“Who are you?!”
Zero didn’t fail to notice that there was still a toy bear in the cabin, but once a living being undergone a form change due to the Hobi Hobi no Mi (Toy Toy Fruit), they become completely like a toy. They no longer have a heartbeat or breath, and if they remain still, they are indistinguishable from real toys.
“Huh?” Lirisk, feeling equally surprised, glanced at the cabin and then said to Doflamingo.
“It seems there’s a little mouse in your submarine. Is she also an enemy?”
With the disappearance of the Devil Fruit ability, Doflamingo recalled his memories of Violet. At the same time, he knew that his act of turning so many people into toys had been completely exposed.
But he was indifferent! He had already given up on Dressrosa. No matter how bad the situation was, could it be worse than having this guy appear in front of him?
“Yes!”
“She’s a… naive little girl! Fufufufufufufufuu!”
Doflamingo laughed, but his heart sank to the bottom of the sea.
…
Several days later, Marine Headquarters, Intensive Care Unit.
Shua!
His eyes opened, and dim light entered his eyes.
Rowen could feel that there was something on his eyes, preventing him from fully opening them. After blinking, he felt uncomfortable. At the same time, the scent of disinfectant in the air told him where he was.
“A hospital? Looks like I didn’t die after all! Well… that’s good news. To be blown up by a bomb without even having a proper fight, that would have been a waste of blood!” Rowen’s thoughts were a bit scattered as he woke up, and it took him a while to regain his usual composure.
He tried to clench his fist to make sure he wasn’t bound by some belt, and then he exerted force throughout his body.
Hiss!
The bandages, heavily smeared with ointment, tore apart as he moved, revealing a humanoid object cocooned within!
“Hiss… My bones are getting rusty.”
The sound of waves crashing came to his ears, and Rowen moved his limbs and looked back at the window, where he saw a familiar scene, which brought him a slight sense of reassurance.
“The hospital in Marine Headquarters? So that’s where they brought me…”
If he had been rescued by some other faction, it might not have been a good thing, but since he was back at Marine Headquarters, he was safe.
Boom… Ding ling kuang lang!
Suddenly, a crisp collision resounded in the quiet ward. Rowen turned his head and locked eyes with the bewildered Ain. Rowen looked down and saw the overturned water basin on the ground and a genuine smile appeared on his face.
This was why he had such unwavering trust in the small circle Zephyr belonged to. They weren’t comrades or companions bound together by interests and ideals; they were true family members who took care of each other and could laugh and get angry together.
If they were faced with a choice, they would abandon their current “Justice” for the sake of their family. This bond of life and death was unique to Marine Headquarters and could provide Rowen with the same sense of security that prominent figures like “Marine Hero” and “Iron Fist” Garp could.
Rowen smiled widely and stretched lazily.
“How long was I unconscious, senior sister?”
“Fi… Five days…”
Ain turned her face away, refusing to meet Rowen’s gaze. But he didn’t notice anything wrong and nodded before saying, “I see. You’ve been taking care of me all this time. Thanks for the trouble.”
“I… It’s… It’s nothing!” Ain suddenly blushed, turned away, and waved her hands in a fluster.
“Put your clothes on quickly! Are you a pervert, you asshole?!”
Rowen’s mouth twitched, and he instinctively looked down.
“…”
As everyone knows, bandages aren’t supposed to be worn over clothes. It was not only unnecessary but also a futile gesture… and it hadn’t even worked!
…
A real man never fears being completely exposed…
But being accused and not wearing clothes is considered perverted!
In the hospital room, there were only patient gowns available. Rowen grabbed one and quickly put it on. Suddenly, he noticed his sword, Thunder Cloud, placed in the corner.
Clang!
“Tsk, the crack is getting bigger!”
Drawing out Thunder Cloud, Rowen looked at the crescent-shaped notch on the blade and felt a slight ache in his heart.
After being slashed by Shanks, the crack had been the size of a soybean. But this time, due to the explosion, it had turned into the size of a green bean.
Although Thunder Cloud was a double-edged sword, capable of attacking from both sides, if this continued, Rowen estimated that it wouldn’t be long before Thunder Cloud broke into two again!
Why did I say “Again”?
Because it had already been broken once!
Seeing Rowen dressed, Ain breathed a sigh of relief. She pushed her hair behind her ear and calmly spoke.
“Now that you’re awake, why don’t you go and see Sensei? You know, when they brought you back, we all thought you were dead…”
“Yeah, I’ll go right away.”
Zi Zi!
Having said that, electric currents surged around Rowen, and in the next second, he disappeared from his spot.
“Hmph! You pervert!” Ain huffed lightly, squatting down to pick up the water basin but a slight smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, indicating that she was in a very good mood.
Zephyr remained the same, sitting in the main building of the recruit camp, facing the large training ground, watching the recruits sweating profusely while he sipped tea and read the newspaper.
“Zi Zi Zi Zi!” The sound of electric current buzzed, and Zephyr slightly paused. Without turning his head, he said, “When did you wake up?”
“Just now…”
Rowen walked familiarly to the bookshelf filled with various documents and files. From the top, he took out a bag of senbei and tore open the packaging, chewing on them with large bites.
“That’s my afternoon snack!!” Zephyr witnessed this scene but narrowly managed to resist giving Rowen a “Zephyr-style lesson.”
He turned his head away, holding his teacup, and calmly said, “You know, Rowen, when they brought you back, we had already prepared a funeral for you, the highest level funeral…”
“Huh?!” Rowen’s hand trembled as he held the senbei. He raised his head, feeling a bit confused, and looked at Zephyr.
The old man in front of him was undoubtedly the person who knew him best. Why would they prepare a funeral when they knew he had the ability to heal himself? Could it be?!!!
Seemingly understanding Rowen’s thoughts, Zephyr recalled the day when Rowen was brought back and said with a lingering fear in his voice, “According to Dante, they found you in the mud, a thousand meters deep in the sea. At that time, your heartbeat and breath had disappeared, and your body was completely mutilated. Your healing ability was nowhere to be seen… When we examined your brainwaves here at the Headquarters, they were also flatlined, so we declared your death.”
…
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