Tears flowed continuously from Rosinante's eyes as if he had lost consciousness.
Great pain filled his mind; he couldn't understand why his family suddenly suffered such misfortune. Why did his mother die? Why were they being hunted? Why did his brother kill their father?
Young Rosinante couldn't grasp the reasons for all this; he only felt pain and fear.
Pain from the death of his family and fear from Do flamingo's behaviour. He wasn't human; he was a demon!
At some point, Rosinante regained consciousness. He didn't dare stay in front of Doflamingo any longer; he could only run, constantly run!
He had to get away from Doflamingo because this monster would consume everyone. If he could kill their father, he wouldn't care about his younger brother.
Rosinante didn't want to stay with the one who killed their father. But because of the recent hardships, he had to survive by eating garbage, which left his body very weak.
Fortunately, Doflamingo didn't notice him. He focused solely on taking Homing's head to Mariejois to reclaim his status as a Celestial Dragon.
Doflamingo would do anything for that status.
Rosinante couldn't understand Doflamingo's mindset; he could only keep running until he had no strength left, exhausted to the point where the world ahead turned dark.
At that moment, he saw someone approaching him.
His heart sank. He remembered his current situation. Everyone who saw him wanted to torment him, to make his life miserable.
His heart was despairing, and he regretted escaping that broken "home."
The shadow gradually covered him. The person approaching was an adult wearing blue trousers and a white shirt. When Rosinante looked up again, he saw the man had pale skin and brown hair.
The man had a solemn expression with chiselled features, exuding a calm aura.
Rosinante stared blankly at the man, unable to speak or even think of what to say.
"You..."
The man looked at the blood-stained Rosinante and his tattered clothing, speaking up.
His voice was deep and calm, carrying a hint of compassionate mercy.
"You seem to be badly hurt."
Rosinante swallowed. He had initially thought the man would kill or harm him, but he didn't expect such words. Still, he remained silent. His recent experiences taught him to be cautious and vigilant.
He would run at the slightest hint of danger.
Water Behind crouched slightly, touching Rosinante's head. Instantly, a gentle force flowed into his body, making Rosinante feel relaxed.
"May the Holy Mother's mercy alleviate all suffering."
The man spoke softly.
All of Rosinante's injuries vanished. Even the blood on his face, which had splattered from his father when Doflamingo shot him, washed away like water. The dirt on his body and clothes was cleaned.
Almost instantly, Rosinante transformed from a wounded, filthy refugee to a clean, glowing child.
"Go home."
The man said softly, then stood up and walked past Rosinante.
"I..."
Rosinante was stunned. These were the most comforting words he had heard in years and the best treatment he had received in a long time. He didn't know what to say or do.
For the first time, he met someone who didn't want to kill him. Tears welled up in his eyes as he struggled to suppress his weakness, biting his lip hard to hold back his tears. "I have no home!"
The man stopped. He seemed to recall something, then said deeply, "I see. But... neither do I."
"Eh?" Rosinante looked at the man in surprise, feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry..."
"No, in fact, the world is my home." The man turned around slowly, speaking in his deep voice. "God is everywhere. I can hear God's voice wherever I go. Where God resides is my home, even if... it has been thousands of years."
Rosinante needed help understanding. He just looked up at the man and asked,
"Uncle, what's your name?"
The man glanced at the sky, lowered his head, and turned around. "Water, Water Behind."
Water... Behind?
What a strange name.
"My name is Donquixote Rosinante!" Rosinante shouted.
"Then Donquixote Rosinante, follow me." Water Behind started walking again, speaking in a deep voice. "Until you find your home, the Holy Mother's mercy will watch over you."
...
Several hundred meters away stood a tall tower.
A Xing sat atop the tower, one hand resting on his knee, looking surprised. "I originally planned to take Rosinante, but I didn't expect him to meet someone else."
Next to A Xing stood Vice Admiral Tsuru of the Navy Headquarters.
Tsuru didn't sit atop the tower but stood looking into the distance. "Is that person's identity reliable?"
The Donquixote family might have abandoned their Celestial Dragon status, but their bloodline remained. The World Government could allow their demise, but some people still cared about the Celestial Dragons' bloodline.
This is especially true after A Xing reported the Donquixote family's situation to Fleet Admiral Kong, who then sent A Xing and Tsuru.
A Xing and Tsuru, a vice admiral and an admiral, were sent to take the Donquixote family because Homing had been an excellent person, even as a Celestial Dragon. His reputation among the Celestial Dragons was poor, but it was excellent among others.
That's why Kong sent A Xing and Tsuru. At the very least, they couldn't let them continue to suffer.
However, they were shocked to find that Doflamingo had already killed Homing.
After learning this, they realised Doflamingo wasn't someone they could take and educate, so they turned their attention to Rosinante.
But to their surprise, Rosinante was taken by Water Behind.
"I don't know." A Xing said to Tsuru. "By the way, Vice Admiral Tsuru, I seem to have heard Water Behind mention 'thousands of years'..."
Thousands of years?!
Tsuru's eyes widened.
Thousands of years meant...
The era of demons!