Chapter 38: Rosinante Background

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Arashi wasn't sure when those vague thoughts began to stir within him. Was it when he saw the Tenryuubito's head explode from that stone? 

Was it when he was granted the choice between three Devil Fruits upon being commissioned? 

Or perhaps it was during his time at the academy when he noticed the admiration and reverence in the eyes of the young Marines? 

All he knew was that as his strength grew and his reputation in the Marines increased, strange and unfamiliar ideas began to surface in his mind.

These thoughts were something he couldn't quite identify—until this very moment, as he stood high above, overlooking the entire Marine Headquarters. 

It suddenly became clear: it was ambition.

As he stood there quietly, Arashi's thoughts began to drift, and he found himself recalling the past. 

Two years ago, when he escaped from the Boccan family, exhausted and worn out, he encountered an eight-year-old boy. 

Unlike other children, this boy was unusually mature, with eyes that held a depth of experience far beyond his years.

"Where's your father?" Arashi asked, accepting a piece of dried, cracked black bread the boy offered him.

"Dead," the boy replied.

"What about your mother?"

"Also dead."

"Any other siblings?"

"Yes, but they're all dead too."

The boy's voice was calm and emotionless, without a trace of sadness or pain. 

This response stunned Arashi, and he found himself staring into the boy's dark, gleaming eyes.

"My father defied the nobles," the boy continued. 

"My mother was chosen by a Tenryuubito and beaten to death in the street. My older brother and sister died trying to save her." 

"I was four years old at the time, scared and trembling, but I managed to survive."

The eight-year-old spoke of his experiences with an eerie calmness that left Arashi momentarily speechless. 

He was shocked by the boy's composure and hesitated before asking, "Aren't you sad at all?"

Though two years had passed, the boy's calm expression and those deep, dark eyes were still etched in Arashi's memory. 

"I'm holding it in," the boy had said.

That simple phrase, "I'm holding it in," had a profound impact on Arashi.

It wasn't until that day when he encountered an unknown Tenryuubito—someone who didn't know him and whom he didn't know—that Arashi fully realized there was something wrong with this world. 

Freedom? Passion? Dreams? Beauty? These were nothing more than jokes! 

The truth of this world was the cruel and cold reality that forced an eight-year-old child to say, "I'm holding it in calmly."

Suddenly, Arashi recalled Garp's future disciple, a boy named Coby. 

"If you think all of this is wrong, then work hard, grow stronger, climb higher, and change it all!"

This was the advice Koby had received from his comrades during a moment of confusion.

Arashi didn't know when, but he found himself clenching his fists, then slowly releasing them without a sound. 

"It's not about where you are," he thought to himself. "It's about what you're doing."

He turned and walked away.

Later that afternoon, Arashi successfully requested his ship—a medium-sized two-masted vessel, roughly the same size as Garp's, with the only difference being that it had no crew. 

As he boarded the ship, two figures followed him. 

One was T Bone, who had just graduated recently and looked up to him with respect and admiration. 

The other was a boy around eleven or twelve years old but already tall, standing over two meters with strange, non-mainstream face paint.

"Kid," said Kong, "I was planning to assign you as the deputy commander in the West Blue after your graduation. But since you want a ship, I understand."

"However, while I have an available ship, I can't provide a crew on such short notice. You'll have to figure that out on your own. You can recruit from elsewhere or gather your own men—I don't care."

Kong's words brought a smile to Arashi's face.

At that moment, Sengoku, who was standing nearby, approached with a friendly grin. 

After observing Arashi for a few moments, he chuckled, "Need some crew members, Arashi? I happen to have a promising young man here."

Without waiting for Arashi's response, Sengoku handed the boy over to him—none other than the non-mainstream fellow now standing behind him.

"Rosinante, do you know how to sail?" Arashi asked.

After boarding the ship, Arashi asked, "Rosinante, can you sail?"

The young Marine, with the unconventional face paint, immediately responded, "Yes, Sir! I can!"

"Good," Arashi nodded, glancing at him. "Then you'll be in charge of sailing, cleaning, cooking, and all other chores."

Rosinante was taken aback and scratched his head. "All those tasks are my responsibility?"

Arashi pointed at T Bone, then at himself. 

"Right now, there are only three of us on this ship. Your rank is the lowest, so unless you expect your two superiors to do it, yes, it's your responsibility."

Rosinante blinked, then sighed with resignation, "Understood, Sir."

T Bone looked like he wanted to say something but held back. 

Although Rosinante was only about twelve years old, his physique and strength were comparable to that of an eighteen-year-old.

Soon after, the ship set sail, passing through the Gates of Justice.

"Where are we headed?" T Bone asked curiously.

"To the Sabaody Archipelago," Arashi replied. 

"First, because we're severely understaffed, we need to recruit some people. And second..." He paused, then smiled slightly. 

"Fleet Admiral Kong has given me my first mission—to capture or eliminate a group of pirate Supernovas that recently caused havoc on the Sabaody Archipelago."

Of course, such orders from Marine Headquarters were flexible and depended on the situation. 

For instance, by the time they arrived, the pirates might have already fled, or some other unexpected event might occur.

"Understood!" T Bone nodded.

Meanwhile, Rosinante, steering the ship, observed his two superiors. 

He had heard of Arashi, a Marine rumoured to be a terrifying monster with the potential to become a future admiral.

"Rosinante," Arashi suddenly called out, his broad, muscular back facing him.

"Yes, Sir!" Rosinante responded immediately.

"No need to be so tense. Relax a bit!" Arashi said, still looking out at the sea ahead, a smile forming on his lips. 

"After all, you're a Tenryuubito, aren't you?"

That single sentence caused both T Bone and Rosinante to go pale with shock.

"T-Tenryuubito?!" T Bone quickly turned to look at the tall boy. 

Rosinante, on the other hand, was stunned, his pupils contracting as confusion overwhelmed him. 

How could Arashi know? This was something only Sengoku should have known!

Arashi turned around and smiled at the boy in front of him. "Why the tense expression? You were one, but not anymore, right?"

Rosinante took a deep breath and nodded.

"Let's get sailing! We've got a mission to complete," Arashi said abruptly, dropping the subject. 

The ship soon arrived at the port of Sabaody Archipelago, which looked nothing like the last time Arashi had seen it. 

The air was filled with the sound of gunfire and the chaotic scenes of Marines battling pirates.

"What a mess!" Arashi remarked, understanding why Kong had issued the mission so quickly. 

Pirates causing chaos on the Sabaody Archipelago was practically an insult to the Marines, who were already in a quite severe situation.

At that moment, Arashi seemed to sense something and turned his head to the right. "Bang!"

A muffled gunshot rang out, and a bullet pierced through his forehead.

"Sir!!" Rosinante's face turned pale, and T Bone's eyes widened as he drew his sword from his waist. Arashi froze, momentarily stunned. 

He noticed the increase in points on his system panel and realized what had just happened—he had been shot the moment he arrived at Sabaody Archipelago.

A smile slowly crept across his face. "This is getting interesting!"

<End Chapter>

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