The last rays of the setting sun fell on the stone paths of Headquarters. A day of training had just ended, and Roy was heading to the cafeteria to fill his stomach. He had his hands in his pockets, his black hair slightly messy, but his eyes were bright and composed.
Suddenly, his gaze caught a tall figure—short blond hair slightly tousled by the breeze, a crisp white Marine uniform that made him look sharp, the epaulets on his shoulders glinting in the sunlight. As the man looked down at a file, the cufflink on his sleeve sparkled with his movement. His steps were steady but carried a hint of exhaustion.
"Rosinante?"
Roy paused, the information about this man flashing through his mind. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku's adopted son, the future undercover agent who will infiltrate Doflamingo's family... But right now, he's still an active Marine officer."
He smiled slightly and his figure flashed—
"Swish!"
"Whoa!!"
The sudden appearance of a figure in front of him made Rosinante stumble in shock. His files scattered to the ground with a "clatter." He clutched his chest, his eyes wide. "Y-You...!"
Roy bent down to help him pick up the files and looked up with a smile. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
Rosinante looked closely at the boy and was slightly taken aback. "...You're Roy, from Instructor Zephyr's unit?"
Roy raised an eyebrow. "You know me?"
Rosinante scratched the back of his head and gave a somewhat shy smile. "Your name has been ringing all over Headquarters lately. Suppressing a pirate riot and saving so many people at just 12 years old... you're a 'monster rookie'!"
Roy handed him the files, his tone calm. "Just got lucky."
Rosinante took the files, a hint of curiosity and kindness in his eyes. "Still, could you please not pop up so suddenly next time? My heart can't take that level of shock."
Roy shrugged slightly, a smile playing on his lips. "It's a habit. Can't change it."
They looked at each other for a moment and then suddenly burst out laughing at the same time.
"By the way, are you heading to the cafeteria?" Rosinante asked casually, holding his files.
Roy nodded. "Yeah, I'm starving after training."
Rosinante patted his stomach. "What a coincidence, I haven't had dinner either. Want to go together?"
Roy didn't refuse. "Sure."
As they walked to the cafeteria side-by-side, Rosinante couldn't help but glance at the boy next to him. He was only 12, but he was nearly two meters tall, and his presence was unnervingly steady.
"I hear you usually train with Instructor Zephyr?" Rosinante's voice held a hint of admiration.
Roy nodded. "Yeah, and sometimes Mr. Garp grabs me for special training."
Rosinante's eye twitched, and he patted his chest with a wry smile. "Mr. Garp's 'Fist of Love'? That's an experience you'll never forget."
Roy glanced at him. "It seems you're not a stranger to it either?"
Rosinante shook his head and sighed. "Mr. Sengoku took me to see him a few times when I was a kid... That fist is scarier than a cannonball."
The cafeteria was brightly lit, with soldiers eating in small groups. The two found a relatively quiet corner to sit.
Rosinante picked up a piece of bread and asked, his words muffled, "By the way, I've always been curious. Your Teleport Fruit, how did you develop it? Can you take people with you?"
Roy put a piece of meat in his mouth, chewed a few times, and said lightly, "I can, but the more people I take, the more energy it consumes."
Rosinante's eyes lit up. "That must be really useful for rescue missions!" He then realized he might have asked too much and scratched his head with a dry laugh. "Sorry, occupational hazard, asking too many questions."
Roy put down his chopsticks, his gaze slightly darkening as he asked casually, "What about you? Why did you want to become a Marine?"
Rosinante's smile stiffened slightly. A complex light flashed in his eyes, and the bread in his hand paused in mid-air.
"Well... that's a long story."
He didn't elaborate, and Roy didn't press him.
After a brief chat, Rosinante looked at his watch and stood up with a wry smile. "Oh no, I have to report to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Let's talk again when we have the chance."
Roy nodded. "Yeah, take care."
Watching Rosinante walk away quickly, Roy's gaze deepened.
"At this point in time... he probably hasn't received his undercover mission yet."
He sighed softly, then stood up and walked out of the cafeteria. The night wind blew, carrying a hint of chill. Roy looked up at the light in Sengoku's office in the distance, shook his head, and walked towards the training ground.
On the path to the training camp, the setting sun's glow fell on the leaves, and a cool breeze blew. Suddenly, a lazy conversation came from up ahead—
"Arara... Smoker, you're smoking more and more fiercely."
"Hmph, better than you sleeping all day."
Roy was slightly taken aback. He looked up and saw Kuzan leaning lazily against a tree trunk, hands in his pockets, sunglasses halfway down his nose, looking like he had just woken up. Smoker stood in front of him, a cigar in his mouth, looking annoyed. "None of your business."
Roy raised an eyebrow, surprised to see the future Admiral Aokiji here. He walked up quickly and gave a polite military salute. "Mr. Kuzan, Smoker."
They both turned their heads.
Smoker snorted. "You came just in time. This guy was just talking about you."
Kuzan waved a lazy hand, a slight smile on his lips. "Yo, Roy~ The rumors about you have been all over Headquarters lately."
Roy smiled slightly. "I didn't expect you to come to the training camp."
Kuzan yawned lazily. "Just finished a meeting, thought I'd drop by to see Instructor Zephyr. Ended up running into this kid complaining about how you beat him up."
Smoker's face darkened. "Hey! That was training!"
Kuzan ignored him and instead narrowed his eyes, studying Roy carefully. A sharp glint suddenly flashed in his lazy eyes. "Hmm?"
A hint of fighting spirit emerged in Roy's eyes, which Kuzan keenly caught.
Smoker was stunned and immediately frowned. "Hey, Roy, you're not thinking of..."
Roy didn't shy away. He spoke directly, "Mr. Kuzan, could you spar with me?"
Smoker: "?!"
Kuzan was taken aback for a moment, then a meaningful smile spread across his face. "Oh? Why?"
Roy said seriously, "I want to know where my limits are right now."
Smoker immediately tried to dissuade him. "Hey, hey, are you crazy?! Kuzan is..."
But Kuzan had already straightened up, his lazy eyes instantly turning sharp. "Arara... interesting."
Just then, a steady voice came from not far away. "Go ahead and fight. I'll watch from the side."
The three of them turned around at the same time and saw that Zephyr had appeared under a large tree at some point, his arms crossed, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Roy was slightly stunned. "Instructor Zephyr?"
Zephyr strode over, patted Roy's shoulder, his smile full of expectation. "I also want to see what you can do when you go all out."
Kuzan scratched his head. "Arara... since Instructor Zephyr said so, I guess I'll have to get serious."
Smoker's mouth twitched. "Hey, hey, are you guys really going to do this? Kuzan is one of the strongest Logia users in the Navy!"
Zephyr glanced at him, his eyes sharp. "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 current limits."
Kuzan's lips curved into a smile. "Then... let's do it."
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