"Little Rowan... are you coming or not?!"
The voice coming from the Den Den Mushi made Rowan rub his forehead. "You should call me Mister."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
After a moment, Ginny replied, "That's why I didn't call you by your real name. I know how serious this is. But during this matter, I don't want to call you Mister."
Rowan froze for a moment.
So... because he was her most important and only family?
An orphan whose country and entire family had been slaughtered by the Celestial Dragons, and a Celestial Dragon slave who had lost her family and ended up alone...
Scene after scene from twenty years ago in the Sorbet Kingdom flashed through Rowan's mind. He still remembered everything from that time.
Thinking about it, Rowan smiled and directly hung up the Den Den Mushi.
He created a Shadow Clone, took the manuscript with him, and disappeared from the spot.
Near the waters off Loguetown, East Blue.
After using Transformation Jutsu to change his appearance into the face shown on his identification papers, Rowan appeared directly behind Ginny.
The identification document was a small booklet containing only a portrait and an identification number, along with the latest anti-counterfeiting mark developed by the research institute.
At this moment, Ginny was sitting in the lounge inside the ship's cabin, staring blankly at the Den Den Mushi after Rowan had hung up on her. Her eyes were already red.
Clearly, Rowan hanging up on her so abruptly had made her think that the child she had raised had rejected her.
Her lips were pouting, and her eyes were filled with tears that were almost overflowing, but she still refused to cry.
"It's fine, it's fine. That brat is different now. He has important things to deal with."
"Mm-hmm. Kuma always tells me to understand him, and the future of this world needs him too."
"He's Mister, after all... sob... the Revolutionary Army's Mister... sob... But I just want to cry... that brat."
As Ginny pouted, she suddenly felt someone pat her shoulder.
"Ah!"
A sniper rifle beside the table suddenly swung around, its stock coated in Armament Haki.
"Smack."
Rowan caught the rifle stock firmly. Although his face was unfamiliar, his smile and gaze allowed Ginny to recognize him immediately.
After all, this was the child she had raised herself...
"Hmph! Didn't you say you weren't coming? And you even hung up on me."
Ginny lowered the sniper rifle, while Rowan shook his hand. "Your Haki is pretty impressive. How could I possibly not come? This is such an important day. You're also one of my most important family members. Of course I had to come."
Hearing this, Ginny smiled through her reddened eyes and wiped the corner of her eye. "I just came down from the deck. The wind in East Blue has been too strong lately."
Rowan didn't expose her lie. Instead, he changed the subject to the thing that made her happiest.
"Uncle Kuma should be getting ready too, right? Have you decided where you're going for your wedding trip?"
Sure enough, the topic immediately put a bright smile on Ginny's face.
"Hmph, I never expected Kuma's personality to let him prepare properly, so I sent Belo Betty over there."
Rowan was puzzled. "Isn't that girl only seventeen or eighteen?"
Belo Betty, according to his memories, was originally supposed to join the Revolutionary Army several years later. It would be much later that she would become the commander of the East Army, a position that had remained vacant for years after Ginny was abducted.
But now, because of her unique Kobu Kobu no Mi ability, she had already been recruited after Rowan marked her potential and had become the East Army's deputy commander.
"Little Rowan was also only seventeen or eighteen when he founded the Revolutionary Army with the Chief, wasn't he? Besides..." Ginny's face showed a smug expression. "No matter how young they are, all women have the same fantasies about their weddings..."
Rowan was speechless. For a moment, he actually felt a little sorry for Kuma.
The younger they were, the more elaborate their fantasies could be. And with Devil Fruits existing in this world, they might even come up with some ridiculously complicated wedding ceremony.
"So, have you decided on the location?"
Ginny nodded seriously. "We finally decided to hold the wedding in the Sorbet Kingdom in South Blue. That church holds more than a decade of our memories. Those years were difficult, but they were also the happiest time of our lives."
"Back then, although I would feel sad every day because Kuma suffered the pain of others, those elderly people Kuma helped would always find every possible way to get some milk for us."
"They were kind. Kuma was kind too, and so were we. That's why, even though life was hard, that place holds some of our most beautiful memories."
As she spoke, Ginny seemed to become much gentler.
She reached out, wanting to ruffle Rowan's hair, but suddenly realized she couldn't reach him anymore.
Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, Rowan sat down on a nearby stool and glanced at her. "If you want to ruffle my hair, go ahead. But only for these few days. You said it yourself, I'm Mister now."
