At this moment, Rowan felt as if he had stepped into a natural hot spring.
A numbing, tingly sensation originated from deep within his marrow, followed by a warm current that flooded every part of his body. Instantly, a vibrant surge of life force erupted from his limbs and bones, rapidly permeating his entire being.
His physical exhaustion vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by a sense of inexhaustible power. Rowan had never felt so invigorated. It was as if he were experiencing a "second spring" of youth. Not only that, he could actually feel the muscles beneath his withered skin becoming full and firm again. Even his skin felt more supple.
When the internal warmth finally subsided, Rowan's eyes snapped open, a grin spreading across his face that he couldn't suppress. Looking down at his sandbag-sized fists, he let out a thunderous roar of pure exhilaration.
At this very second, the power coursing through him was so abundant that he felt an overwhelming urge to vent it.
"G-G-Great-Grandpa... what happened to you?" Luffy, who had just finished gorging himself and was preparing to let out a satisfied burp, jumped nearly out of his skin.
In all his years, he had never seen his Great-Grandpa behave like this. He was terrified that the old man had suddenly lost his mind. After all, he had heard the villagers whisper that when people get very old, their wits can sometimes wander.
But what happened next left Luffy utterly stupefied.
Rowan, whose entire aura had shifted, suddenly stood up. He pulled back a massive fist and launched a punch toward a nearby hill. A shockwave far beyond anything Luffy could imagine erupted from the old man's knuckles.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, the hilltop shattered. The once-silent forest began to shake as if from an earthquake. Dust and debris rained down alongside a violent gale, and panicked birds and beasts fled in every direction.
As the echoes finally faded, Rowan slowly retracted his fist, looking immensely satisfied. Beside him, Luffy stood frozen, his eyes wide and his jaw literally hanging open. It took several minutes for the boy to snap out of it.
He swallowed hard, rubbing his eyes as if to make sure they hadn't popped out, and pointed a trembling finger at the devastation.
"Great... Great-Grandpa... that... you just did that with one punch?"
In front of Rowan, the once-lush grass was gone, replaced by a strip of upturned earth that looked like it had been plowed by a giant. Trees as thick as pillars had been snapped like twigs, their leaves and splinters carpeting the ground. But the most shocking sight was the field of boulders—which, just minutes ago, had been a solid hill.
Had he not witnessed it with his own eyes, Luffy's limited experience would never have allowed him to believe such a feat was possible through human strength alone.
"Hahaha! I just couldn't help myself. That felt incredible! I didn't scare you, did I?" Rowan laughed heartily after taking a deep breath to settle his surging energy.
"Uh... not really," Luffy stammered, picking himself up and walking toward the old man in a daze. From this closer angle, the destruction was even more breathtaking.
If that punch hit me on the head... Luffy shuddered, violently shaking the thought away. Too terrifying.
Swallowing again, he managed to ask, "Great-Grandpa, how is that punch so powerful? Even the strongest monsters on this island couldn't survive a hit like that, right?"
"Powerful?" Rowan laughed. He stretched his limbs, feeling refreshed, and reached out to playfully mess up Luffy's hair. "You think this is powerful? Little brat, there are people in this world who can cause far more destruction than this. Compared to them, my punch is nothing special."
"Nothing special? Are they even stronger than you?" fifteen-year-old Luffy asked, wide-eyed. To him, that strike was the most powerful thing he had ever seen.
"Of course they are." Rowan pulled his pipe from his waist, struck a match, and took a long drag. He blew a thick cloud of smoke toward Luffy, who started coughing and waving his arms to disperse the haze.
Laughing, Rowan picked up his wine gourd and started walking toward Foosha Village. As Luffy grabbed his straw hat and scurried after him, Rowan continued, "Take your grandfather, for example. His fists are much stronger than mine. When that brat was younger, he used mountains as punching bags to train."
"Punching mountains?!" Luffy almost forgot to loop his hat around his neck. He looked at Rowan with total disbelief. "How is that even possible?!"
"What's there to be so shocked about?" Rowan took another puff of smoke. "I remember his most intense session. He was hunting a pirate with a bounty of over five hundred million. To prepare, that crazy kid leveled eight mountains with his bare hands."
Even Rowan clicked his tongue at the memory. Garp was the most monstrous talent he had ever encountered in this world. Among the proteges he had raised, Garp's progress had been the most terrifying. After only a few years of training, the boy had already begun to put pressure on Rowan during their spars. By the time Garp reached his prime and mastered Haki, Rowan was no longer a match for him.
Though Garp currently held the same rank Rowan had retired with—Vice Admiral—everyone knew his strength far exceeded the title. The man had rejected promotions to Admiral multiple times just to avoid the headache of the extra responsibility.
Sigh.
Rowan let out a soft breath. Even though Garp was his foster son—making Rowan the patriarch of the family—he couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at that freakish talent. If he had possessed even a third of Garp's natural potential, his life wouldn't have been such a grueling climb.
And it wasn't just Garp. The whole bloodline was full of monsters. Garp's son—Rowan's grandson, Dragon—had defected from the Marines to found the Revolutionary Army and become the World Government's greatest enemy. His strength was self-evident.
Then there was Luffy. At only fifteen, the boy was already proficient in the Rokushiki and had developed the "Second Gear" of his fruit. Most Marine Colonels wouldn't stand a chance against him, and even a Rear Admiral would struggle to gain the upper hand.
A family of total freaks,Rowan thought.
But thankfully, the system was finally active. The sense of imbalance in his heart vanished.
You all have talent... but I have a cheat!