At the time, Rosinante was twelve years old, the same age as Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
His full name was Donquixote Rosinante. Yes the younger brother of Donquixote Doflamingo.
Originally, Rosinante's family had lived as Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. However, his father chose to renounce their Celestial Dragon status and relocated their family to an island nation somewhere along the Grand Line.
Unfortunately, when the locals discovered that they were former Celestial Dragons, they turned on the family in violent retaliation.
Stripped of their noble status, the Donquixote family was "put on trial" by the citizens. And just as the family was on the verge of catastrophe, the young Doflamingo awakened his Conqueror's Haki.
That "natural-born demon" believed all the torment they'd suffered was his father's fault. He severed his father's head and carried it to Mary Geoise, seeking to regain his Celestial Dragon status but he was refused.
During this chaos, the young Rosinante survived only because he was rescued by Sengoku, who later adopted him as his foster son.
Rosinante's early life was a tangled web of both tragedy and fortune. His idealistic father had left him with a kindness rarely found among the Celestial Dragons. Although the upheavals he endured had stripped some of his youthful innocence, Rosinante's innate goodness remained intact.
Yoriichi could sense this very clearly.
Since meeting Rosinante, Yoriichi's days had become considerably livelier.
Like Yoriichi, Rosinante hadn't enrolled formally in the Naval Academy yet, nor had he officially joined the Marines because of his young age.
Moreover, Sengoku was highly protective of him. Very few people aside from Sengoku's close friends were aware of Rosinante's true identity.
Most days, Yoriichi stayed at home, reading books with Rosinante. Sometimes, they'd wander around the residential areas of Marineford, casually exploring. Over time, these two kids, close in age, had become good friends.
And at night, when Zephyr returned home, he would often share amusing stories from life at the Naval Academy. As for Yoriichi's so-called "study progress," Zephyr never seemed concerned in the slightest.
These days were peaceful and quiet, reminding Yoriichi of his own student days long ago.
But this calm routine came to an abrupt end half a month later, once the dojo was finally completed.
Zephyr's custom-built dojo for Yoriichi was now finished and Yoriichi's daily life was about to change dramatically.
"Hey! Yoriichi! Yoriichi!"
"I'm here!"
"Come on, bring it on! Today, I'm gonna show you how strong I am!"
Early one morning, Rosinante burst into Zephyr's house, waving a bamboo sword in his hand. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he started shouting at the top of his lungs.
He'd heard the day before that the dojo was complete and was eager to teach Yoriichi a thing or two about "kenjutsu." Although he hadn't officially joined the Marines, Sengoku often gave him private training sessions.
When it came to swordsmanship, Rosinante had some basic skills… though, admittedly, not very solid ones.
"Hm?"
"Oh! It's Sengoku's kid! Hahaha, you're here!"
Just then, Zephyr emerged from another bedroom. The Naval Academy was closed for the day, giving Zephyr a rare day off. It just so happened that the dojo had been completed yesterday, and Zephyr planned to spend today thoroughly training Yoriichi.
When he saw Rosinante dashing into his house, Zephyr didn't scold him at all. Instead, he laughed heartily.
When it wasn't a time for strict training, Zephyr had always been warm and tolerant toward young Marines. And since Rosinante was Sengoku's foster son and a good friend of Yoriichi's Zephyr welcomed him even more. After all, Rosinante was Yoriichi's very first friend among kids his age in the Navy.
"Uh…"
"Admiral Zephyr!"
A moment ago, Rosinante had been yelling excitedly, but at the sight of Zephyr, he instantly straightened up and greeted him respectfully.
While the two exchanged words, Yoriichi appeared, stepping out of his bedroom dressed in loose training clothes.
Seeing Rosinante, Yoriichi's face lit up with a smile.
"Hey, kid. You're here."
"Come on, let's head to the dojo."
The two of them were quite familiar with each other. Rosinante, slender and thin, didn't have much muscle on his frame, so Yoriichi affectionately called him "kid." Another important reason for this nickname was that Rosinante's identity was supposed to be kept secret. Even while the craftsmen were building the dojo, Yoriichi had never referred to him by name in front of others.
"Hey!"
"Don't call me kid! I have a name!"
Rosinante shouted indignantly upon hearing the nickname. Now that the craftsmen were gone and it was just the "inner circle," there was no longer any need to be cautious.
"All right, kid," Yoriichi replied cheerfully. He kept calling him the same thing, leaving Rosinante completely speechless.
"Come on, come on! Let me show you what I've got! Then we'll see if you keep calling me kid!"
Rosinante brandished his bamboo sword dramatically.
Under Sengoku's guidance, Rosinante had set his sights on becoming a capable Marine. Ever since arriving at Marine Headquarters, he'd been working hard toward that goal.
