Rosinante, age 12, was the same age as Yoriichi.
His full name was Donquixote Rosinante, yes, the younger brother of Donquixote Doflamingo.
The Rosinante family were originally Celestial Dragons living in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, but his father renounced his Celestial Dragon status and moved to an island nation on the Grand Line.
However, when the local civilians learned that the family had once been Celestial Dragons, they retaliated.
The Donquixote family, having lost their identity, were "judged" by the civilians, and just as the family was about to face disaster, young Doflamingo awakened Conqueror's Haki.
This "born devil" felt that the misfortunes he suffered were all because of his father, and then took his father's head to Mary Geoise to reclaim his Celestial Dragon status, but was refused.
Rosinante, who survived at that time, was rescued by Sengoku and then adopted by Sengoku.
Rosinante's early life was a mix of fortune and misfortune. His liberal father instilled in him a kindness rarely seen in most Celestial Dragons. Having experienced great change, Rosinante lost some of his naivety, but his kindness remained.
Yoriichi sensed this.
Since meeting Rosinante, Yoriichi's life had become richer.
Like Yoriichi, Rosinante, due to his young age, didn't directly enter the Marine Academy and didn't officially become a Marine.
Furthermore, Sengoku was very protective of Rosinante; only a few of his close friends knew about his past.
Yoriichi spent his days at home reading with Rosinante, sometimes strolling around the "family quarters" together. Over time, the two "peers" became good friends. In
the evenings, Zephyr would tell Yoriichi about the interesting things that happened at the Marine Academy. Zephyr didn't care at all about Yoriichi's "study progress."
These days were peaceful and tranquil. It made Yoriichi feel as if he had returned to his student days.
However, this relatively peaceful life came to an end after half a month with the successful completion of the dojo.
The dojo that Zephyr had specially built for Yoriichi was successfully completed, and Yoriichi's life underwent a huge change.
"Hey! Yoriichi, Yoriichi!"
"I'm here!"
"Come on, bring it on! Today I'll show you what I'm made of!"
Early in the morning, Rosinante, holding a bamboo sword, rushed into Zephyr's house and started shouting as soon as he stepped into the yard.
He had known yesterday that the dojo had been completed and was clamoring to teach Yoriichi "kendo" properly. Although he hadn't officially joined the Marine, Sengoku often gave him pointers in private.
Rosinante had some basic kendo skills, although they were rather weak.
"Hmm?"
"Oh! Sengoku's kid! Hahahaha, you've come!"
Just then, Zephyr pushed open the door of another bedroom and came out. The Marine Academy was on holiday today, so Zephyr hadn't gone to school. Coincidentally, the dojo at his home was officially completed yesterday, and he planned to take some time today to properly train Yoriichi.
Seeing Rosinante rushing into his house, Zephyr didn't scold him; instead, he laughed heartily.
Zephyr was always very tolerant and fond of young people in the Navy, especially since Rosinante was Sengoku's adopted son and had a good relationship with Yoriichi, making him arguably Yoriichi's first peer friend in the Navy.
"Uh..."
"Admiral Zephyr!"
Rosinante, who had been shouting loudly, immediately straightened up upon seeing Zephyr and greeted him respectfully. Just as the two were exchanging greetings, Yoriichi, dressed in loose training clothes, came out of the bedroom.
Seeing Rosinante, Yoriichi smiled and called out,
"Kid, you're here."
"Come on, let's go to the dojo!"
He was familiar with Rosinante; the young Rosinante was thin and frail, so Yoriichi affectionately called him "kid." Of course, another important reason was that Rosinante's identity was kept secret. Even when the Marine Headquarters craftsmen were building the dojo, Yoriichi had never addressed Rosinante by his name directly.
"Damn it!"
"Don't call me kid, I have a name!"
Rosinante shouted angrily upon hearing Yoriichi's address. The craftsmen were gone; everyone here was "one of us," so there was no need to be discreet.
"Alright, brat," Yoriichi replied with a smile, but his address still left Rosinante speechless.
"Come on, let me show you my power! See if you still call me brat!"
Rosinante said, raising his bamboo sword.
