Chapter 2

"How old are you this year?" Yanric asked in his seat, with his legs crossed and a booze in his hand.

"Thirteen." Rowan then held his hand out toward his father, "Should be old enough by now."

Yanric frowned, "Nah, still too young," before gulping down the entire bottle.

"At least get to my height first before you drink, kid."

Having expected such an answer out of his father, Rowan lowered his arm. Yawning from the wave of exhaustion that washed over him, Rowan then stood up, about to walk to a small mattress that lied at the corner of the house. However, Yanric spoke before he could do so,

"Hey, sit back down. I got a story to tell," With reddened cheeks, Yanric grinned while opening another bottle by the side, "Thirteen. Too young for drinking, but old enough for the story."

Rowan raised an eyebrow in curiosity and wordlessly returned back to his seat. Yanric then pointed his finger at one picture by the side, "You see your mother over there? That picture. That one."

On a wall was a picture of a black-haired woman, smiling widely. And next to said picture was a black coat, one which Rowan recognized that his mother wore back then.

"…Been looking at that for thirteen years." Rowan responded, remembering his mother's face quite vividly,

<…You must leave, Rowan. Leave with your father first, and I will follow after. You are a mature child for your age… you can understand, right?>

"Heh… well," Yanric said in a half-drunken state, "She was a pirate. To be more exact, the captain of the Rosette pirates." His eyes wandered in the thin air, reminiscing over the eventful day of his past, "And I used to be a royal guard of the Oykot kingdom—"

"Wait, you weren't a marine?" Rowan suddenly interrupted with his chin on his hand, "I thought you being one was the usual cliche. Like how you used to be a justice fool but came to open your eyes—"

"As if I'd ever be a part of those seagulls. Cut the crap and listen." Yanric frowned momentarily, before returning to his blissful smile as he continued the story, "It was before she was a pirate, and before I was a royal guard, that I met her. She was once a sick and frail woman, harbouring a dream to sail out and have a grandiose adventure in the vast sea."

…Adventure, huh.

Rowan closed his eyes, remembering the wind under the bright weather, of how his mother used to hold him as the ship sailed by.

"…I shouldn't have left her back then… I didn't know that she was pregnant with you."

Yanric muttered,

"The Oykot kingdom was under the continuous invasion of the pirates. The state wasn't good, and especially since the appearance of that damn Krieg, who took over a marine ship as a prisoner, posed as a marine, and raided the kingdom. I joined the royal guards around this time, thinking that it is time to showcase my capability and become a hero… hah, how naive I was… the kingdom was no longer sustainable without external help, and that damn Marine sent a marine squad led by Bell-mere, who were of no help at all."

Rowan found himself surprised upon hearing that one; it really was information that he didn't expect.

"And in the end, of course, we lost. I, out of desperation, attempted to fight Krieg who managed to build a huge fleet in a short span of time, but was defeated before even managing to reach the man. I barely escaped with heavy injuries, on a small boat, and… the kingdom has gone into ruination."

Another bottle was finished. Yanric dropped it, and reached for the third, "It was your mother who found me out in the sea—one who managed to become a pirate."

<Captain! I see a man stranded!>

Rowan too remembered, that back then, there was the urgency in mother's voice,

<Hurry!! Get that man aboard and heal him!>

"…I was horrified," Yanric said dryly, "The fact that i left her alone while she was pregnant, hababa… I was a failure as a husband. If not for that miraculous Heal Heal fruit... it was thanks to it that she managed to restore her health, give birth to you safely, and open her dream of becoming an adventurer."

'Heal Heal fruit… as in a devil fruit…?'

"I joined her crew. For a year, our family was together. And then, on the fateful day,"

Yanric's voice trembled. He closed his mouth, unable to continue. Rowan, already knowing what happens after, carried on instead,

"...Marines."

<…I love you, Rowan.>

BOOM. Just then, Yanric angrily slammed his free fist on his chair arm, breaking it in an instant, "She wasn't even wanted! She's never harmed a single civilian, and she didn't desire to find that damn One Piece either! You see, Rowan," Dropping the bottle, Yanric placed his head in his hands. In a teary tone, he said, "she... she wished for nothing but a small adventure for herself, to explore the East Blue! A-and yet, marines killed her, and our entire crew also, just because there was a… habababa, jolly roger drawn on the ship. Once again... I ran away. I... I ran, with you in my arms. What was the point of my years of training… when i dis nothing but to run away…?"