"Hmph!"
Ginny pouted and vigorously rubbed Rowan's head, messing up his hair until she finally burst out laughing.
"I'm definitely not calling you Mister these next few days! You're just the little brat I raised back then."
Rowan nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes. You carried me around the streets every day, putting on the performance of a lifetime. The tears came whenever you wanted them to. You were so desperate to raise me that you cried enough tears to trade for milk."
Ginny's face flushed when she heard this, remembering all the foolish things she had done back then.
The key was, she had never imagined that the little child barely over a year old in her arms would retain all those memories until now!
After all, she... no, she had forgotten what her parents looked like a long time ago.
She reached out and tugged on Rowan's cheeks, her expression turning fierce. "If you dare tell anyone about this, you're dead!"
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Commander, we've arrived at Loguetown."
The voice made Ginny temporarily let Rowan off the hook, and the two of them headed from the lounge onto the deck.
The appearance of an unfamiliar person on the ship immediately put the Revolutionary Army members on guard. One of them even pulled Ginny behind them and confronted Rowan.
"Don't be nervous, he's..." Ginny had not finished explaining when Rowan interrupted her.
"I'm from the family. I'm responsible for protecting the East Army Commander during this period."
He handed over a small identification booklet.
After carefully verifying its authenticity and comparing Rowan's face with the photograph, the five people on the ship finally relaxed.
The Revolutionary Army operated through a system of compartmentalized contacts. Even as an Army Commander, Ginny did not have many comrades directly around her.
Operational orders and plans were passed down layer by layer, specifically to prevent the entire organization from being wiped out at once.
The identification document only contained a photograph and a number, but none of the five showed any intention of asking his name. They simply nodded and thanked him for his hard work.
The single-masted sailing ship entered Loguetown's harbor. On the surface, the ship was registered as a commercial vessel, and after paying a docking fee, they were finally allowed into Loguetown.
Three people stayed behind to watch the ship, while two accompanied Rowan and Ginny.
After stepping ashore, Ginny planted her hands on her hips and raised one fist high into the air.
"For the wedding! Let's go!"
Her voice attracted the attention of everyone at the harbor. Some looked at them strangely, while others wore knowing smiles.
Meanwhile, in the waters near Loguetown, a small boat drifted across the sea.
The boat was loaded with all kinds of fruit. Two people dressed like nearby villagers, their skin darkened by the sun, were aboard. One of them was holding a telescope and staring toward Loguetown, seemingly desperate to reach the harbor.
After a while, he lowered the telescope.
He took out a Den Den Mushi.
"Bulu Bulu... Bulu Bulu..."
"Report the latest situation. The target landed today and has currently entered Loguetown. A new Revolutionary Army member has appeared. Characteristics..."
"Continue tracking. Report at all times."
"Understood."
On the North Star Archipelago, not far from Loguetown, three masked CP0 agents stood on a deserted island, their expressions solemn.
"The target has begun maintaining a stable state. We need to act."
"Looks like that New Era Newspaper not only helped the Marines by getting the pirates to calm down, it helped us as well."
"Indeed. Otherwise, that woman would fly straight into the clouds every time she traveled. Her speed is so fast that a ship can't keep up with her."
"Before this, all we could do was chase the exhaust trail of her cloud. The pirate uprising forced her to conserve travel time, so we were never able to lock onto her."
"Luck is also a form of strength."
"Mm. Since she didn't use that cloud to travel today, we have to seize this opportunity."
Yes, they absolutely had to seize this opportunity.
Because if the mission failed, the punishment for failing such an important mission would be equally terrifying.
The leading CP0 agent spoke. "Is that CP9 brat ready?"
One of them replied, "Once the target's route was confirmed to be Loguetown, he departed ahead of time. Now we only need to confirm the reason that woman came to Loguetown and determine the coordinates for the Door. Then we can act at any time."
The third person continued, "The Door-Door Fruit user can open doors anywhere, but he still needs to know the target's location."
After those words, the four of them exchanged glances beneath their masks.
"The most important thing is the cloaked man."
"We still can't confirm whether the cloaked man left a spatial mark on that woman."
"Plan according to the worst-case scenario. If the cloaked man really did leave a mark on her, then before the target is sent to Mary Geoise, we absolutely cannot allow the information to get out."
"There are three people remaining on the ship, three who entered Loguetown, and the target herself. Seven people in total. Six can be killed. The target must be rendered incapable of moving in the shortest possible time."
