Rosinante was 12 years old, truly the same age as Yoriichi.
His full name was Donquixote Rosinante, yes, the younger brother of Donquixote Doflamingo.
The Rosinante family originally lived in the Holy Land of Marijoa (Mary Geoise ), as Celestial Dragons , but his father abandoned his Celestial Dragon status and moved to an island nation on the Grand Line.
However, when the local commoners learned that the family had once been Celestial Dragons, they retaliated.
The Donquixote family, stripped of their status, were "judged" by the commoners. Just when the family was about to face disaster, the young Doflamingo awakened Conqueror's Haki (Haki of the King).
The "innate devil" felt that the suffering they endured was all due to his father. He then took his father's head and went to Marijoa, hoping to regain the Celestial Dragon status, but was rejected.
Rosinante, who survived at the time, was saved by Sengoku and subsequently adopted as his son.
The first half of Rosinante's life was a mix of luck and misfortune. His bleeding-heart father enabled Rosinante to possess a kindness that most Celestial Dragons lacked. After enduring such a great change, Rosinante lost some of his innocence, but his kindness remained.
Yoriichi could sense this.
Since meeting Rosinante, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's life had become somewhat richer.
Rosinante, like Yoriichi Tsugikuni, did not directly enroll in the Marine School or formally become a Marine due to his young age.
Furthermore, Sengoku protected Rosinante greatly, and only a few of Sengoku's close friends knew Rosinante's true identity.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni's daily life consisted of staying at home reading books with Rosinante, and sometimes they would casually stroll around the "family area" together. Before long, the two "contemporaries" became good friends.
In the evening, Zephyr would return home and share interesting anecdotes from the Marine School with Yoriichi. As for Yoriichi's "study progress," Zephyr paid no attention to it whatsoever.
These days were peaceful and tranquil, making Yoriichi feel as if he had returned to his school days.
However, this relatively peaceful life came to an end half a month later with the successful completion of the dojo.
The dojo that Zephyr specially built for Yoriichi was finished, and Yoriichi Tsugikuni's life underwent a massive change.
"Hey! Yoriichi, Yoriichi!"
"I'm here!"
"Now, bring it on. Today I'm going to show you just how good I am!"
Early in the morning, Rosinante, holding a bamboo sword, rushed directly into Zephyr's house, shouting loudly as soon as he stepped into the courtyard.
He had learned yesterday that the dojo here was complete and was clamoring to give Yoriichi some serious instruction in kendō . Although he hadn't formally joined the Marines, Sengoku often gave him private pointers during practice.
Rosinante had some basic foundation in swordsmanship, though that foundation was admittedly poor.
"Hmm?"
"Oh! The brat from Sengoku's family! Hahaha, you've arrived!"
Just then, Zephyr pushed the door open and stepped out of another bedroom. The Marine School had a rare day off today, so Zephyr didn't go to school. Coincidentally, the dojo at home was officially finished yesterday, and he planned to take some time today to properly coach Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Seeing Rosinante rushing into his house, Zephyr didn't reprimand him, but instead laughed heartily.
Zephyr was always very tolerant and fond of young Marines when they weren't in training. Furthermore, Rosinante was Sengoku's adopted son and had a good relationship with Yoriichi, making him Yoriichi's first peer friend in the Marines.
"Uh..."
"Admiral Zephyr!"
Rosinante, who had been shouting loudly, immediately straightened up when he saw Zephyr and respectfully greeted him. As the two exchanged words, Yoriichi, wearing a loose training uniform, emerged from his bedroom.
Seeing Rosinante, Yoriichi also smiled and called out happily:
"Brat, you're here."
"Let's go, to the dojo!"
He was familiar with Rosinante. The young Rosinante was thin, with barely any muscle on him, so Yoriichi affectionately called him "Brat" . Of course, another important reason was that Rosinante's identity was confidential. When the Marine Headquarters craftsmen were building the dojo, Yoriichi had never addressed Rosinante by name in front of them.
"Bastard!"
"Don't call me Brat! I have a name!"
Rosinante shouted angrily upon hearing Yoriichi's nickname. The craftsmen were gone, and everyone here was "family," so there was no need for caution.
"Okay, Brat." Yoriichi responded cheerfully, but his continued use of the nickname left Rosinante speechless.
"Come on, come on! Let me show you what I can do! We'll see if you still call me Brat!"
As Rosinante spoke, he brandished the bamboo sword in his hand.
