Rosen did not unleash the sandstorm outward. If he had, or if he had crushed everything beneath it, the entire surrounding area would have been wiped clean. Innocent people would have been caught in the destruction.
So, he changed the way he controlled the sand. Instead of rolling the storm across the ground, he transformed it into Sandstorm Stardust.
The towering sandstorm suddenly froze, then spiraled upward like a vortex, surging into the sky from where Rosen stood at its eye.
"It's spent! A perfect chance!" A pirate captain, seeing the terrifying sandstorm turn into a tornado shooting skyward, thought Rosen had exhausted his power. Overjoyed, he charged at Rosen like a raging bull, sword swinging.
Others were also invigorated. It seemed that while the ability was strong, it wasn't easy to control. Now, it was Crocodile's turn to suffer.
"Spent? Heh… Sandstorm Stardust!" Rosen raised his arm. His hand dissolved into sand, and a massive sandstorm fist shot upward, connecting with the tornado's tail. Then, his ability activated.
The ascending tornado suddenly halted in midair. The swirling sand began to shift, morphing into giant swords of golden sand.
One sword. Two. Hundreds. Thousands.
"Fall!" Rosen slammed both hands downward. Like a torrential rainstorm, the countless sand swords plummeted toward the gathered criminals below, unleashing devastation.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The sand swords rained down, densely packed and relentless. Each one that struck the ground carved deep fissures into the already sand-covered terrain.
The sheer destructive power was horrifying. For the weak, it was nothing short of a nightmare.
Screams filled the air, the only sound that remained.
"Impossible! There's still more?!" A pirate captain with a bounty exceeding 80 million frantically swung his greatsword. His swordsmanship was strong, his blade flashing as he deflected dozens of sand swords.
But they kept coming. Unending. Overwhelming.
The swords covered such a vast area that there was nowhere to escape. Soon, even his fastest strikes slowed.
A few swords slipped through his defense, striking him at least a dozen times. Some wounds were so deep that bone was visible.
Yet, despite his injuries, he remained standing.
But for the rest, the battle was already over.
More than ninety percent of those targeted had fallen. Most were gravely wounded. The few who remained standing either had decent strength, incredible luck, or had used the injured as shields to block the attacks. Some managed to find refuge within solid buildings.
From the moment Rosen attacked to the end of this overwhelming assault, only about a minute had passed. In that short span, over a thousand criminals had been reduced to less than thirty survivors.
This attack had left an indelible mark of fear.
"In the face of a Logia user, numbers mean nothing," Rosen remarked. He wasn't in a hurry to strike again. The fear in the survivors' eyes told him he had already achieved his goal for the night.
Watching from the upper floors of a nearby inn, Pitas, who had been planning to flee, stood frozen.
"This is way too powerful… Is he even human? Then what does that make me?"
The island was filled with criminals. Because Lantis Island had valuable metal ores, people constantly traveled to Frans Island in hopes of making a fortune. These were no weaklings—at least, Pitas believed there were only a handful he couldn't defeat.
Yet in the hands of a Shichibukai, they were as fragile as newborns.
Are we really the same species?
Perhaps leading him there was truly the way to survive. And if he kept his promise, wouldn't he become rich overnight? Maybe this was his big break.
"Boss is getting stronger," Nico Robin mused. She had intended to rest as Rosen suggested, but in the face of such a formidable enemy, how could she possibly sleep?
Beside her, the Sea Cow watched Rosen's movements with deep concentration. Suddenly, as if enlightened, it mimicked his stance, straightening its limbs. With a finger extended in a Soru-like pose, it lightly tapped the ground.
Crack!
The floor shattered instantly.
"Ah…" Robin and Pitas, standing on the balcony, were caught off guard as the floor beneath them collapsed.
With a startled thud, they dropped to the level below.
The fall didn't harm them. As they landed, they quickly adjusted their posture, stabilizing themselves upon impact.
---
They were terrified.