Becoming a Marine meant being able to fight. So when he learned that Yoriichi also wanted to join the Navy and that Zephyr had built a dojo specifically for Yoriichi's training Rosinante immediately proposed that they train together and grow stronger side by side.
"Sure," Yoriichi said with a grin, amused by how fired up Rosinante looked.
Together, the two entered the dojo that Zephyr had commissioned to be built.
The dojo covered nearly a hundred square meters. Its interior was quite spartan, with hardly any furnishings aside from racks of bamboo swords lined up against the walls. It was simple, but for Yoriichi, it was perfectly adequate.
Barefoot, Yoriichi stepped onto the dojo floor and casually picked up a bamboo sword from the rack. He gave it a few practice swings. The air whistled as the sword sliced through it.
"Feels pretty good."
"Come on, kid. Let's go."
Yoriichi called out with a smile. Rosinante, gripping his own bamboo sword, stepped into the dojo and stood in front of him.
Zephyr followed them inside, watching the two boys with interest. He settled onto an empty spot on the floor and said cheerfully,
"I'll be your referee!"
"Both of you give it your best!"
Zephyr knew full well that Rosinante was no match for Yoriichi, but he still loved watching sparring matches. Young people supporting and challenging each other that was something he himself had experienced in his youth.
It didn't matter if there was a gap in strength. Even a large gap was fine. Friends were meant to help each other grow.
"All right, let's start!"
Zephyr called out loudly, adopting the voice of a proper referee.
As soon as his voice fell, Rosinante sprang forward. With a burst of speed, he raised his sword high and slashed down toward Yoriichi's head. The bamboo sword sliced the air with a fierce "whoosh," and the strike looked impressively forceful.
"Your footwork's a little shaky… and your intentions are way too obvious."
"You're not cut out for this, kid."
The moment Rosinante attacked, Yoriichi instantly recognized him for the novice he was. He hadn't even tested Yoriichi's defense first; he just charged in boldly with a wide-open middle. As far as swordsmanship went, it was downright amateurish.
With a simple flick of his own blade, Yoriichi easily deflected Rosinante's strike. In the same motion, he thrust his bamboo sword forward, gently touching the tip to Rosinante's chest.
Yoriichi hadn't used much force it was purely technique.
Rosinante felt his breath catch as the bamboo tip pressed against his sternum. He stumbled backward three steps before regaining his balance.
"You're dead," Yoriichi said with a cheerful grin. Sparring with Rosinante felt to him like playing with a child.
"Again!"
Rosinante rubbed his chest, his eyes suddenly burning with excitement.
He hadn't expected it at all. His friend was stronger than he'd imagined and that made it far more interesting.
However, barely ten minutes later, Rosinante was already finding it less fun.
At first, he'd thought Yoriichi only knew a little bit of swordplay. But now he realized that Yoriichi actually knew an enormous amount far more than just "a little."
Every one of his attacks was parried cleanly by Yoriichi, who could counterattack immediately afterward.
Each time, within a single exchange, Rosinante found himself defeated. Thankfully, Yoriichi always held back, so even after being struck repeatedly, Rosinante never sustained any real injuries.
Still, getting beaten in one move every time was downright disheartening. It was like trying to play a shooting game, only to get sniped the instant you spawned. Where was the fun in that?
Meanwhile, Zephyr sat off to the side, grinning non-stop as he watched Rosinante get thoroughly trounced.
"Ahhhhh!"
"I'm done! I can't beat you!"
"Yoriichi, why didn't you tell me you already knew kenjutsu? If I'd known, I wouldn't have challenged you. This one-sided slaughter is way too boring."
Several minutes later, Rosinante flung his bamboo sword aside, drenched in sweat, and collapsed onto the tatami mats, completely defeated.
"You're hopeless if you're giving up after just a few tries."
"Come on, get up. Let's keep going."
"I haven't even properly loosened up yet."
Yoriichi looked down at the boy sprawled on the floor, exasperated. Now he understood why, despite growing up under Sengoku's care, Rosinante ended up as a second-rate fighter. He didn't know Haki, nor had he mastered any of the Navy's Six Powers.
No wonder, Yoriichi thought. Even as Sengoku's foster son, Rosinante ultimately became nothing more than a mere Commander.
Frankly, in Yoriichi's opinion, this kid didn't even measure up to a Commander. Even Tashigi, that young Sergeant from Loguetown, was probably stronger than him!
"No way. I can't let this kid slack off. He needs training."
"I can't start learning Haki yet anyway. For now, I'll focus on building up my body and I'll drag this kid along for the ride."
"That way, he won't end up getting thrashed by Vergo in the future and tarnish Sengoku's reputation as his foster son."
"Besides… if people find out this kid trained with me, and he still turns out pathetic, it'd be an embarrassment by association. Even if I'm not famous yet."