Under Sengoku's influence, Rosinante's dream was to become an excellent Marine. Since arriving at Marine Headquarters, Rosinante had been striving toward this goal.
Combat was indispensable to becoming a Marine. Therefore, when he learned that Yoriichi also planned to become a Marine, and that Zephyr was building a dojo for Yoriichi's training, he immediately arranged with Yoriichi to practice together and grow stronger together.
"Sounds good." Yoriichi said, smiling at Rosinante's excited demeanor. He then entered the dojo that Zephyr had commissioned with Rosinante.
The dojo was quite large, nearly a hundred square meters. It had no furnishings other than a few bamboo swords leaning against the wall. It was extremely simple, but it was sufficient for Yoriichi's needs.
Walking barefoot onto the dojo floor, Yoriichi casually picked up a bamboo sword from the wall and swung it twice. A "swoosh, swoosh" sound of cutting through the air immediately followed.
"This feels good."
"Hey, Brat, come on."
Yoriichi called out to Rosinante with a smile. Rosinante, carrying his bamboo sword, also entered the dojo and stood before Yoriichi.
Zephyr followed Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Rosinante into the dojo. Seeing the two boys about to spar, he smiled and sat down on a clear spot on the side, shouting:
"I'll be your referee!"
"Do your best!"
Although he was very clear that Rosinante was definitely no match for Yoriichi, he still enjoyed watching this kind of sparring. Young people growing and supporting each other—he had experienced this himself before.
It didn't matter if there was a gap, and it didn't matter if the gap was large. Friends are supposed to help each other out.
"Begin!"
Zephyr called out loudly, truly taking on the role of referee.
The moment he spoke, Rosinante immediately lunged forward, charging with a step and raising his sword, swinging it down vertically toward Yoriichi's head. A "whoosh, whoosh" sound of air resistance filled the air; the attack was formidable.
"Your footwork is weak, and your intentions are too obvious."
"You're no good, Brat."
The moment his opponent attacked, Yoriichi knew he was dealing with a novice. He attacked confidently without even testing his opponent's depth, and his center was wide open during the attack. His swordsmanship level was truly underwhelming.
With a simple parry of his sword, Yoriichi easily blocked Rosinante's attack. At the same time, Yoriichi followed through with a thrust, and the tip of his sword immediately tapped Rosinante's chest.
Yoriichi used very little power, relying purely on technique.
Rosinante, struck in the chest, gasped, and staggered back three steps before steadying himself.
"See, you're dead." Yoriichi said cheerfully. Sparring with Rosinante was like teasing a child.
"Again!"
Rosinante rubbed his chest, his eyes brightening.
He hadn't expected it! His friend actually had some skill; this made it interesting!
However, after about ten minutes, Rosinante found it uninteresting. He had originally thought Yoriichi only knew "a little bit," but it turned out his opponent knew "a whole lot."
His attacks were easily neutralized by Yoriichi every time, who could also counter-attack.
Every time, in just one exchange, Yoriichi would hit him. Thankfully, Yoriichi held back, so although he was constantly hit, Rosinante was not injured.
But how could he enjoy playing when he was consistently defeated in one move? It was like playing a shooting game where you stand up and immediately get one-shotted. What's the point of that?
Zephyr, watching Rosinante being defeated again and again, couldn't stop smiling on the side.
"Aah aah aah~~"
"I quit, I can't beat you!"
"Yoriichi, why didn't you tell me you had studied swordsmanship before? I wouldn't have sparred with you if I'd known. It's too one-sided and boring."
A few minutes later, Rosinante tossed his sword aside, sweat pouring down, and lay down on the tatami, giving up.
"You can't be like that. You're giving up after just a few moves?"
"Get up, keep going."
"I haven't even stretched my muscles properly yet."
Yoriichi looked speechlessly at Rosinante lying defeated on the floor. He seemed to understand why this guy, despite being adopted by Sengoku since childhood, grew up to be a weakling. He knew neither Haki nor the Six Powers (Rokushiki).
No wonder, despite being Sengoku's adopted son, he only reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander
In Yoriichi's opinion, this guy's strength wasn't even enough for Lieutenant Commander; Miss Tashigi during the Loguetown arc was stronger than him!
"No, I can't let this kid get away with this. He needs to train."
"I can't access Haki right now anyway, and my physical development needs to be gradual. I must pull this kid into my training!"
"This will save him from being bullied by Vergo in the future and disgracing Sengoku's adopted son's reputation."
"If people find out this guy trained with me, it would insult my name, even though I don't have one yet..."
(End of Chapter)