The rain of sand swords had ended, yet no one dared to attack again. Some had already fled, clutching their wounds.
Rosen raised his hand, and the surrounding sand once again began to swirl. This action alone was enough to make the remaining criminals tremble in fear.
"Run!" Someone shouted, and the survivors scattered in all directions, abandoning their injured comrades without hesitation.
"Don't… don't kill me… I… I…" One man nearly fainted when Rosen's gaze fell on him. From start to finish, Rosen hadn't even used his Conqueror's Haki—because for those who wanted him dead, mere unconsciousness wouldn't suffice.
Only bloodshed could instill the kind of fear that would deter others. Besides, he wanted to refine his combat skills through actual battle—there was no better training than real-life encounters.
Still, a few captains hesitated. They were unwilling to retreat, yet too afraid to advance.
"You want my head? Fine. But you'd best not try at night—unless you want to understand the true meaning of disaster."
Rosen was losing interest. The opponents were too weak.
No one thought he was being arrogant anymore. The corpses littering the ground were proof enough.
There were a few decent fighters among them, but none strong enough to pose a true challenge. Not a single bounty over 200 million. He couldn't even use this fight to complete a random reset mission.
"He's bluffing! That last attack was massive—he must've used up a lot of energy! If we charge now, we can kill him!"
One captain stepped forward cautiously.
"Disturbing my rest."
Now Rosen could understand why Hawkeye had hunted down Krieg's crew back then. He had just finished a bath, was feeling relaxed, and wanted a good night's sleep—only to be disturbed by a bunch of fools causing chaos.
Who could tolerate that? Certainly not Rosen.
A sand spear formed rapidly in his hand and shot forward.
The captain's face twisted in shock—it was too fast! But he reacted quickly, raising his sword to block.
Crack!
The metal blade shattered instantly. The spear pierced through his body.
Rosen then turned his gaze to the strongest among the remaining fighters.
That man was covered in wounds—at least dozens of slashes from the sand swords. Seeing Rosen look his way, he panicked and stammered, "W-We can talk! Compensation, maybe—"
Shk!
Before he could finish, the spear impaled him.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
At that, no one dared to linger any longer. They scattered like frightened birds.
Rosen didn't bother chasing them. His goal of intimidation had been achieved. Enough people had died tonight.
"I hope stronger opponents come next time."
With that, Rosen turned and walked back to the inn.
Inside, many guests were hurriedly checking out. The moment they saw Rosen, they froze, then quickly stepped aside to make way for him.
A god of death. Not someone to provoke.
Rosen glanced at them and understood. After all, who would feel safe staying in an inn occupied by a Shichibukai, especially when assassins were lurking in the shadows? One misstep and they could be caught in the crossfire.
Not that Rosen felt guilty. At worst, it was just one night of lost business for the inn. Besides, the owner had already fled, leaving only the staff and the second-in-command.
"I really have become a villain."
He lit a cigar, exhaling smoke with a wry smile.
What was he supposed to do? Let people kill him without resisting?
Returning to his room, he found the space now merged into one—thanks to the damage from the earlier battle. Nico Robin, the sea cow, and Pittas were all there.
"Should we… find another place to stay?" Robin suggested.
"No one's coming tonight. And I controlled my attacks—I didn't destroy the building."
Rosen used his Observation Haki. No one was lurking outside, watching. It seemed tonight's events had left them all too terrified to act.
"Fine."
Robin sighed. What she meant was—the walls were broken, and now the two rooms were effectively one. But since the boss didn't seem to care, she let it go.
Rosen finished his cigar and lay down to sleep.
Tomorrow, they would set foot on Lantis Island. From what he'd heard, caution was still necessary. He needed to be well-rested.
The sea cow stood watch as ordered—loyal as ever.
Robin glanced at it and sighed. She had hoped to sleep while hugging it—it gave her a sense of security.
But now, there it was, stationed at the window, diligently standing guard.
(End of Chapter)
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