“Alright, alright, Peacock, stop teasing the kid. Did you forget that he’s only thirteen this year?” Drake leaned casually against the wall, mumbling loudly, giving Rosha, who was embarrassed to the point of almost smoking, a break.
Rosha, jolted, quickly moved away from Peacock and squeezed himself between Drake and Law.
“Hehe, so what if he’s thirteen? His combat stamina is far better than that of you, a man in his twenties,” Peacock said with a laugh, returning to her seat and gracefully picking up a glass of red wine.
Drake snorted, “He’s a Mythical Zoan user; I’m just a poor Ancient Zoan. It’s normal that I can’t compare.”
Peacock chuckled and sipped her wine, looking at Rosha, who was awkwardly munching on snacks to hide his embarrassment. “You’re heading to Marineford soon, right? Are you prepared, Rosha?”
Rosha cleared his throat, puzzled. “Prepared? For what?”
“You know, the traditions of the North Blue. Word has already spread in the headquarters. Even though you haven’t arrived yet, many are already interested in the young recruit from the North Blue,” Peacock explained.
Rosha was confused. “The traditions of the North Blue? I… I’m not sure. Drake, do you know?”
“What? North Blue traditions?” Drake looked bewildered.
Seeing Rosha’s confusion, Peacock blinked and then laughed. “Not knowing might be better. Just wait until you get to Marineford; you’ll see the surprise. Oh, and there’s a young girl who has been seriously learning cooking and medical skills all year, hoping to prepare a grand feast for you when you arrive.”
“Yun… Yunzhu?” Rosha’s mouth twitched as he recalled the heartfelt bento Yunzhu had made for him.
Should he eat it? It might be poisonous…
Never mind, he decided to bring Law along; as a doctor, Law should have experience with food poisoning.
Thinking this, Rosha glanced at Law, only to find him glaring at him with a resentful expression.
“Ha, Law, what’s wrong?” Rosha asked with a dry laugh, playing dumb.
“You know what’s wrong. You still have the nerve to ask?” Law’s forehead creased with black lines.
After the battle in the Prince’s Kingdom, where Law was severely injured and had his arm cut off by Doflamingo, he was brought back to Senrock Island by the soldiers of Base 177 for rest and treatment.
As a skilled doctor with the Op-Op Fruit, injuries like missing limbs were no different from minor cuts to him. As long as he had spare limbs, he could replace them anytime.
So, he recovered fully within five days on Senrock Island. Originally planning to leave as soon as possible, he intended to take his small submarine and escape the turmoil of the Prince’s Kingdom, hiding from the Donquixote Family while quietly improving his strength.
However, Rosha used various excuses to force him to stay.
On the first day, Rosha told him he should at least say goodbye to Drake before leaving.
On the second day, when Drake returned, Rosha said that as pirates, staying in the Prince’s Kingdom’s current situation was dangerous. They might as well wait for a couple more days.
On the fourth day, Admiral Kuzan, whose terrifying strength had scared Doflamingo away, came to chat with him, treating him to a meal and making him drink until he was unconscious.
On the fifth day, Rosha told him that his submarine had been hit by pirate cannons and was leaking. The logistics department of Base 177 was urgently repairing it, so Law should wait a bit longer.
Then today, Drake found him again, saying he was leaving the North Blue to return to the headquarters. Since they had shared life-and-death experiences, they should have a farewell drink.
Thus, Law, who should have left six days ago, was still stuck on Senrock Island.
Law glared at the silver-haired teenager, chewing on his rice ball, determined to leave Senrock Island with Bepo and the others after this farewell drink. Staying any longer, he feared he would be tricked again.
Who would have thought a thirteen-year-old kid could be so cunning?
Law finally understood the sense of powerlessness he had felt in the Prince’s Kingdom when he learned from Drake that Rosha was only thirteen.
Drake deeply empathized, and the two rarely found common ground.
Seeing Law’s dark expression, Rosha laughed, warmly draping his arm around Law’s shoulder and raising a glass. “Don’t be mad, come on, let’s have a drink.”
Law froze, trying to break free. He wasn’t used to such close contact.
However, the thirteen-year-old boy’s hand was as firm as a seastone handcuff. No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t break free.
After toasting with Law, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot, Rosha cleared his throat and took a deep breath, looking sincerely at Hawkins and Law.
“Hawkins, Law, after the battle in the Prince’s Kingdom, you’ve seen a glimpse of the world’s darkness.”
Peacock, sitting opposite, and Drake to his right, also became serious at Rosha’s words.
Law stopped eating, and Hawkins looked up slightly.
Rosha continued, “Miguel Jones, Doflamingo, Prince Ilya, any one of them is an unattainable figure for the people of this kingdom.”
“Their strength and status are on another level.”
“Ordinary civilians desire nothing more than a peaceful life, but even such a simple wish depends on the mercy and pity of those in power.”
“If the rulers are in a bad mood or go mad, a single decision can drag thousands of ordinary people into hell.”
Sighing, Rosha poured himself another glass and downed it in one gulp.
He wasn’t a drinker, and his young face was already flushed after just two glasses.
Pointing to himself, Rosha said, “My hometown is a small island called Maple Leaf Village in the Kingdom of Roubini, the homeland of the great explorer Norland.”
“I lived there for twelve years. Despite my poor family background and some bad experiences, without the chaos brought by pirates, life was bearable.”
“But a single pirate, who now seems weak and insignificant to me, with a bounty of only 16 million berries, wiped out my entire village, killing all 187 people, including my father.”
Rosha’s eyes turned red.
“Sigh, that’s what pirates are, locusts of the sea. They leave nothing but destruction in their wake,” Drake sighed, patting Rosha’s shoulder.
“Not all pirates are bad people…” Law’s somber voice echoed.
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