Chapter 11
When Zephyr returned to his residence, Roronoa? No—Kokushibo? Wait, the young man known as Tsugikuni Yoriichi was still sitting on the veranda, his head tilted upward as he gazed at the star-filled night sky.
Only after Zephyr approached did Yoriichi stand up and smile at him.
“Teacher Zephyr, you’re back.”
“Oh!”
“Yoriichi, you haven’t gone to bed yet?”
The starlight clustered around the moonlight, illuminating half of Yoriichi’s face. Looking at that youthful countenance, Zephyr composed himself before asking,
“I actually don’t go to sleep this early.”
Zephyr nodded upon hearing this. After hesitating for a moment and thinking it over, he said,
“Yoriichi, you are already my disciple.”
“However, I’m the chief instructor of the Marine School, so I won’t actually have much free time. Because of the regulations, you won’t be able to stay by my side all the time either.”
“Yoriichi, can you read?”
It seemed as though Zephyr had suddenly thought of something as he asked the question.
“I think so…” Yoriichi answered uncertainly. He had never encountered the written language of the world of pirates before.
“Hmm… I’ll bring you some books on navigation and related subjects later. Read them on your own in your spare time. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me when I come back.”
“When I return, I’ll also make time to teach you the relevant knowledge.”
“To become a Marine, the first things you need to learn are how to read nautical charts, master navigational knowledge, and understand the world.”
“As for combat training, I already have some ideas. We’ll gradually put them into practice later.”
“For now, the most important thing is to acquire knowledge!”
“Get some rest early tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll try to find a teacher to help you.”
As he spoke, Zephyr patted Yoriichi on the shoulder. The earnest look on his face allowed Yoriichi to feel the deep concern he had for him.
“All right, Teacher Zephyr.”
Zephyr turned and walked away. Yoriichi watched his departing back in silence for a long time.
Black Arm Zephyr, the Unkillable Admiral.
This man truly possessed a unique kind of charm that made people instinctively trust and rely on him.
As Zephyr walked away, however, his expression was solemn.
He felt that Yoriichi’s talent was going to be wasted by him—and by the Marines.
“I have to… think of another way…”
…
At dawn, a thin layer of mist shrouded Marineford.
While he was still asleep, Tsugikuni Yoriichi suddenly sensed some movement outside. His eyes snapped open.
After getting up, he grabbed the long sword beside his bed, pushed open the door, and walked out of the bedroom.
However, the moment he stepped outside, Yoriichi was stunned by the sight before him.
The sky was still dim, yet a large number of craftsmen had already arrived at Zephyr’s home. At this moment, the courtyard outside his bedroom was piled high with all sorts of lumber.
Zephyr stood on the veranda with his arms crossed, looking every bit like a construction supervisor.
“Teacher Zephyr… what are you doing?”
Hearing the voice behind him, Zephyr turned around. Seeing Yoriichi’s sleepy expression, he smiled.
“Oh! You’re awake!”
“I’ve decided to build a small dojo at home and convert that empty room into it.”
“When you’re not studying, you can conduct your usual training in the dojo.”
“Oh, right. I brought you some books. You can move them to your room later.”
As he spoke, Zephyr pointed toward a stack of books beside his feet and smiled.
“So many?!”
Yoriichi turned his head and looked over.
The stack of books beside Zephyr’s feet was nearly a meter high.
How long would it take him to finish all of these?!
It wasn’t that Yoriichi was afraid of studying. Rather, he had never imagined that becoming a Marine would require learning so many things!
If someone really had to study this much before they could become a Marine, then Yoriichi dared to say that there probably wouldn’t be many Marines left in the entire world of One Piece.
“Teacher… did you make some kind of mistake? Are you sure I really have to study all of these?”
Tsugikuni Yoriichi walked over to the pile of books and casually picked up one titled World History.
After flipping through a few pages, Yoriichi put it down and picked up another book titled The Contributions of the Celestial Dragons.
After only briefly flipping through several pages, he put that one back as well.
Bending down, Yoriichi roughly scanned the titles of the books.
His eyelids twitched.
These books were vastly different from what Yoriichi had understood “knowledge” to mean.
He had assumed he would be learning things such as navigation, military knowledge, and so on.
Who could have expected that this entire stack consisted of various kinds of “history” and various “contributions”?
Just looking at the titles was enough to make Yoriichi lose interest.
“Oh, this is only the first batch. We’ll take it step by step. Start with these.”
“If there are any words you don’t recognize, or if you have any thoughts, you can tell me.”
