11. Introductions

Ten days passed by as Ryota continued his daily quests and boxing practice. With the help of his neighbor, he was getting better at it. Though other than giving out pointers, the man didn't talk about anything else to him. He didn't even tell his name to Ryota, nor did he ask for Ryota's either. However, the man was surprised with Ryota's progress over the ten days in boxing, and he also subtly noticed that Ryota had become stronger than before, though he didn't know by how much.

Today was like any other day as Ryota had already completed his daily quest and was doing boxing practice under the tutoring of his neighbor. After completing the day's practice, the man stood up and sat closer to the wall near Ryota's cell. Ryota also noticed that over the days, the man's injuries had seemingly healed mysteriously, and he was at full health like he was never injured before. Only the smudges of blood on his body could tell that he was injured earlier.

Ryota guessed and attributed this change to the man having some Devil Fruit focused on healing, but seeing that it took so many days to completely heal the injuries, that Devil Fruit didn't seem so impressive. Ryota observed as the man changed his positions but didn't say anything.

The man suddenly started talking and told his name to Ryota.

"My name is Kaito," the man said, his voice stronger and clearer than Ryota had ever heard it before. "I suppose after all this time, it's only fair you know who's been correcting your terrible boxing form."

Ryota looked at him, slightly taken aback. "Kaito, huh? Took you long enough to introduce yourself," he replied with a smirk. "I'm Ryota."

Kaito nodded, a faint smile touching his lips for the first time. "Ryota… you've got potential, you know. You've come a long way in just ten days."

"Thanks to you," Ryota admitted. "I couldn't have improved this much on my own."

Kaito leaned back against the wall, his gaze thoughtful. "You remind me of myself when I was younger," he said quietly. "Full of determination, ready to take on the world."

Ryota's curiosity got the better of him. "What happened to you, Kaito? How did you end up here in Impel Down, in that state?

Kaito's eyes fluttered closed for a moment, as if he were summoning the strength to speak.

"Why should I tell you that?" The man questioned.

"If you didn't wanted to you wouldn't have spoken to me in the first place and would've kept ignoring like you did back then," Ryota smiled at him.

Kaito didn't speak anything for a minute before asking,"Why do you want to know?"

"I am bored. And it feels good taking to someone after so long. I just needed someone to talk to," Ryota confessed.

Kaito went silent after his honest answer, but after few seconds he sighed.

"I... I was betrayed," Kaito said, his voice hoarse and ragged. "By people I thought were my comrades. They... they handed me over to the Marines. Said I was a traitor, that I deserved this."

Ryota's brow furrowed. The world outside Impel Down was ruthless, full of treachery and deceit. Betrayal was a common thing, and it seemed Kaito had been dealt a particularly cruel hand. "Why would they do that? What did you do?"

Kaito coughed, a harsh, rattling sound that sent a shiver down Ryota's spine. "I refused to follow orders. Orders that would have led to the deaths of innocent people. They called me a coward, a traitor. Said I didn't deserve to live."

Kaito's expression hardened, anger flashing in his eyes despite his weakened state. "Those bas*ards," he cursed, his voice gaining strength. "They're the real traitors, selling out their own people for money. They called me a traitor, but it was them who betrayed everything we stood for."

Ryota's brow furrowed in confusion. "What happened?" he asked, leaning closer to the bars, eager to understand Kaito's story.

Kaito took a deep breath, his voice steadying as he continued. "I was a General of a kingdom in the first half of the Grand Line. Our kingdom, Veloria, was known for its strong and noble warriors. One day, my King ordered me to choose a hundred strong men from the small villages, men who had no family. I thought he intended to give them jobs or train them as his personal guards, as he had done in the past. But I was wrong."

Kaito's fists clenched at the memory, the pain of betrayal evident in his eyes. "One night, after the King had drunk too much, he let slip his true intentions. He wanted to use those men as prey for a Celestial Dragon who was visiting soon. The Dragon didn't ask for it, but the King wanted to curry favor with him. His plan was to throw those hundred men into a forest, surrounded with his guards, and let the Dragon hunt them for sport."

"That's monstrous," Ryota whispered.

Kaito nodded, his face grim. "I didn't say anything in front of the king. After my duty was over, I discussed the topic with my loyal subordinates and with them I tried to come up with a plan to save those hundred people. The people I trusted the most—my subordinates, my wife—called me a traitor to the crown. For my defiance, they poisoned my food and handed the weakened me over to the king, who in turn handed me to the Marines, who brought me here."

He paused, his gaze turning distant. "Those hundred men... they had no idea what was coming. I failed them. And now along with them, I'm paying the price for standing up against that atrocity."

Kaito stopped speaking, his breath ragged and his eyes filled with a mix of fury and sorrow. Ryota was silent, after listening to Kaito's story. He wanted to say something but he wondered whether he should say it or not.

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