretches of ocean, the bird needed to be in peak condition.
The feast continued.
The giant octopus disappeared into Rowan’s stomach at an alarming rate.
The eagle wasn’t much slower.
Hours passed.
By the time they finished, the battlefield resembled the aftermath of some catastrophic natural disaster.
Piles of bones.
Broken shells.
Scattered scales.
Everything edible had vanished.
The eagle let out a tremendous burp.
Then glanced sideways at Rowan.
Immediately, it regretted the decision.
The human was still eating.
The bird stared.
Then stared some more.
How?
A deep sense of horror filled its heart.
What kind of monster is this?
Who exactly is supposed to be the beast here?
The more it thought about it, the more absurd the situation became.
For five years, it had watched Rowan grow stronger.
Month after month.
Year after year.
The changes had been terrifying.
Every time the eagle thought it had finally grasped Rowan’s limits, those limits shattered.
Eventually, the bird had reached a simple conclusion.
If it ever tried to run away…
It wouldn’t make it past the edge of the island.
Not even close.
It would become lunch before reaching the horizon.
Instantly.
Without debate.
Without appeal.
Just lunch.
As a result, the eagle behaved very well.
Extremely well.
After finally finishing his meal, Rowan patted his stomach and let out a satisfied breath.
Then he turned toward the giant bird.
A warm smile appeared on his face.
The eagle immediately felt a chill run down its spine.
Danger.
Its instincts screamed danger.
“Idiot Bird.”
The eagle stiffened.
Its feathers stood on end.
“Now that we’re both full…”
Rowan pointed toward the distant horizon.
The sea sparkled beneath the setting sun.
“It’s about time we hit the road.”
The eagle’s soul nearly left its body.
Hit the road?
Its eyes widened in horror.
This is it.
This is definitely it.
He’s taking me somewhere remote.
Somewhere nobody can hear me scream.
The giant bird’s heart turned cold.
It knew.
Absolutely knew.
Today was the day the monster finally decided it was time for dessert.