One Piece: The Strongest Trait System novel Chapter 54

Chapter 54 - [54] : Windmills and Tangerines! Setting Sail!

~ As Usual. Bonus Chapter Every 300 Powerstones :)

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Cocoyasi Village, once bleak under the oppressive rule of the Arlong Pirates, was now bursting with life and celebration.

The villagers brought out all the food and drink they could find, their faces radiating genuine joy as they threw a massive feast.

Because the pirates who had violently ruled over them—Arlong and his crew—had been utterly defeated.

All the Fish-Men who had followed Arlong in his tyranny were dealt with; those thrown into the sea, stripped of their Fish-Man traits by Rowen, could only drown helplessly.

These Fish-Men, who had believed Arlong's doctrine that their ability to breathe underwater made them inherently superior to humans—

—Ultimately suffocated to death in the very sea they claimed as their birthright.

A few, like Hachi, who hadn't directly participated in the killing and oppression of humans, and had sometimes even restrained Arlong's murderous rampages, were spared. After discussion among the Cocoyasi villagers, Rowen allowed them to retain their ability to breathe underwater and let them go.

Arlong's nature was extremely cruel; he viewed humans as inferior beings and wouldn't hesitate to massacre entire villages.

These few less culpable Fish-Men—whether motivated by preserving their source of tribute or by a sliver of inherent decency—had ultimately prevented many more deaths.

The villagers of Cocoyasi, having regained their freedom, wanted nothing more than for Nami—who had carried their hopes for so many years—to be happy and free.

They didn't want her kind heart tainted by excessive bloodshed.

Nami shouldn't have to carry any more burdens for their sake.

From now on, Nami should live for herself, freely upon the sea.

Rowen naturally respected this decision.

Nami just needed to live happily and freely from now on.

Watching Rowen and his crew enjoying the feast, the eyes of every Cocoyasi villager shone with gratitude.

"Shishishi! Parties are the best!" Luffy cheered, his mouth stuffed full, grinning widely.

"Rowen, Eat up! And tell me more about you and Nami~" Nojiko teased, sliding a glass of tangerine wine towards Rowen, eyeing him and Nami with a mischievous grin.

"Nojiko!" Nami's face flushed scarlet.

"Alright, alright! I won't ask!" Nojiko laughed, even more amused by Nami's reaction.

Some things didn't need to be said to be understood.

Nami, forced by her childhood experiences to shoulder everything herself, rarely showed such shy vulnerability.

Looks like Nami really likes this Rowen guy.

Nojiko smiled, reassured.

For Nami—who had endured such suffering and hated pirates to her core—to happily declare Rowen's crew her comrades...

Entrusting Nami to Rowen felt right.

"Here it comes! Sea King meat!" The highlight of today's feast arrived—Momoo, the Sea King kept by Arlong's crew, expertly prepared by Sanji.

This Sea King had often been used by Arlong's crew to 'plow' through villages that resisted their rule.

Rowen certainly wasn't going to let it go to waste. He had had it butchered immediately for the feast.

Sea King meat was a rare delicacy in the East Blue.

"Finally!" Rowen's interest was immediately piqued.

Sea Kings—unique and powerful creatures of the One Piece world.

The power of Poseidon, one of the Three Ancient Weapons, was the ability to command all Sea Kings, allegedly capable of destroying the world.

In the deep sea, there existed colossal Sea Kings exceeding 5,000 meters in length; a coordinated assault by such creatures could generate terrifying tsunamis.

The Sea Kings in the East Blue were much smaller, but still enormous compared to most other creatures.

"This tastes amazing! The freshness of the ingredients, the texture—both perfectly brought out! As expected of you, Sanji! You can make any ingredient taste delicious," Rowen exclaimed after tossing a large piece of sea beast meat into his mouth.

The flavor was wonderfully unique.

It had the texture of beef, yet the delicate freshness of fish.

Combined with Sanji's culinary skill, the inherent deliciousness and texture of the sea beast meat were elevated to their absolute peak.

