At the end of 1490, in the Sea Circle dar, it was truly an iing time.

  Cudius knew well that the Rocks Pirates, ohe stro pirate group ruling the seas, had fallen after the infamous God Valley I a few years back. After Roger and Garp teamed up to take them down, Rocks, their captain, had met his end. Sihen, all the big names from the Rocks Pirates had gone solo.

  If Cudius remembered correctly, the Big Mom Pirates had already beeablished, Kaido had also formed the Beasts Pirates, and Whitebeard, now in his prime, had started taking in "sons."

  Apart from them, Golden Lion Shiki had risen to prominence. Known as the " Flying Pirate," he had built a massive pirate fleet and was currently the most dominant for the New World.

  Then, there were other famous pirates like Ochoku, the great pirate from the Land of Flowers, and Captain John, who had amassed a vast treasure hoard. All of these notorious figures had inally been part of the Rocks Pirates before they went solo.

  And of course, there was the Roger Pirates an odd bun parison. While most of these rge pirate crews were vying for trol of the New World, the Roger Pirates were wandering the world, seemingly at random. Sometimes they appeared in the New World, and at other times, they would pop up elsewhere, leaving everyone w what they were really up to.

  However, none of this had much to do with a ten-year-old boy like Cudius.

  Now dressed in his Celestial Dragon tiger-skin coat, Cudius owerless to influence such major events. The storms of the outside world were too far away for him to care. What he o focus on was seg his footing wheuro Mariejois.

  Based on Cudius's calcutions, ihan half a year, his family led by Patriarch Donquixote Homing would likely leave for North Blue with his cousins, Dofmingo and Rosinante, in search of their so-called "heaven oh."

  pared to the chaotic struggles in the seas, this event was much more pressing for Cudius. It ed his own future. Before Homi, Cudius o settle his matters with the Donquixote family ond for all.

  There were two possible approaches to this.

  The first was to vining to abandon his ridiculous dreams. Even if one were a Celestial Dragon, they should keep their feet on the ground. Pursuing an idealistiew world" with no practical pn was bound to end in disaster. Homing would likely return g in a year, having beeed by the world. In the end, his wife would die of illness, his son would take his own life, and the Donquixote family would be brought to ruin. The Celestial Dragon family, once living in luxury, would turn into a tragic mess because of Homing's delusions.

  But this option was difficult. While Homing was a bit naive and had treated Cudius well, their retionship wasn't close enough for Cudius to persuade him. Homing was, frankly, a fool with a heart full of good iions but a head full of nonsense. Cudius had ried to form a deeper bond with him, viewing him as nothing more than a misguided dreamer. Their retionship was so distant that it took Homing two weeks to even realize that Cudius had been involved in a shipwreck. That alone showed how little Homing cared for him.

  Moreover, other members of the Donquixote family had tried to dissuade Homing from his pns, but he ighem all. Cudius doubted a ten-year-old like himself would have aer luck. So, the first option was off the table.

  The sed option was simpler. The reason Cudius was being targeted by the family was because when Homi, Cudius was likely to be pushed into the position of family head. Given his young age, ck of power, and personality, the more astute members of the Donquixote family naturally didn't want him to take the reins. Hehey were plotting against him. If Cudius could resolve the underlying issues and remove himself from the equation, he believed that the family would stop targeting him.

  After all, there weren't that maial Drago, and infighting wasn't in anyone's best i.

  With these thoughts in mind, Cudius made up his mind. Once he returo Mariejois, he would sever his ties with the Donquixote family and avoid the power struggles that came with leadership.

  Just as Cudius these matters while enjoying a dessert, a kno the door pulled him from his thoughts.

  Looking towards the door, Cudius called out softly, "e in."

  Zephyr, who had been waiting outside, took a deep breath before opening the door. As he entered, he saw Cudius, already seated at a luxurious dining table, enjoying his snacks.

