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Inside Kaya's mansion.
To thank Rowen and the others for defeating Kuro and saving everyone, Kaya warmly hosted them.
"Aren't you two overdoing it? Didn't you just eat?" Zoro asked, his eye twitching as he watched Luffy and Rowen devouring food ravenously.
Possessing only the Demonic Physique (Deep Purple), Zoro's digestive ability, while strong, couldn't compare to Rowen and Luffy, who both had Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple).
Demonic Physique (Deep Purple) leaned more towards training enhancement, while Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple) focused on digestion and absorption.
Rowen already possessed Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple), and the equipping process for Zoro's Demonic Physique (Deep Purple) was progressing smoothly, nearing completion.
Rowen eagerly anticipated seeing what heights his physique could reach once these two perfectly complementary Traits were fully integrated.
Zoro managed to eat a decent amount. Nami, however, still full from Usopp's earlier hospitality, only nibbled on some desserts and fruits, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Rowen eat with gusto.
Nami didn't even realize that a sweet smile had unconsciously bloomed on her face.
"Delicious! Food this good, of course you gotta eat a lot!" Luffy mumbled, his mouth completely full.
Kaya's family fortune was substantial enough that even Kuro coveted it, willing to infiltrate her household for three years to obtain it.
The meal provided was far more lavish than anything Rowen and the others had eaten before.
"Enhance." Rowen swallowed the food in his mouth, then commanded inwardly.
He used the Strength-type Deep Purple Upgrade Material (1) obtained from Kuro to enhance his Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple).
Rowen now had the Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) Trait, allowing his Conqueror's Haki to continuously grow stronger.
Using a mere Deep Purple material to upgrade a Gold-tier Trait would barely make a ripple anyway.
With the Grand Line approaching, what Rowen needed most right now was a stronger physique.
—[Enhancement complete.]—
A notification appeared.
Instantly, the nutrients from the food Rowen had just eaten were absorbed by his body at an astonishing rate—so fast that it wasn't enough.
Feeling his stomach suddenly empty again, Rowen began a new round of eating, much to the astonishment of everyone watching.
This was why Rowen had waited until after the large meal to enhance his Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple).
Using converted Upgrade Materials to directly enhance the Trait increased the upper limit of his physique and stamina, but the stamina 'tank' itself still needed to be refilled.
Simply put, if his Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple) was previously at 100/100 capacity, after the upgrade, it became 100/150.
He needed more food and nutrients to fill that newly created empty space in his stamina reserves.
As for why the Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple) equipped from Luffy didn't require this refilling process? Because the equipping process also transferred Luffy's own base stamina value, meaning the 'tank' was already full upon completion.
This was a situation unique to Rowen with his System. In the wider world, even monsters like Charlotte Linlin strengthened their physique gradually by consuming energy, adhering to the laws of conservation.
No one else could instantly upgrade their physical limits using Traits like Rowen could.
"SUGEEE! Rowen! Your appetite is even bigger than mine!" Luffy stared, his eyes wide with amazement.
He hadn't realized Rowen could eat so much before.
"There's plenty more, Mr. Rowen," Kaya quickly instructed the cooks to bring more food upon seeing the dwindling supply on the table.
Kaya felt immense gratitude towards Rowen. If it weren't for him, she, Merry, and everyone else here would likely have been killed by Kuro.
Kaya looked at Rowen, a subtle shimmer in her eyes.
"Phew." Having replenished his nutrients, Rowen let out a satisfied sigh.
He clenched his fist again, feeling the renewed surge of power in his body, a smile playing on his lips.
After this enhancement, Rowen's raw physique was now arguably the strongest among the current Straw Hat crew.
Hm? Looks like I need about seven more Deep Purple tier materials to upgrade to Apex Purple? I see.
Rowen checked the latest status of his Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple), a look of understanding crossing his face.
Even within the same tier, Traits could vary significantly in quality.
Take Apex Gold combat Traits, for example. The minimum threshold was Admiral-level strength. This meant both an Admiral-level like Zephyr in his prime, and a peak Emperor like Kaido, would both display Apex Gold Traits.
But their actual combat power was on completely different levels.
If someone like Zephyr represented a '1' within the Apex Gold tier, then Kaido was likely a '7', or perhaps even higher.
The Deep Purple Trait plundered from Kuro was likely just barely at the entry threshold for Deep Purple.
However, the Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple) equipped from Luffy was inherently stronger than the base Deep Purple threshold.
Therefore, after the initial enhancement, Rowen now only needed roughly seven base threshold Deep Purple materials to upgrade it fully to Apex Purple.
By the same token, if Rowen plundered a Deep Purple Trait that was already significantly stronger than the base threshold—like Luffy's Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple)—
Then upon conversion, it would automatically break down into multiple base threshold Deep Purple materials. The quantity would depend on the quality of the plundered Trait.
For example, plundering a Deep Purple Trait very close to the Apex Purple level might yield '8' or even '9' base Deep Purple materials upon conversion.
This made sense. Otherwise, plundering a near-Apex Purple Trait versus a barely-Deep Purple Trait yielding the same single material would be unfair.
This aligns with the laws of conservation, too.
Rowen smirked slightly.
"Luffy! How are we supposed to find those pirates?!" Usopp finally asked, seeing everyone had mostly finished eating.
"Dunno," Luffy replied bluntly.
"EH?!!!" Usopp stared, flabbergasted.
"What do you mean you don't know?! Are we just supposed to wait here until those pirates show up?!" Usopp clutched his head in panic.
"Shishishi! Rowen will figure it out! Right, Rowen?" Luffy looked cheerfully at Rowen.
In Luffy's mind, thinking stuff through was Rowen's job.
Rowen always figured things out anyway.
"Compared to Luffy, Rowen seems more like the captain," Zoro commented dryly.
"That's true," Nami added with a chuckle.
"But Rowen acknowledges me as the captain! Shishishi!" Luffy grinned, completely unfazed by his crewmates' teasing.
"As the captain, you shouldn't rely so much on Rowen, who's a crew member! You need to have some captainly resolve!" Nami lectured.
"Eh? Isn't Rowen the vice-captain?" Usopp suddenly interjected.
Usopp had assumed Rowen was the vice-captain. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case?
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