Rosinante

Regarding this North Blue mission, Sengoku Guo had previously discussed it in detail with Vidal; the plan was actually not that complicated.

It all comes down to one word: speed!

Upon arrival in the North Blue, immediately launch a surprise attack on Ovendo Island without notifying the North Blue branch there for support.

These were decisions made after careful consideration by the Admiral of the Sengoku.

As mentioned before, the illegal research team involved in this operation was most likely supported by the Vinsmoke Family.

Even though the Vinsmoke, which once unified this sea, is now in decline, their influence remains immeasurable.

After all, they are still the biggest local power here. If we rashly contact the naval branch here, there's no guarantee that there might be members of the Vinsmoke family inside!

To ensure the speed of this surprise attack, Sengoku only brought one main-class warship, which is equivalent to a force of a thousand men.

However quickly they arrive, the marines still need to find a small island to get a good night's sleep, recover their energy, and breathe some fresh air.

"Vidal, you'll be participating in this raid too. I've already told you what to be careful about."

"Okay, leave it to me!"

The warship had already prepared a detailed nautical chart of the North Blue, so they successfully avoided all the small islands with medium to large towns.

However, this makes it much more difficult to find a completely wild island, especially one that isn't surrounded by many inhabited islands.

This large warship, capable of carrying a thousand people, was simply too conspicuous. Anyone with even a slight familiarity with the navy could tell that it was different from the warships of the North Blue Division.

After all, there aren't any warships that big here!

They wandered around until the stars appeared in the sky before finally finding a small island in a perfect location, only three days' sailing from Ovendo Island.

The North Blue is simply too vast, far exceeding the size of the 'small places' of the Grand Line.

After the warships anchored in a sheltered spot, Sengoku decisively ordered a landing on the island. Immediately, waves of fully armed marines, dressed in blue trousers and white shirts, rushed onto the island, led by a dozen officers.

Since they've decided to spend the night here, they need to search the entire island first to see if there's anything that might disturb their rest.

These things didn't require Sengoku to give instructions one by one, nor did they require Vidal to do them personally.

All he needed to do was follow behind Rear Admiral Sengoku, one on the left and one on the right, alongside Sengoku Admiral Xibasi, even though he was just a Colonel.

This is the privilege that comes with demonstrating strength, and no one objects to it!

"Have someone bring down a batch of meat. We'll have a good barbecue here tonight; after all, they're about to face a tough battle."

Sengoku treated his marines fairly well; while he wasn't merciful enough to refuse their sacrifices, he tried his best to take care of their feelings.

But if necessary, he can also issue cold, expressionless orders.

"Admiral, I won't be eating with you tonight. I really don't like meat," Vidal said helplessly from behind.

"Whatever."

Sengoku glanced at him. Over the past forty days, he had learned more about Vidal, including his love of money, his fondness for making a living, his ability to go without food, and his dislike of meat.

Actually, he envied the fact that he didn't have to eat. Whenever he had so much work that it gave him a headache, eating would become a very troublesome thing.

Thinking about it that way, this brat really is the best candidate to be Fleet Admiral; he can work around the clock.

Soon, one after another, dark gray triangular tents appeared on this deserted island that had been uninhabited for who knows how many years.

Meanwhile, squads of marines patrolled and stood guard nearby, making it resemble a temporary military base, though the atmosphere was far from solemn.

Especially after Sengoku issued the order to hold a barbecue party, all the navy personnel were filled with happy smiles.

They cleared a space, set up the barbecue grills that had been taken from the warship, and then divided into groups to go inside the island to cut down trees.

In fact, Vidal could have easily forced the wood to grow to the right length and size, but seeing how happy they were, he didn't bring it up.

It's a good thing these marines have some recreational activities, so let's not meddle and add unnecessary trouble.

"Report, Admiral Sengoku!"

Suddenly, a marine ran up quickly, saluted Sengoku, and shouted, "We've found a little boy on the island who looks like a refugee from the sea!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Sengoku was quite surprised that there were people in this place; they had specifically sought out this uninhabited island. He immediately said, "Lead the way!"

Vidal, who was following behind Rear Admiral Xibasi, had a thoughtful look in his eyes; he seemed to have guessed the boy's identity.

"Wow!"

Soon, the three men and the dozen or so marines following behind them heard the sound of a child crying.

"It really was him."

Vidal recognized the blond boy at first glance: Donquixote Rosinante!

If you look at the timeline, it's indeed come to this point. Doflamingo came to North Blue this year with Vergo and the others to officially form the Donquixote Family.

The little guy, finding his older brother scary, ran away on his own in a small, shabby boat.

However, judging from the current situation, he clearly doesn't have the same luck as Luffy in the future. His ship must have been capsized by the waves and drifted to this island.

Whether he was lucky or unlucky, he just happened to run into Sengoku, who were here to rest.

At this moment, Sengoku quickly walked towards the little boy who was surrounded by some marines, then knelt down and gently placed his hands on the shoulders of the crying boy, asking softly.

"Little friend, what are you doing here? Where are your parents?"

Faced with Sengoku's patient and repeated questioning, the little boy finally stopped crying and answered the questions intermittently through sobs.

"My father was killed by my brother. I was terrified of him and didn't want to be with him, so I ran away."

Upon hearing such a horrific family tragedy, all the sailors fell silent. The brother killed the father?

This sea is truly full of wonders; even the most heinous things can happen here.

"So what's your name?" Sengoku patted the boy's blond hair reassuringly.

"Rosinante, my name is Rosinante!"

"Hello, Rosinante, my name is Sengoku."

Sengoku smiled upon hearing this, picked up Rosinante, looked at the boy in his arms, and said with a smile, "Since you have no parents and no home now, then live with me!"

Upon hearing this, Rosinante looked at the kind and amiable man before him, bewildered.

"Admiral, are you going to adopt him?" Vidal walked over and asked knowingly, then said, "Actually, if you find it too troublesome, I can adopt him too."

This is a Celestial Dragons! Adopting Rosinante would definitely be a great deal!

Upon hearing this, Sengoku glared at Vidal and said curtly, "If a little brat like you can adopt two sons, why can't I?"

"Alright then." Vidal smiled awkwardly, patted Rosinante's head, and asked with a smile, "How old are you?"

"I'm seven years old," Rosinante said timidly.

"Isn't that about the same age as my youngest son? Enel is only eight years old this year. You two can spend more time together in the future!" Vidal looked at him with feigned surprise.

Immediately afterward, he conjured a bright red apple from his palm and handed it to her, smiling gently, "Do you like apples? Try one."

I'll post three chapters first, and I'll update more tomorrow depending on how things go. I'm incredibly nervous right now. I only have a little over three thousand favorites; is five hundred average daily subscriptions even a realistic goal?