"Did you hear the news?" Rosen walked out of his room and ran into Robin, who was heading out as well. On the floors below, Bones, Mr. 5, and Valentine were also on their way toward the armory.
"Yeah," Robin nodded.
"Another person has been taken down inside the armory. Don't go in just yet. Wait for to arrive," Rosen said. As they neared the armory, a scream echoed from the crowd. The shadow of the ghostly incident still haunted them. Earlier, two teams had tried to enter the armory to provide backup, but their screams had soon followed. No one responded to their calls after that.
This only added to their fear.
"Boss!"
Rosen arrived, and imdiately, the crew recognized the familiar presence of their leader. Even the higher-ups stepped aside to make way.
Rosen's wariness heightened to its peak. His mind imdiately began to simulate various scenarios. Could it be a ghost? Perhaps Perona? But the tiline didn't add up—she should be with Moria by now.
If it wasn't a ghost, then what could it be? Robin had already scanned the ship and found no other living presence. Regardless of what it was, they couldn't let it roam freely on board.
For safety, Rosen summoned a sandstorm, activating his elent form. He pushed open the door to the armory, and with a swift sound, a small shadow like a streak of lightning shot toward them.
"Sand Storm!" Rosen's reflexes kicked in as soon as he saw the fallen crew mbers scattered inside. A whirlwind of sand rose to et the fast-moving shadow before it could strike.
*Bang!* The shadow collided with the sandstorm and was sent flying, crashing into the wooden wall with a thud.
But before anyone could react, the shadow blinked out of existence in an instant.
"It's real, not a ghost. It must be hiding in one of the ammo crates," Rosen imdiately deduced. "Mr. 5, you stay outside. Bones, Valentine, Robin, check every crate."
Rosen understood that within the sand's proximity, he could easily sense anything made of sand, and this was no ghost or human—it had to be a small animal. The creature must have found so hidden spot and blended in with the surroundings, sothing even Robin's abilities would struggle to find. After all, people would instinctively look for places where a person might hide.
"Got it," the others responded.
Robin used her powers to pry open the lids of the crates one by one with her extra arms. Bones approached each crate, turning his arms into sharp blades to slice them open, while Valentine applied the simplest and fastest thods.
The armory was filled with various crates—so full of bullets, others with guns, swords, and even cannonballs, resembling a full-on military arsenal. For a mont, Rosen thought his ship might as well be transporting arms. Was all of this really necessary for such a small crew? Was it for fishing?
With his vigilant gaze scanning the area, Rosen was ready for another surprise attack. He was prepared to spring into action at any mont.
After the group had opened the majority of crates, their faces grew more solemn. The creature had to be hiding in one of the remaining crates. If it was the real "thing" their boss had ntioned, it had to be here.
"No sign of it," Bones said after opening his last crate.
"Nothing here either," Valentine reported, echoing his sentints.
Only Robin, after opening a crate, stared down into it, her gaze fixed.
Rosen's sand swirled, and with a burst of speed, he dashed to Robin's side. His sand sword materialized in his hand.
"Ah, how cute! It's a kung fu Dugong!" Robin said, her voice filled with surprise and affection as she stared at the trembling little creature inside the crate, its body covered in a shell-like armor.
Rosen looked down and saw what appeared to be the "ghost" they were looking for: the kung fu Dugon from the original story, one that had been defeated by Luffy back in Alabasta. Though it wasn't the sa one, Rosen couldn't help but wonder—when had this little creature sneaked aboard his ship? It had been hidden for days, and no one had noticed it until now. Had it caused the chaos, or was there sothing else at play?
Who would have thought such a small animal could have taken down eight of their crew mbers?
Rosen moved with lightning speed, transforming his sand sword into a sand hand, gently wrapping it around the creature. It was a tiny, defenseless animal, but it had sohow managed to wreak havoc.
Despite its fragile state, the sea cow's eyes were full of admiration for its captor. It was highly expressive for an animal, displaying an intelligent gaze that reminded Rosen of Luffy's kung fu sea cow. Could it be that this creature, too, had the potential to develop Haki, just like its predecessor? This thought crossed his mind.
"Damn it", Rosen thought, as his mind raced with new revelations. Was this little animal part of a particularly strong species? If the sea cow could learn Haki, then why had Crocodile—soone so powerful—failed to do so? Was it the animals that had a better aptitude for Haki? Was it sothing in their nature?
Rosen's thoughts were interrupted by Robin, who spoke gently. "Boss, let it go. It looks like it's struggling to breathe."
Rosen glanced down at the creature in his hand. It had stopped struggling, its body limp and nearing unconsciousness. He loosened his grip, and with a soft *thud*, the sea cow dropped to the floor. It wobbled slightly before bowing toward Rosen in an unusual gesture.
Rosen raised an eyebrow in surprise. The creature seed to be showing respect, but the next mont, it collapsed in a heap, fainting from exhaustion.
"I didn't hit it that hard…" Rosen said, still a little stunned, as he lit a cigar to calm his nerves. He could feel Robin's gaze on him—her eyes full of silent reproach. It was clear that she had developed a fondness for the little sea cow.
"It's probably just hungry. I've seen these sea cows along the coast before, but never one that moved so fast. This is the first ti I've seen one this weak," a crew mber from Alabasta pointed out, recognizing the symptoms.
Rosen thought for a mont. "I'll leave it to you to handle for now. If it really is the future captain of the Sea Animal Pirates, it will likely develop Haki on its own. That'll help learn more as well."
Rosen glanced at the crew. "Alright, everyone, disperse. I didn't set hard requirents for joining the crew, but let's be honest—if you were beaten by a kung fu sea cow, you've got so reflecting to do. Take a few of the unconscious ones back to their quarters."
With that, Rosen left, his long, slicked-back hair swaying as he exited. After all the commotion, he couldn't help but feel like it had all been a waste of ti—he'd thought there was a ghost or an enemy on board, only to find a kung fu sea cow instead.
(End of Chapter)
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