It was the first time that Rowan got to see who his father truly was. Here in Cocoyasi, he was a fearsome fellow that not even the village sheriff, Genzo, could dare to go against. However, on the inside, he was a broken individual, whose life was filled with many miseries that he couldn't recover from.

In the end, Rowan could only say, "tough times, huh."

"So I want you to learn useful skills instead of getting better at fighting." Yanric whispered, "...So that you won't end up like me. Power is useless, Rowan, unless you reach the strongest. As long as there lies someone stronger, power is useless, and... you don't have any talent in this aspect, I guarantee you this much."

Then, there was a pause. Yanric raised his head up and looked Rowan with reddened eyes, in silence. Then, he snorted weakly, "But you aren't going to listen."

"...Duh," Rowan said, "I'd rather be useless than dead."

__________

Bang!

A bullet was shot from a pistol held by Rowan. It directly struck one tree bark, onto a tree... adjacent to the intended target.

"I don't think a gun is meant for you, Rowan."

Standing next to Rowan, now thirteen in age, was the man named Genzo—one who wasn't only a sheriff but also the mayor. He, with a mix of worry and amazement, gazed at Rowan who's now grown taller and become notably muscular.

"Hm... I don't think this is efficient. Learning how to fish, sew, or you know, there are many more options that you can choose from. This..."

Rowan, upon hearing Genzo's remark, looked at him and replied seriously, "You know me well, Genzo-san."

Genzo sighed, "You and that father of yours... ha, the villagers are afraid. Not only has your father defeated Captain Nezumi, the commander of the nearby 15th Marine Branch, with ease, but you are aggressively training on a daily basis... the problem lies in the fact that no one knows why you have such a strong desire for power. Rowan, if you become a policeman, the villagers will sit at ease. Yet..."

Truth be told, Genzo didn't plan on teaching Rowan how to wield firearms. Rather, he, six months ago, sighted Rowan holding one, trying to see how it worked. It was out of worry that Genzo interfered, and with Rowan being absolutely horrid in handling the weapon, their relationship started.

Rowan's expression softened, "I'm sorry about that one, Genzo-san. You must've had quite a trouble back then because of that twisted old man of mine."

Placing the pistol down, Rowan gazed at the tree that had a bullet embedded. Then with a grimace, he opened his mouth,

"...Genzo-san, I am scared."

Genzo, not having expected such words out of Rowan, looked at the teen with widened eyes.

"This village is peaceful. By a lot. And in contrast, the news that we regularly receive," Rowan bit his lips, "...we hear of how notorious pirates massacred an entire town, of how a revolt occurred in a kingdom, and of how someone is wanted for an unbelievable amount of Beli... I think every day, of what I can do when pirates invade our village."

Everyone around him told him that he was wasting his time. While the next-door's Jerry recently caught a huge fish, he was still in the forest, relentlessly working out.

'Am I wrong?' Rowan sometimes wondered. He wondered if the memories of the other world were just something that he daydreamed. He contemplated if he was being paranoid. He too wished... that he could ignore his gut feeling and live just like any other.

However, he couldn't do so. Though he doesn't remember his death in the past life, he knew it was there. And every time he tried to feel, what he felt instead was a horrifying chill that ran down his spine; he didn't want to die. He wanted to live on no matter what.

"I am weaker than everyone else, Genzo-san," Rowan, therefore, said weakly, "If I don't reach a substantial degree of strength, I won't feel at ease. Staying oblivious to what goes around me, weak and helpless to any kind of adversity—I can't bare with it."

Genzo's hand lost its strength and flopped back down. He couldn't say anything in return, for Rowan's words were genuine. Genzo wondered what can possibly cause a teenage boy to adapt to such a way of thinking.

Forcing a smile on his face, he finally commented, "...Well then, I can only hope that your worry never comes true."

