Chapter Eight: The Primeval Forest

Rolan arrived at the palace where the Golden Lion resided. At a glance, he saw the Golden Lion himself, his trusted aide Indigo, and the black gorilla known as Scarlato.

“Master Shiki, you called for me.”

After greeting Indigo, Rolan turned his curious gaze toward the Golden Lion, uncertain as to why he had been summoned today.

Over the past five years, Rolan hadn't seen the Golden Lion often. Aside from the times he sought out the Golden Lion to further his swordsmanship after advancing in skill, the Golden Lion treated him almost as if he didn’t exist, rarely seeking him out proactively.

“Two years ago, you told me you wanted to train in the forest outside the palace, but I refused you then.”

“Now, two years have passed, and I've witnessed your progress with my own eyes. It's time you saw some real blood.”

“Shutting yourself away and practicing behind closed doors is not always a good thing. Only through true combat can one achieve genuine growth in strength.”

“I had planned to bring this up to you myself, but I didn't expect you to have such an idea two years ago.”

“It’s just that, back then, you were too young; I wasn’t at ease letting you go.”

“But now, it's different. You’ve grown up. It's time for you to face these trials.”

The Golden Lion looked at the young man before him with great satisfaction.

He couldn’t help it—he had watched Rolan’s progress over these five years, and realized that perhaps a life like this was not so bad after all.

For the Golden Lion as he was now, the ambition to rule the seas had faded.

All he wished for was to watch Rolan mature and eventually inherit the Flying Pirates. Whether Rolan could make that name resound across the seas again was no longer his concern.

As long as the legacy continued, the Golden Lion was content.

“Really? I can go?”

At these words, Rolan’s eyes lit up.

The past five years of monotonous training had long worn on him, for it was nothing like cramming for university in his previous life.

Then, Rolan had known exactly when to expect challenges.

But now, his days consisted only of unending practice. Though never impatient, he could not help finding it tedious after so long.

He had previously sparred with the officers, but those powerful subordinates never dared use their full strength against him—always on the defensive, like sandbags. After a while, Rolan lost interest in them.

So he had asked the Golden Lion if he could fight the beasts in the forest. But at eleven, he was deemed too young, and the Golden Lion refused.

He had thought the Golden Lion would only agree when he was fifteen or sixteen, the age when many set out to sea as pirates or join the navy.

“Your strength is sufficient now. There’s no reason to hold you back any longer. If you have nothing to prepare, Scarlato can take you right away.”

“But you must be careful. The beasts on this island are all ones we have bred. Compared to ordinary animals, they are much more formidable.”

The Golden Lion continued.

“I have nothing to pack. I want to train in the jungle right now.”

Rolan shook his head. The chance to leave the palace and train in the forest was something he had long yearned for.

“Scarlato, take him.”

Seeing Rolan’s eagerness, the Golden Lion said no more. Unbeknownst to Rolan, he had already arranged for protection in secret and had no worries about his safety.

After all, this was his chosen successor. If the boy died at the hands of a beast while training on his own turf, it would be a terrible joke.

Scarlato beat his chest, gesturing for Rolan to follow. Once Rolan caught up, the gorilla bounded off toward the forest.

“Indigo, how is the research on the intelligence of those beasts progressing?”

Watching Rolan’s receding figure, the Golden Lion suddenly asked.

“Boss Shiki, we’ve prepared all this time to take revenge on the East Blue and show our strength to the world. Are you really going to give it up?”

At first, Indigo thought the Golden Lion was joking, but after repeated insistence, he realized he was serious.

Indigo was not the Golden Lion. Though he was satisfied with Rolan, it was because he expected Rolan to inherit the Flying Pirates and continue their dominance.

Yet to his surprise, before Rolan had even revealed his intentions, the Golden Lion had already given up his dream of supremacy—a decade and more of effort, abandoned just like that.

“I see that child very clearly. Though he has always lived here as my apprentice, the righteousness in his bones cannot be hidden.”

“Moreover, I sense from him another way of life—one I never dared imagine before.”

“I used to never understand Roger and Edward, believing pirates shouldn’t be like them.”

“But now, I think I understand. Perhaps pirates don’t have to be as we were.”

“You know, Indigo, I believe in that child. I believe he will do things we could never have imagined.”

“That’s why he needs power—a force strong enough to support him through a war, beyond his own strength.”

“And those beasts are the perfect choice.”

The Golden Lion smiled as he gazed after Rolan.

“I understand, Boss Shiki.”

Indigo nodded slowly. He understood now: the awe-inspiring Golden Lion of the past was gone. The man before him was an old pirate intent only on fostering the next generation.

Perhaps one day the Golden Lion would fight again, but it would never be for himself.

...

“All right, Scarlato, just walk me this far. From here, it’s up to me.”

Reaching the outskirts of a primeval forest, Rolan stopped.

“Aw?”

Clear question marks appeared on Scarlato’s brow.

“This is my own training. The beasts from here on out tend to be weaker. I’ll start from here and fight my way into the depths.”

“If you keep following me, the weaker beasts will be too scared by your presence to appear. Only those stronger than you would dare show themselves, and I wouldn’t be able to handle them—I’d have to rely on you.”

Rolan explained.

Scarlato gave him a thumbs-up, then turned and left without looking back.

Lifting his gaze from Scarlato, Rolan looked into the forest before him.

It was a vast, unbroken expanse of ancient woodland, layer upon layer of dense canopies interwoven to block out all but the faintest light, turning the world into a sea of deep green.

Stepping cautiously into the woods, Rolan’s heart pounded in his chest.

Though he’d longed for battle, now that he truly faced a life-or-death struggle, he couldn’t help feeling a little anxious.

After all, in his previous life he’d been a frail scholar, barely able to fend off thugs. Now he was to confront ferocious, otherworldly beasts—no small challenge.

But Rolan knew that only by passing this test could he truly become part of the pirate world.

In the future, adventures at sea—fighting and killing—would be as commonplace as daily bread.

“Come on, little beasts.”

Rolan gripped the hilt of his Nara blade, ready to draw it at the first sign of danger.

These past years, aside from his basic training, he had practiced the Golden Lion’s sword-drawing technique most of all.

The Golden Lion had told him: for a swordsman, the art of drawing the blade was crucial.

When facing unknown threats, they had to be able to respond in the briefest instant.

Of course, after mastering Observation Haki, sword-drawing would become less important.

“They’re coming.”

In the silent forest, a gust of wind swept by. Rolan instantly sensed danger.

He drew his sword—Nara flashed, slicing in a single direction. A cold gleam flickered before his eyes, and a spray of blood scattered through the air.

“A regular tiger? On this island, that must be the lowest rung.”

Tracking the trail of blood, Rolan saw a large, striped tiger—one paw severed, its eyes filled with fear and wariness.

“If the outer forest is filled with creatures like this, I can venture further in.”

Rolan kept a wary eye on the tiger, not relaxing just because it had lost a paw.

A deep roar split the air—