"Even if she merely manages to make an emergency call on a Den Den Mushi, the cloaked man could appear in the very next instant."
After saying this, the leading CP0 agent's eyes narrowed.
"All the key points that need to be emphasized have been explained. The Rabbit is currently in a stable state. Proceed according to plan!"
In Loguetown, Rowan followed behind Ginny as they walked around, stopping from time to time.
Basically, whenever they came across a shop selling anything related to weddings, she would stop and excitedly rush inside to look around.
At a flower shop, Rowan looked at Ginny holding a bouquet of red roses and complained, "Shouldn't this be something Uncle Kuma gives you? If you buy them yourself, are you going to give them to him?"
Ginny turned around, her expression darkening.
"Can't I put them in the bedroom? Am I not allowed to have flowers?"
The moment she finished speaking, her fierce expression turned pitiful.
"Back then, where would I have had the money to buy things like this? Every day, I had to rack my brains trying to figure out how to keep alive a little brat who knew nothing except eating, drinking, sleeping, and using the toilet..."
"But I'm a woman too... There isn't a woman in the world who doesn't like flowers. But what could I do?"
"I sacrificed so much for this family. I gave up so much just to raise some little brat who didn't even know how hard I was working."
"Now that life is a little better, I just want to fulfill the dreams I had as a young girl, and yet you're saying they're unnecessary..."
Rowan's eyelid twitched. He covered his forehead, took out his wallet, glanced at it, then closed his eyes and threw it over.
"Buy whatever you want. Anything."
Ginny's expression instantly changed again.
"Thank you, Little Rowan!"
^0^
Rowan's heart was bleeding. At this point, he just wanted to go outside and smoke a cigarette. He should have stolen some of Smoker and Hina's cigarettes before leaving G5.
Rogue Town, located near the East Blue entrance to Reverse Mountain, was a bustling center of trade. Whether people traveled through legitimate channels or passed through Reverse Mountain, goods were gathered and distributed here.
There were countless shops, and just as many things to buy. At this rate, by the time they reached the wedding dress shop, it would probably already be dark.
"I'm going outside for a while."
After saying that, Rowan pushed open the door and walked out.
Standing outside the flower shop, Rowan sighed and looked toward the execution platform.
On the day Roger was executed, this was where he had earned his first fortune...
Thinking about it, what he had wanted back then was completely different from what he wanted now.
What had supported him in the past was hatred. But now, he genuinely wanted to change this world, allowing the seeds of new ideas to sprout and grow into towering trees.
"Captain, are these guys really carrying a treasure map?"
"Why do these people look like they're not to be messed with?"
"I'm just as dangerous as they are, so do you want to find out?"
"The clue points to that shop selling ornaments, and that red ring box, which was exactly the same as the one we found, had already been opened by these guys before we went in."
"So... are you questioning my judgment?"
"No, no, but Captain, that red ring box..."
"Bastard! Are you calling me a red nose? Do you want to die?!"
The conversation wasn't particularly quiet, and Rowan heard every word clearly.
When he looked over, he spotted a guy hiding behind a door with his head sticking out while his butt remained completely exposed.
Buggy?
That unmistakable red nose was simply too conspicuous. Even after all these years, Rowan still remembered that red-nosed man who had cried his eyes out beneath the execution platform back then.
Thinking of Shanks, who had fought Hawkeye Mihawk in the New World, Rowan couldn't help but sigh.
Both of them had been apprentice pirates aboard the Roger Pirates, yet the gap between them had grown wider and wider.
Remaining here in this corner of the East Blue, Buggy seemed to have completely lost any momentum toward awakening Haki.
If Buggy, who had experienced the Grand Line and the New World, had agreed to join Shanks back then, perhaps things would have turned out differently.
Wait!
The red ring box wasn't that the one Ginny had looked at earlier, only putting it back after Rowan had teased her about it?
So the next moment, Rowan spread out his Observation Haki. In an instant, he sensed the presence of every living thing in the surrounding area.
Heh... Even though Rogue Town was a bustling town at the foot of Reverse Mountain, how could there possibly be this many powerful presences?
He subtly shifted his body.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted a middle-aged man leisurely eating seafood fried rice in front of him.
The same fried rice made with sea salt from his memories, yet the man was eating it so casually.
His acting was pretty convincing.
So, what exactly was the purpose of these CP agents?
Rowan suddenly turned around and pushed open the door.
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