As he said this, Zephyr’s tone was also filled with displeasure.
These books weren’t ones he had personally selected for Yoriichi.
They had been chosen by Kong.
Zephyr naturally understood what the Marine Fleet Admiral was planning.
Zephyr’s original intention had been to let Yoriichi study navigation first, learn how to read nautical charts, and gain a general understanding of the world.
But Kong had disrupted his plans.
And what else could Zephyr do?
He could only bring the books back for now.
Still, Zephyr had already figured out what to do.
If Yoriichi was interested in reading them, then he could read them.
If he wasn’t interested, they could simply serve as reading material for learning the written language.
“All right. I’ll read them.”
Yoriichi could hear the displeasure in Zephyr’s voice.
He also understood that this displeasure wasn’t directed at him.
After seeing these books, Yoriichi thought for a moment and quickly figured things out.
“So the Marines still don’t completely trust someone like me, whose origins are unknown.”
Yoriichi sighed inwardly.
However, the distrust of the Marine higher-ups didn’t affect his mood.
He wasn’t actually a child, after all.
Yoriichi understood very well that trust was something that inherently required time to establish.
After giving the craftsmen some instructions regarding the construction of the dojo, Zephyr handed Yoriichi some money and went directly to “work.”
There was nothing he could do about it.
After all, as the Marine School’s chief instructor, he still had quite a lot of daily affairs to deal with.
Yoriichi didn’t interfere with the craftsmen while they were building the dojo either.
This was Zephyr’s home, not his own.
Yoriichi understood his position very clearly.
Carrying the books, Yoriichi returned to his room.
“It looks like I won’t be able to come into contact with Haki anytime soon.”
“Before I get access to Haki, I should focus on strengthening my physique.”
After putting the books away, Yoriichi looked at their tables of contents.
With great reluctance, he pulled out World History and began flipping through it.
Before reading, Yoriichi was full of resistance.
But once he actually immersed himself in the contents, he stopped rejecting it.
Although the book was written from the “justice” perspective of the World Government, its contents could still help Yoriichi understand this world.
At the same time, as he continued reading, Yoriichi gained a new understanding of the chaotic political situation of this world.
“Clang… clang… clang…”
The sound of wood being struck rang out from the courtyard.
The craftsmen had finished moving the materials and had officially begun construction.
After staying in his room for a while, Yoriichi heard the noise outside. Carrying his book, he walked out onto the veranda, leaned against one of the pillars, and sat down on the floor.
Taking advantage of the morning light, he continued reading the “history” in his hands.
While working, the craftsmen would occasionally glance at Tsugikuni Yoriichi sitting nearby.
They were filled with curiosity toward this quiet young man.
It was their first time seeing a child living in Admiral Zephyr’s home.
However, they had also heard that all of Zephyr’s family members had perished.
Precisely because of this, they were even more curious about Yoriichi’s existence.
“Is the owner of the house here?”
“Which one of you is Tsugikuni Yoriichi?!”
Just as Tsugikuni Yoriichi was engrossed in his “history,” a voice suddenly came from the entrance.
Turning his head, he saw a blond-haired boy casually walking into the courtyard.
After looking over the craftsmen who were working, the boy’s gaze immediately landed on Tsugikuni Yoriichi sitting on the veranda.
“Red hair and a flame-shaped birthmark.”
“It must be him.”
Rosinante thought to himself.
He walked directly over to Yoriichi and greeted him.
“Hello! Tsugikuni Yoriichi!”
After saying that, Rosinante leaned down toward Yoriichi’s ear and introduced himself in a lowered voice.
“My name is Rosinante. Admiral Zephyr asked me to come here.”
Afterward, Rosinante straightened up and extended his hand toward Yoriichi.
“It’s nice to meet you!”
“I’ve been assigned by Admiral Zephyr to be your ‘teacher’!”
“I look forward to working with you!”
Rosinante had a head of beautiful blond hair.
Although his facial features couldn’t exactly be called exquisite, he was still handsome enough to be considered quite the good-looking young man.
He was tall and slender, and although he wore the ordinary sailor uniform of a Marine, his entire bearing was energetic and upright.
With his sincere and brilliant smile, it was easy for people to feel a sense of familiarity toward him.
Yoriichi looked at the nearly two-meter-tall young man standing before him, his expression momentarily stunned.
After a brief pause, Yoriichi smiled as well and shook Rosinante’s hand.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you too.”
“I look forward to working with you.”