Genzo took in a deep breath, before unsheathing his pistols and placing them on the ground. Subsequently, he stared at Rowan firmly,

"...As long as you have a right reason to train, I will be of help. If guns don't work, let's work with what you already have." Genzo clenched his fists, "Come in at me, Rowan."

Rowan's eyes flashed in gratitude for the adult in front of him. Raising his arms up, he rushed toward the sheriff with a frightening appearance, before beginning a series of hand-to-hand combat.

__________

"Huff... huff..."

After some time passed, Rowan was now breathing heavily in Genzo's home.

"You aren't too shabby with fists," Genzo said with a smile, "Your training did pay off, Rowan; thought I was facing an adult there."

"I still got a long way to go, Genzo-san," Said Rowan while clenching his free fist, "As far as I can tell from the news... I have to get strong enough such that I can kill you with one punch alone."

"A BOY LIKE YOU SHOULDN'T BE SAYING STUFFS LIKE THAT!!!" Genzo, immediately recovering from his exhaustion, barked at Rowan.

"Ah... my bad. You are right," Rowan flinched in realization, "I should aim for a flick instead of a punch."

"RIGHT MY ASS!!!!"

"Eh? That wasn't correct?" Rowan hummed thoughtfully, "Then—"

"Genzo-san!" Suddenly, a door slammed open, and an orange-haired girl walked in angrily, "I'm going to stay in your place for the night! Okay?!"

She then froze upon sighting Rowan. Rowan looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, before Nami pointed her finger at him, "Gah, what are you doing here, Nojiko's wallet?!"

Rowan, unbothered by Nami's words, shrugged, "Training."

Genzo sweatdropped at Nami's antic, "Nami, he has a name you know."

"Ah, whatever! I'm not in a mood to talk!" Nami, closing her eyes and pouting, jumped onto a nearby chair and sat, "After all, I ran away from home!"

"Ran away?" Rowan expressed amusement while sitting down also, "From Bell-mere to here?"

Nami, opening her eyes and glaring at Rowan, gritted her teeth, "What?! Why are you laughing?!"

"You think coming to the village center from the outskirt of the village is running away?" Rowan chuckled, "Doesn't sound right to me."

Nami gritted her teeth as if about to shout at Rowan, before lowering her head with sadness. She then whimpered, "I'm sure Bell-mere would be a lot happy if we weren't around."

"Hm? And why is that?" Asked Genzo.

"Well, she has to use up all her money to take care of us, and... the other villagers don't like her because we steal often."

Genzo let out a burst of laughter, "Hahaha! So you've finally reached the age to think how others feel! Don't worry though; Bell-mere too was quite a troublemaker at a young age!"

Nami's eyes widened, "Wha... Bell-mere?"

"It's nothing so surprising." Genzo then grinned while closing his eyes, "But back then, when she left the village and came back as a fine marine, we all couldn't believe our eyes. Within the terrible storm, she was bleeding all over, but held onto two young children with all her might and cried to save them no matter what—even while she herself needed proper treatment. And those children were you as a baby and a three-year-old Nojiko."

Rowan's eyes widened, 'That means... Nojiko and Nami are from Oykot Kingdom?'

"Apparently, she was on the verge of death back then, but when she thought she might as well close her eyes and die," Genzo spoke with amazement in his tone, "What appeared before her was Nojiko carrying you in her arms. That's when Bell-mere lost her desire to die. The three of you... share a connection deeper than blood."

Just after Genzo said so, the door creaked open, and revealed Nojiko who was huffing and sweating from the run.

"Nami! I knew you'd be here!"

Rowan watched as Genzo tapped Nami on the back.

"Now go home. Nojiko's here for you—"

"PIRATESSSS!!!!"

Rowan froze as a horrified scream boomed across the village.

"IT'S THE ARLONG PIRATES!!!!"

Rowan's hands trembled. Arlong—it was a name that he's heard before. The fish-man pirate crew who's come from the Grand Line, wreaking havoc in the East Blue...

"Nami! Nojiko! It's too dangerous for you to stay here!" Genzo immediately stated to the girls, before gazing at Rowan, "Rowan, take these two and go hide in the forest!"

Nami refuted with a pale expression, "But Bell-mere's waiting for us at home...!"

"SHAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!"

A terror befell onto the Cocoyasi village.