  Zephyr hadn't expected this Celestial Dragon to already be indulging in dessert before their meal, but sidering it from the perspective of a Celestial Dragon, perhaps it was their way of showing hospitality.

  Still, Zephyr wasn't here to curry favor. He wasn't that kind of person. He also khat Cudius's situation wasn't great.

  "Saint Cudius, thank you for your invitation," Zephyr said, bowing slightly.

  Cudius smiled and waved his hand. "Zephyr, you are my savior. I've already told you—you don't o salute me."

  Zephyr was surprised for a moment but gdly accepted. stantly bowing was tiresome, after all. So, he smiled and replied, "Thank you, Saint Cudius."

  "Please, sit," Cudius gestured with a wave.

  Zephyr nodded and, without too muality, sat across from Cudius.

  The two chatted casually for a while, and the atmosphere became more rexed.

  Through this small talk, Zephyr found himself surprised. This Celestial Dragon, though only ten years old, spoke with a maturity beyond his years. He seemed vastly different from the spoiled image most Celestial Dragons had.

  As a seasoned Admiral who had seen many types of people, Zephyr had a keen eye for reading others. He quickly realized that Cudius wasn't faking this maturity. He wasn't pretending to be kind or reaso seemed to genuinely be his character.

  This leasant surprise for Zephyr. He had expected a troublesome, arrogant brat. Instead, Cudius was thoughtful and easy to talk to. The more they versed, the more fortable Zephyr felt, to the point where the atmosphere lightened siderably, even drawing out Zephyr's hearty ughter at times.

  "By the way, Zephyr," Cudius said between bites of his meal, looking up at Zephyr.

  Zephyr took a sip of the red wihat had been prepared for him and asked, "Yes, Saint Cudius? What I do for you?"

  Cudius smiled and said, "I told you before, there's no need for formalities. I just have a question. You're an Admiral of the Navy, so you must know a lot about the world's stories, right? I've always been curious about the sea. Unfortunately, my ret journey ended in disaster, but my i hasn't faded."

  After a pause, Cudius added, "If it's not too much trouble, could you share with me some iing stories about the world today? Or perhaps tell me about any notable figures?"

  Zephyr chuckled. "If you're ied in hearing an old sailor's tales, I'd be happy to oblige, Saint Cudius."

  As Cudius listetentively, occasionally interrupting with questions, Zephyr patiently expihe current state of the world. By the end of the versation, Cudius had gained a much deeper uanding of the world outside Mariejois. While chaned in the New World, the Marines and the Wover still maintained trol over the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line.

  "Fasating," Cudius mused. "The world is so vast. It seems I've been living in ignorance up in Mariejois. There's so much out there..."

  Zephyr found Cudius's words sincere, whily added to his intrigue about this Celestial Dragon. Most of the Celestial Dragons he had met were either arrogant or oblivious to the world, but Cudius seemed genuinely ied in learning more.

  "If you ever get the ce, Saint Cudius, you should visit the Four Seas. Uhe New World, the seas there are more stable, and the danger is far less," Zephyr suggested.

  Cudius nodded. "Yes, it would be good to see more of the world." After a brief pause, he added, "But, no matter where one goes, there's always some risk, isn't there? Even in Mariejois."

  Hearing this, Zephyr narrowed his eyes slightly but didn't immediately respond.

  Cudius smiled and tinued, "I've heard that you, Zephyr, are passionate about training young Marines. In fact, you were involved iablishing the Marine officer training camp a couple of years aght?"

  Zephyr was slightly surprised that Cudius knew about his background, but he quickly brushed it off. After all, it wasly a secret. Nodding, he replied, "Yes, I was fortunate enough to help set it up."

  "In that case, you must have some ideas on how to train young people," Cudius said. "If possible, I'd like to learn from you, Zephyr. After all, from this experience, I've e to realize that even a Celestial Dragon like me 't always rely on status alone for safety. In the end, the only one you truly rely on is yourself."

  Cudius spoke softly, his tone sincere.