Chapter 64: The Secret History Of Celestial Dragons
[This book, filled with revolutionary ideals, has become a prized possession of the Revolutionary Army.]
[When Roja first published this book, he never imagined it would become so popular.]
[It's no surprise that when this book was circulated in the Goa Kingdom, it quickly found its way to the hands of revolutionary soldiers.]
[The crows ordered several more copies before, and Roja thought he should ask Fujitora to bring hundreds, or even thousands, of books along with the food delivery.]
"Okay, if you don't have anything else to do, it's best to hit the hay early," Roja said, lying back on the bed and flipping through his sailing diary.
"Yeah," Rosinante nodded, heading towards the door. Then, he hesitated and turned back. "Mr. Roja, I..."
However, Rosinante hesitated, unable to voice what he wanted to say.
Roja glanced up from his book, offering a reassuring smile. "Don't feel pressured to say anything right away. Just take your time."
"I know Naguri saved you, and I didn't expect anything in return. I feel the same way. You don't need to worry about owing us anything," Roja continued, reassuring Rosinante.
"I understand that your background might be a bit complicated, and there might be other secrets, but we don't mind. You can relax and live peacefully with Naguri."
[This book, full of revolutionary ideas, is now a prized possession of the Revolutionary Army.]
[When Roja first published this book, he never imagined it would be so widely embraced.]
[It's no surprise that when this book was printed in the Goa Kingdom, it quickly found its way into the hands of revolutionary soldiers.]
[The crows ordered several more copies, prompting Roja to consider asking Fujitora to bring hundreds, or even thousands, of books along with the food delivery.]
"Okay, if you've got nothing else to do, it's best to hit the hay early," Roja said, stretching out on the bed and leafing through his sailing diary.
"Yeah," Rosinante nodded, making his way to the door. Then, he paused and turned back, hesitating to speak. "Mr. Roja, I..."
However, Rosinante struggled to find the words he wanted to say.
Roja, still engrossed in his book, offered a comforting smile. "Don't feel pressured to speak up right away. Take your time."
"I know Naguri saved you, and I didn't expect anything in return. I feel the same way. You don't have to worry about owing us anything," Roja reassured Rosinante.
"I understand that your background might be a bit complicated, and there might be other secrets, but we don't mind. You can relax and live peacefully with Naguri."
[Rosinante read through the book bit by bit, seemingly lost in its contents.]
["All humans are equal."]
[Recalling his father's words, Rosinante couldn't hold back his tears.]
[Late at night, Naguri woke up to find Rosinante asleep at the table.]
[Approaching with concern, Naguri was taken aback to see tears on Rosinante's face.]
["Poor child," Naguri sighed.]
[His kindness towards Rosinante stemmed from seeing himself in the boy, scavenging through trash cans just as Naguri had done in his youth.]
[Both orphans, thin, silent, and withdrawn, relying on scraps to survive.]
["This cruel world," Naguri muttered, gently carrying Rosinante to bed.]
[The next morning, Roja rose early.]
[He maintained a disciplined lifestyle, prioritizing sufficient rest and nutrition, believing the body to be vital for the revolution.]
[After breakfast, Roja hit the streets to gather information.]
[His age made him inconspicuous, allowing him to inquire without drawing much attention.]
[Other revolutionary soldiers dispersed in disguise.]
[Two days later, Roja had a good grasp of the situation on Urok Island.]
[While not the Donquixote Family's main base, their influence had expanded there.]
[The Donquixote Family's structure intrigued Roja—it resembled more of a gangster system than a typical pirate hierarchy.]
[At the helm is Don Quixote Doflamingo, with four core members dubbed after playing card suits: Torrebol (clubs), Diamanti (diamonds), Pica (spades), and Corazon (hearts) in descending order.]
[Under their leadership, each core member oversees a team. The sub-leaders within these teams are called cadres, who recruit lower-ranking members to expand their territory.]
[This structured hierarchy mirrors the methods of organized crime, with clear roles and territorial conquest.]
[Such detailed organization suggests this is no mere band of pirates but an ambitious and goal-oriented entity.]
"The leader of Ulok Island is the core cadre Diamanti, a formidable opponent who previously led an attack on the Lubni Kingdom," Roja summarized from gathered intelligence.
[The main base of the Donquixote Family lies on Strok Island, west of Urok Island.]
[According to intel, the four core members of the Donquixote Family, centred on Strok Island, are expanding their influence in four directions, recruiting locally with each island takeover.]
[In essence, they're a significant pirate force controlling five islands, ranking high in the North Blue and boasting considerable strength.]
[Roja is somewhat surprised by the Family's extensive reach, originally thinking they only controlled one island, not five.]
[Yet, this presents an opportunity to pit the Donquixote Family against the Marines, potentially drawing in more Marine forces than anticipated.]
[However, it's a long-term strategy, and Roja currently lacks a clear plan.]
"At night, Rosinante knocked on Roja's door again."
[With Roja's approval, Rosinante entered. Roja immediately noticed a change in him.]
"You seem a bit different. Looks like the book has been a big help to you," Roja said, smiling with satisfaction. Rosinante's transformation confirmed Roja's assessment of him. The book had made an impact.
"Mr. Roja, would you like to hear a story?" Rosinante asked.
"Of course," Roja replied, setting up two chairs for them.
[It's evident that Rosinante has come to some realization.]
Rosinante took a deep breath and began.
"It happened in the Holy Land Mariejois about thirty-three years ago."
"A Celestial Dragon named Don Quixote Honagu proposed a radical idea that Celestial Dragons couldn't tolerate: that humans are equal and should have the same status."