With a cook like Sanji around, eating Sea King was truly the ultimate indulgence.

Of course, for Rowen, the abundant nutrients within the Sea King meat were even more crucial.

"Hmph. Naturally," Sanji smirked, pleased.

Finally, someone who speaks my language! Rowen's praise for his cooking was spot-on; it felt like talking to a kindred spirit.

Rowen, noticing a slight increase in the equipping progress for the Modified Exoskeleton Trait, smiled inwardly as well.

"As expected of a Sea King from the One Piece world. Incredibly nutritious."

Rowen focused, using his Superhuman Demonic Physique (Deep Purple) to rapidly digest the nutrients from the sea beast meat, feeling his physique strengthen, his lips curling upwards.

The reason humans in the One Piece world could achieve such incredible physical strength stemmed from the immense nutritional value found in the world's meat.

And the nutrients within Sea Kings were even more exaggerated. No wonder the top-tier powerhouses could train their bodies to such ridiculous levels, capable of fighting for days on end using their abilities and Haki.

"Enhance."

With such nutrient-rich sea beast meat available, Rowen didn't need to worry about insufficient fuel. He issued the command internally.

Enhance Superhuman Demonic Physique (Deep Purple)!

——

—[Enhancement successful! Trait tier advanced! Promoted to Apex Purple tier!]—

——

A notification screen, visible only to Rowen, appeared.

A wave of hunger, even greater than the last enhancement, washed over him. But with plenty of sea beast meat remaining, it wasn't an issue.

As Rowen resumed eating heartily, the depleted stamina reserves were quickly refilled.

Once sated, feeling the surge of power and stamina flooding his body, Rowen smirked again.

Of course, with his Superhuman Demonic Physique advancing to the Apex Purple tier, under the influence of Born of the Sea (Apex Gold), Rowen's Armament Haki grew stronger as well.

It remained at the Apex Purple tier for now, however. To advance Armament Haki to the Pale Gold tier (minimum Vice Admiral combat threshold), his physique also needed to reach the Pale Gold tier.

(Of course, for others, even reaching Pale Gold physique required diligent training to elevate their Armament Haki accordingly. But for Rowen, possessing both awakened Conqueror's Haki and the Born of the Sea cheat code, as soon as his physique reached Pale Gold, his Armament Haki would automatically advance.)

The Haki training cheat code truly lives up to its name.

Although it hadn't reached Pale Gold yet, Rowen's current Armament Haki intensity was more than sufficient.

Sufficient to take—Smoker's Logia-type Smoke-Smoke Fruit.

Rowen's lips curled slightly.

While the Smoke-Smoke Fruit wasn't strong among Logias, obtaining his first Devil Fruit ability—Rowen felt a surge of anticipation.

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"Rowen, try this," Nami carefully offered Rowen a tangerine, her face filled with hopeful expectation, interrupting his thoughts.

'These must be from Bell-mère's tangerine grove.' Rowen took the fruit Nami offered, a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

He peeled the tangerine, carefully placed a segment in his mouth, and chewed slowly.

"Delicious. This is the best tangerine I've ever eaten," Rowen said, smiling genuinely, looking fondly at Nami.

This tangerine held Nami's longing for her adoptive mother, Bell-mère.

It held the strength of a young woman who, even after witnessing her mother's murder, shouldered the hope of her entire village, determined to buy back their home from Arlong.

It also held Nami's heart.

Rowen didn't need Nami to say anything; he understood her feelings.

And Nami, naturally, didn't need Rowen to elaborate; she understood the meaning behind his words, her eyes curving into smiling crescents.

Today—was the happiest day she had experienced since Bell-mère died.

"Rowen! Nami! Look!" Luffy suddenly yelled indistinctly through a mouthful of food.

Nami and Rowen turned towards the sound.

This was a pirate victory feast!

"I meant, why do we need a musician first, you idiot?!" Zoro roared.

"Shishishi! We'll just let Rowen decide the order later! According to Rowen, we need a doctor and a musician!" Luffy grinned happily.