Influenced by Sengoku, Rosinante's dream was to become an excellent Marine. Since arriving at Marine Headquarters, Rosinante had been working towards this goal.
To become a Marine, combat was essential, so when he learned that Yoriichi also intended to become a Marine, and that Zephyr was building a dojo for Yoriichi's training, he immediately made a pact with Yoriichi to train together and grow stronger together.
"Okay." Yoriichi smiled as he looked at Rosinante's excited expression. He then entered the dojo that Zephyr had commissioned to be built with Rosinante. The dojo was quite large, nearly a hundred square meters, and sparsely furnished, except for a few bamboo swords leaning against the walls. It was rather simple, but sufficient for Yoriichi.
Barefoot, he entered the dojo, grabbed a bamboo sword from the wall, and casually swung it a couple of times, the air whistling as it cut through the air.
"Not bad."
"Hey, kid, 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 and Rosinante into the dojo. Seeing the two kids about to spar, he chuckled and sat down on an open space, calling out,
"I'll be your referee!"
"Good luck!"
Although he knew Rosinante was no match for Yoriichi, he still enjoyed watching them spar. He had experienced this kind of mutual support and growth among young people before.
"It doesn't matter if there's a gap, it doesn't matter if the gap is big, friends are meant to help each other. "
"Let's begin!"
Zephyr shouted, truly acting as the referee.
As soon as he finished speaking, Rosinante immediately attacked, taking a step forward, sword in hand, slashing down towards Yoriichi's head with a whooshing sound.
"Your footwork is a bit unsteady, and your intentions are too obvious."
"You're no good, kid."
Yoriichi knew from the first move that his opponent was a novice. He didn't even test his opponent's strength before confidently attacking, and his attack was wide open. His swordsmanship was truly appalling. With
a simple parry, Yoriichi easily deflected Rosinante's attack, and simultaneously thrust his sword forward, the tip immediately touching Rosinante's chest.
Yoriichi used little force, relying purely on technique.
Rosinante, his breath caught in his throat, staggered back three steps before regaining his balance.
"Well, you're dead," Yoriichi said with a chuckle, sparring with Rosinante as if he were teasing a child.
"Again!"
Rosinante rubbed his chest, his eyes brightening.
He hadn't expected this! His friend actually had some skill; this was more interesting!
However, after a dozen minutes, Rosinante got bored. He had thought Yoriichi only knew a little bit, but it turned out his opponent's skills were indeed incredible.
Each of his attacks was easily neutralized by Yoriichi, who could also counterattack.
Each time, he was defeated in a single exchange. Fortunately, Yoriichi held back, so although Rosinante was repeatedly hit, he wasn't injured.
But how could he play if he was always defeated in one move? It was like shooting a gun; you get up, then get one-shotted. What was the point of such a game?
Zephyr, watching Rosinante's repeated defeats, never stopped smiling.
"Aaaaaah~~"
"I'm not practicing anymore, I can't beat you!"
"Yoriichi, why didn't you tell me you learned kendo before? I shouldn't have practiced with you, it's one-sided, so boring."
A few minutes later, Rosinante threw down his sword, lay down on the tatami mat, drenched in sweat, and gave up.
"You can't do this, you're done after just a few moves?"
"Get up, keep going."
"I haven't even stretched my muscles."
Yoriichi looked at Rosinante lying on the ground, speechless. He seemed to understand why this guy, despite being adopted by Sengoku since childhood, was such a weakling. He didn't know Haki, he didn't know the Six Powers.
No wonder, despite being Sengoku's adopted son, he only ended up as a Commander.
In Yoriichi's opinion, this guy's strength wasn't even enough for a lieutenant commander; even Sergeant Tashigi from Loguetown was stronger than him!
"No, I can't spoil this kid. He needs to train."
"I can't access Haki at this stage anyway, and my physical development needs to be gradual. I have to drag this kid along when I train!" "
So that he doesn't get wrecked by Vergo in the future and ruin Sengoku's reputation as his adopted son."
"If people find out this kid trained with me, it will tarnish my reputation, even though I don't have one yet."