"He urged the Celestial Dragons to renounce their privileges and live equally among humans."
"This suggestion was ridiculed by all the Celestial Dragons, so he decided to lead by example. He left Mariejois with his wife and two children."
"The World Government's army sent them to the extreme north, a region not under the World Government's control."
"The Honagu family didn't know that many others had fled persecution by the Celestial Dragons and harboured deep hatred towards them."
"Honagu's eldest son couldn't be more different from his father. He had long been scarred by the cruelty of the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois. On their first day here, he exposed their true identity as Celestial Dragons."
"Their fate was grim. That night, they were lynched by armed locals, their home was set ablaze, and they narrowly escaped with their lives."
"After their desperate escape, they lived in constant fear, hiding in squalid garbage dumps."
"That year, my mother succumbed to illness due to our worsening living conditions."
"My brother blamed all our misfortunes on our foolish father. Two years after our mother's death, he shot and killed our father Honagu, hoping to return to Mariejois with his head and regain our status as Celestial Dragons."
"Rejected by Mariejois, he came to North Blue and, with the help of a few individuals from Torre Pol, founded the Donquixote Family."
"The elder brother is Doflamingo, and I am the younger brother, Don Quixote Rosinante, son of Huo Mingoban."
As Rosinante spoke, his grip on his clothes tightened.
"Mr. Roja, I have to ask, was my father truly foolish? Is he to blame for everything? Was he really wrong?"
Rosinante's story, once a closely guarded secret, had now been broadcast worldwide, akin to tales from the Arabian Nights.
Celestial Dragons, often seen as ruthless and detached aristocrats, were now revealed in a new light.
They never expected that among the Celestial Dragons, there could be someone as virtuous as Honagu.
But was Honagu truly in the wrong? Many struggled to answer. As a kind Celestial Dragon, it seemed he had done nothing wrong. Yet, the tragedy that befell his family stemmed from his decision.
Trafalgar Law: Corazon, he had such a life experience. I didn't know much about Corazon's past, but his pure kindness redeemed him.
Doflamingo: That foolish old man, even without the Celestial Dragons, I would've ended him. His actions led to my mother's death and nearly got us killed by outcasts.
Sengoku: Hmph, villains always deflect blame. Doflamingo, your words don't absolve you.
Will the truth about the Celestial Dragons be exposed? Their arrogance and tyranny led to their own downfall.
Gin, I thought you were compassionate. Sengoku's scorn for Doflamingo is palpable; he despises him, seeing Rosinante as proof that Honagu's teachings weren't flawed. Among the family, only Doflamingo embodies all the evils of the Celestial Dragons.
"It must be acknowledged that some evils are inherent."
Sengoku and Doflamingo continued their argument in the chat room, with more people eagerly awaiting Roja's response, the mentor of the Revolutionary Army, on the matter.
[As Roja looked at Rosinante, he paused for a moment before speaking.]
"If you're asking me whether your father Honagu did anything wrong, objectively speaking, he didn't. Your father was kind, and his beliefs were just. The existence of Celestial Dragons is a grotesque product of this world's corrupt institutions."
[Roja continued, addressing Rosinante's concerns.]
"Your brother isn't wrong either. Although he exposed your Celestial Dragon identity, fundamentally, he didn't commit any wrongdoing. It can't be considered a mistake."
"The real wrongdoers are the rioters. While they suffer persecution from the Celestial Dragons, it's not a justification for their violence against Honagu. Their fault lies in not investigating and blindly targeting the good guy."
[Roja shifted to address the notion of stupidity.]
"If you're asking whether your father was foolish, I'd say kindness isn't stupidity. He was just too naive to recognize the world's evils."
"And if failing to recognize the world's evils is considered stupidity, then perhaps there's something inherently wrong with the world itself. Is intelligence merely a measure of cynicism?"
There was a flicker of intensity in Roja's eyes as he took a deep breath and declared, "Good people shouldn't be targeted. If such injustices exist in the world, it only strengthens our resolve to change it."
"Mr. Roja," Rosinante was stunned, then he bowed deeply to Roja and hurriedly left with the book.
Outside the chat room, silence fell over everyone. Roja's response had surpassed all expectations. He, typically anti-nobility, viewed the Celestial Dragons as enemies, championed the people, and revered them as heroes. Yet, in this instance, he unexpectedly criticized the public and praised Honagu, objectively evaluating even Doflamingo.
But was there an issue with his words? It seemed not. His stance remained consistent with his previous beliefs.
Who is the enemy? Who is the friend? Without proper investigation, one has no right to judge. Had the public conducted such an investigation?
"Good people shouldn't be at the receiving end of violence, yet often they are," Roja's words echoed in their minds.
Right and wrong were once clear-cut, but villains distorted them, blurring the lines. Take the Honagu family, for example. What should have been a straightforward case was clouded by misguided assumptions about Honagu.
In the remote northern lands, in an unfamiliar country, some of the perpetrators of that atrocity thirty-three years ago were now middle-aged, while others were elderly.
Among them, it's uncertain how many will acknowledge their past mistakes, living with regret and self-blame, and how many will remain stubborn, using hatred as justification for reckless actions.
Yet, this remains unknown.
[Early the next morning, Roja headed to the Donquixote Family's stronghold on Urok Island as usual.]
However, one person caught his attention today.
He was a man in his twenties, tall and well-built, dressed in a sharp suit. Despite his calm demeanour, he had just returned a lost little girl to her parents before making his way towards the Donquixote Family's stronghold.
"Why do you want to join the Pirates?"
As he was about to enter the Donquixote Family's headquarters, Roja's question halted him in his tracks.
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