Chapter 12: First Meeting with Rosinante
The last rays of the setting sun fell on the stone paths of Marineford.
His training for the day had just ended, and Roy was heading to the mess hall to fill his stomach.
His hands were stuffed in his pockets, his black hair slightly messy, but his eyes were bright and calm.
Suddenly, his eyes caught a tall figure—golden-blond hair, a crisp white Marine uniform, and officer's pauldrons gleaming on his shoulders.
"Rosinante?"
Roy paused, his mind flashing through what he knew about the man.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku's adopted son. The man who will one day go undercover in Doflamingo's crew... But for now, he's just a regular Marine officer."
He smiled slightly, and in a flash—
FWOOSH!
"Uwaaah!!"
The figure appeared out of nowhere, and Rosinante stumbled back in shock, his armful of documents scattering everywhere.
He clutched his chest, his eyes wide. "Y-You...!"
Roy bent down to help him pick up the files, smiling. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare you."
Rosinante finally got a good look at the boy. "...You're Instructor Zephyr's student, Roy, aren't you?"
Roy raised an eyebrow. "You've heard of me?"
Rosinante scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Your name is all anyone's talking about at HQ. The 12-year-old who single-handedly stopped a pirate uprising and saved all those people. They're calling you the 'Monster Rookie.'"
Roy handed him the files, his voice calm. "Just got lucky."
Rosinante took the files, his eyes kind. "Still, could you... maybe not do that? My heart can't take that kind of shock."
Roy shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's a habit. Can't be helped."
They looked at each other for a second, then both burst out laughing.
"Oh, right. Are you headed to the mess hall?" Rosinante asked.
Roy nodded. "Yeah, I'm starving."
Rosinante brightened. "What a coincidence, I haven't eaten either. Mind if I join?"
Roy didn't refuse. "Sure."
As they walked side-by-side, Rosinante couldn't help but sneak glances at the boy. He was only 12, but he was nearly 6'6" and had a terrifyingly steady presence.
"I hear you train under Instructor Zephyr and Mr. Garp?" Rosinante asked, a note of respect in his voice.
Roy nodded. "Yeah, when Garp snags me for 'special training.'"
Rosinante's eye twitched, and he smiled painfully. "Mr. Garp's 'Fist of Love,' huh? That's... an experience you never forget."
Roy glanced at him. "Sounds like you're speaking from experience."
Rosinante sighed. "Mr. Sengoku brought me to see him a few times when I was a kid... That fist is scarier than a cannonball."
Inside the brightly lit mess hall, soldiers were eating in small groups. The two found a relatively quiet corner and sat down.
Rosinante, his mouth half-full of bread, asked, "By the way, I've been curious... your Warp-Warp Fruit. Can you carry passengers?"
Roy chewed and swallowed a piece of meat, then said flatly, "I can, but the more people I take, the more energy it drains."
Rosinante's eyes lit up. "That must be incredibly useful for rescue missions!"
He immediately realized he was prying and gave a nervous laugh, scratching his head. "Sorry, occupational hazard. Asking too many questions."
Roy put down his chopsticks, his expression thoughtful. "What about you? Why did you join the Marines?"
Rosinante's smile stiffened. A complex, haunted look flashed in his eyes, and the bread in his hand paused in mid-air.
"Well... it's a long story."
He didn't elaborate, and Roy didn't press him.
After a moment, Rosinante checked his watch and stood up with a sigh. "Crap, I've got to report to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. We'll have to talk again sometime!"
Roy nodded. "Yeah. Take it easy."
Roy watched him hurry off, his gaze deepening.
"This time... he probably hasn't received his undercover assignment yet."
He sighed quietly, then stood and headed back toward the training grounds.
On the path to the boot camp, a lazy conversation drifted from up ahead.
"Ara rara... Smoker, you're smoking more and more these days."
"Hmph. Still better than you sleeping all day."
Roy paused. Kuzan (Aokiji) was leaning lazily against a tree trunk, hands in his pockets, his eye mask halfway down his nose, looking half-asleep.
And Smoker was standing in front of him, cigar in his mouth, looking annoyed. "None of your business!"
Roy raised an eyebrow, surprised to see the future Admiral. He walked up and gave a polite salute. "Mr. Kuzan. Smoker."
Both of them turned.
Smoker snorted. "Good timing. This guy was just talking about you."
Kuzan waved lazively. "Yo, Roy~ You're the talk of Marineford."
Roy smiled. "I'm surprised to see you at the boot camp, sir."
Kuzan yawned. "Just got out of a meeting, figured I'd stop by and see Instructor Zephyr. Ran into this guy complaining about how bad you beat him."
Smoker's face darkened. "Hey! That was a spar!"
Kuzan ignored him, his lazy eyes focusing on Roy. Suddenly, that laziness vanished, replaced by a sharp glint. "Hmm?"
Kuzan had caught the fighting spirit in Roy's eyes.
Smoker froze. "Hey, Roy, you're not thinking of..."
Roy didn't back down. "Mr. Kuzan, would you spar with me?"
Smoker: "?!"
Kuzan paused, then gave an interested smile. "Oh? Why's that?"
Roy said seriously, "I want to know where my current limit is."
Smoker immediately tried to stop him. "Hey, are you crazy?! Kuzan is—"
But Kuzan had already pushed himself off the tree, his expression completely serious. "Ara rara... How interesting."
Just then, a deep voice came from nearby. "Go all out. I'll watch from the sidelines."
All three turned. Zephyr was standing under a large tree, arms crossed, a smile in his eyes.
Roy blinked. "Instructor Zephyr?"
Zephyr strode over and clapped Roy on the shoulder, his voice full of anticipation. "I also want to see what you're capable of when you go all out."
Kuzan scratched his head. "Ara rara... If Instructor Zephyr says so, I guess I can't slack off."
Smoker's mouth twitched. "Hey, are you guys serious? He's one of the strongest Logia users in the entire Navy!"
Zephyr glanced at him. "What? Afraid Roy will lose too badly?"
Smoker: "..."
Roy took a deep breath, his fists slowly clenching. "Winning or losing doesn't matter. I just want to test my limits."
A smile played on Kuzan's lips. "Well then... let's go."